Bricklayer
Your bricklaying skills literally build Germany: a recognised, sought-after and solid structural trade.
The profession
The bricklayer carries out structural work: building walls in brick, block and concrete, and pouring concrete elements. They read plans and work with precision.
Salary
The entry salary is around 2,600 to 2,670 € per month, with a median near 3,100 €, an average of about 3,388 €, and above 3,700 € with experience (source: aggregators citing the Entgeltatlas, 2025). The guaranteed sector minimum for skilled workers (Mindestlohn Bau) is about 17.34 €/h in 2026, above the general minimum wage, which sets a safe floor.
Employers hiring
Structural and shell construction firms (Hochbau), property developers (Bauträger), as well as large groups and the construction Mittelstand hire bricklayers.
Prospects
Prospects are very strong: bricklaying is explicitly listed as a shortage occupation (source: Federal Employment Agency, 2024).
Career progression
You can progress to team leader (Vorarbeiter), site foreman (Polier), master craftsman (Meister) or construction technician.
Language level
On site, safety instructions, directions and documentation are in German. B2 is the standard employers expect, and that is the level we aim for.
Diploma recognition
These construction trades are skilled crafts. The master title (Meister) is only required to set up your own business, not to work as an employee. For the skilled-worker visa, recognition of your qualification (Anerkennung) by the chamber of crafts is needed; we have it assessed and start the procedure with you.
Visa
The main routes are the skilled-worker visa with a recognised qualification, the recognition partnership which since March 2024 allows you to enter and work while completing recognition on site (A2 level required), and the Chancenkarte to come and look for a job. The EU Blue Card, reserved for university profiles, does not apply to these trades. We check your eligibility and build the file with you.
Your Karriere Fähre support
We train you in German up to the required level, have your qualification recognised, present your profile to German employers, prepare the visa file and support you all the way to your arrival.
Frequently asked questions
- Do you need the Meister to work as a bricklayer in Germany ?
- No: the master title is only required to set up your own business, not to work as an employee in a company.
- Is the work physical and outdoors ?
- Yes, bricklaying is a physical trade carried out largely outdoors, on construction sites.
Indicative gross ranges from public German sources (Federal Employment Agency, Entgeltatlas, Gehalt.de, StepStone, the construction tariff Bau-Hauptgewerbe / SOKA-BAU). In construction, pay often follows the collective agreement and the sector minimum wage, and varies by region, employer and experience. Recognition and visa rules change: always check your case with the competent German authorities.