CNC Machine Operator

You run CNC lathes and milling centres, mostly Haas and Mazak, cutting steel and aluminium parts to drawing. The day starts with loading the program, checking the offsets, and clamping the first piece, then you measure with calipers and a micrometer to make sure the first part is in tolerance before the batch runs. You swap worn inserts, top up coolant, and clear chips between jobs. The shop runs two shifts, 06:00 to 14:00 and 14:00 to 22:00, rotating weekly, with the odd Saturday morning when an order is tight. You read the work order, pick the right fixture, and keep your own logbook of what you produced. Nothing leaves your station until it passes the quality check at the gauge bench.

At least two years on CNC lathes or mills, not just minding a machine

Reading mechanical drawings and GD&T symbols

Measuring with calipers, micrometers and gauges

Basic edits to Fanuc or Mazatrol programs at the control

Comfortable on rotating two-shift work

Functional English for the manuals and the foreman's notes

Furnished room sorted for your first three months, then help finding your own place

Daily transport from the housing to the plant and back

Hot meal on every shift in the canteen

Full health insurance from day one

Flights and paperwork for the move covered by the employer

You start at 1320 net a month. Once you can set up a job on your own and hold tolerances without the foreman checking every part, pay moves to 1520 net, usually within the first year. From there the next step is setter, running several machines and helping new operators find their feet.

The shop is a clean, well-lit machining hall near the port, around forty people across the two shifts. It gets warm in summer and the machines are loud, so ear protection and safety shoes are worn at all times. The team is mostly Greek with a few foreign workers, and the foreman speaks enough English to get you settled.