CNC Machine Operator

You load raw material, set the zero point, and start programs on Haas or Mazak machining centres and lathes. During the run you watch tool wear, swap inserts when an edge dulls, and check key dimensions with a caliper and micrometer against the drawing. Most parts are small batch steel and aluminium components, so you change setups a few times a shift. You log scrap and downtime in the shift sheet and flag anything that drifts out of tolerance to the setter. The plant runs two shifts, 6 to 14 and 14 to 22, Monday to Friday, with the odd Saturday when an order is tight.

At least 2 years on CNC milling or turning machines

Can read technical drawings and hold tolerances to a few hundredths

Comfortable measuring with caliper, micrometer and bore gauge

Basic edits to Fanuc or Heidenhain programs at the control

Functional English (B1) for drawings, software menus and the day shift handover

Furnished room close to the plant for the first three months, paid by the employer

Daily transport from the accommodation to the site

Hot meal in the canteen on every shift

Private health insurance on top of the state cover

Help with paperwork and registration once you arrive

You start at 1360 euro net while you learn the machines and the part mix. Once you set up jobs on your own and run two machines at a time, pay moves to 1560 euro net, usually within the first year. Operators who pick up programming go on to setter roles after that.

The hall is a modern machining shop, lit, heated in winter, with chip conveyors and coolant filtering so the air stays clean. You stand most of the shift and lift parts up to about 15 kilos, with a crane for the heavier blanks. Safety glasses, gloves and steel-toe boots are required and supplied.