• Guide to positions
  • Study in Germany
  • PhD in Germany
  • Postdoc in Germany
  • Professor in Germany
  • HAW Professorship in Germany
  • Thematic guide
  • Working in Germany
  • Working in Austria
  • Working in Switzerland
  • Higher education in Germany
  • Job profiles
  • Service range
  • Events
  • Employers
  • Graduate schools
  • Guide overview
Extended job search
Study in Germany PhD in Germany Postdoc in Germany Professor in Germany HAW Professorship in Germany
Working in Germany Working in Austria Working in Switzerland Higher education in Germany Job profiles
Events Employers Graduate schools Guide overview
Log in Bookmarks For employers
academics - Logo
From
Die ZEIT - Logo
Forschung & Lehre - Logo
Career advice My academics Log in Bookmarks (0) Bookmarks For employers

Chemical engineer salary Germany
Planning to start a career in the chemical industry in Germany: not without a master's degree and a doctorate

Even as a teenager, he knew that he would study chemistry some day: his chemistry teacher taught such exciting experiment-based classes that Gerd Romanowski was enthralled. His enthusiasm stood the test of time: after gaining his first degree, he completed a doctorate and then worked in industry. Since 1991 he has been working for the industry association Verband der Chemischen Industrie e.V. (VCI). academics spoke to the VCI's director for science, technical and environmental affairs about different types of employment and career opportunities in the chemical industry.

The chemical industry is a sector with excellent prospects and offers great opportunities for qualified scientists © FemmeCurieuse / photocase.de
Contents

academics: How well is Germany positioned in the natural sciences? 

Gerd Romanowski: Very well. There are only a small number of countries that can keep up with Germany in terms of the quality of our university courses as well as the standard of teaching in subjects such as chemistry, physics or biology. 

academics: Why should people study chemistry today? 

Gerd Romanowski: Because it's the most interesting and varied subject within the natural sciences, and because the chemical industry is strong and will continue to be in the future. In addition, chemistry offers excellent opportunities to work in a wide range of exciting jobs and have a promising career. 

academics: Should students specialise early on? 

Gerd Romanowski: Preferably not. New students should study a broad range of subjects, particularly on bachelor courses. Specialisation can wait until their master's degree. 

academics: Will a bachelor's degree do? 

Gerd Romanowski: Generally not. There are a few exceptions regarding degrees from certain universities of applied sciences. As a rule however, a master's degree and a subsequent doctorate are essential for a career in industry. Approximately 90% of chemistry students in Germany go on to complete a PhD. This ability to work scientifically, precisely and in depth is indispensable in the chemical industry. 

academics: What positions are especially popular among natural scientists? 

Gerd Romanowski: Most people who have studied chemistry want to work in research and development. That's frequently the entry level job they do for the first four or five years. After that, a sizeable number become interested in other areas of a company, such as marketing, production or technical application. Then there are opportunities to advance to assistant operations manager, operations manager, and later on maybe even to become manager of multiple facilities.


academics: Does the chemical industry tempt top candidates away from academia because it can offer better salaries and career opportunities? 

Gerd Romanowski: Good salaries and outstanding prospects are the factors with which the chemical industry is able to attract career starters. Universities can only pay academic personnel according to fixed public-sector pay agreements, and even for some professorships, salary bracket W2 is as far as it goes. That's why there are people who move into industry during the course of their habilitation, because aspects such as salary and career opportunities are better there. 

academics: But if a lot of scientists did that, the industry would at some point no longer be able to recruit well-trained graduates, because there wouldn't be enough qualified teachers ... 

Gerd Romanowski: That wouldn't be in our interests either. That's why we support young university lecturers through our grant programmes. 

academics: You have a doctorate in chemistry. What made you decide to work in industry? 

Gerd Romanowski: Mostly the applied approach. In academic research, the focus is on gaining knowledge. In industry, on the other hand, the specific usefulness, of research is emphasised. 

academics: What abilities should a recent graduate ideally have to offer the chemical industry? 

Gerd Romanowski: In addition to excellent skills in chemistry or other specialist disciplines, soft skills such as the ability to work in a team and social competence are very important. Knowledge of economics and language skills are also desirable.

academics: Is chemistry valued as highly as it should be? 

Gerd Romanowski: We need to make even clearer how chemistry and chemical processes benefit us in everyday life. No mobile phone, no computer and no car would work without chemistry. If everyone understood that, it would be much more accepted. People are not fundamentally sceptical of new technologies, quite the opposite: most people are actually technophiles. 

Don't miss out on any new jobs

With our Job-Mail, you will receive suitable job ads as well as interesting content matching your search profile on a weekly basis.

Please enter an email address in a valid format.
You can stop your Job-Mail subscription at any time, e.g. by sending an email to info@academics.com. We also use your email address to send you advertisements for similar offers from the ZEIT publishing group. You can withdraw your consent to this use at any time. By registering, you declare your agreement with our terms & conditions and take note of our privacy policy.

INFO-BOX: Starting a career in the chemical industry

The chemical industry is a sector with excellent prospects and offers great opportunities for qualified scientists. A master's degree and a doctorate are basically indispensable for embarking on a career in industry. Chemists frequently start their careers in research and development; advanced positions in companies such as in marketing, in production or in technical application, for example as assistant operations manager, operations manager or even manager of multiple facilities may then become available. Compared to jobs in academia, working in industry offers higher salaries and better career prospects. 

More information: www.vci.de/fonds/English-Documents/Seiten/Funding-Program-Fonds.aspx

INFO-BOX: Facts and figures on the chemical industry

At the end of 2012, around 437,000 people were employed the approximately 2,000 German chemical companies - the country's third-largest industry with a turnover of 184 billion euros. 

The chemical industry spends approximately 9 billion euros every year on research and development - almost 17% of the total research and development expenditure of German industry. 

Approximately 40% of chemical companies that have introduced new products to the market in the past three years work together with universities. In 2010, Germany exported 57 billion euros worth of research-intensive chemical products (not including pharmaceutical products), corresponding to 62% of all chemical exports. 

The chemical industry is currently training approximately 20,000 young people, two thirds of them in STEM-related jobs. In 2011, employees in the chemical industry earned an average gross salary of 52,500 euros a year.

Authors
Bärbel Broer
Source
academics - March 2013

Share
Current job vacancies from the fields of science and research
  • Wissenschaftliche/r Mitarbeiter/in (w/m/d)

    2023-09-07 RWTH Aachen University Aachen
    Wissenschaftliche/r Mitarbeiter/in (w/m/d)  - RWTH Aachen University - Logo
  • Doktorand/in / Assistenz (m/w/d)

    2023-09-07 Universität St.Gallen St. Gallen (Schweiz)
    Doktorand/in / Assistenz (m/w/d) - Universität St.Gallen - Logo
  • Informatiker/in oder Mathematiker/in (w/m/d) Absicherung und Weiterentwicklung von dezentralen Daten- und Diensteökosystemen

    2023-09-12 Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt e.V. (DLR) Ulm
    Informatiker/in oder Mathematiker/in (w/m/d) Absicherung und Weiterentwicklung von dezentralen Daten- und Diensteökosystemen - Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt e.V. (DLR) - Logo
To all job vacancies

Related articles

Professional spotlight: postdoc

Postdocs should bear one thing in mind above all else: a strategy to withdraw from academia is highly advisable, for secure positions are rare.

Academic salary in Germany

The tariff structure for academics' salaries is very transparent in Germany. This is a good approach in light of the many different payment models in academia. It is important to note that this career will not make you rich!

Austrian health insurance for foreigners

Austria is considered to be one of the best countries in the world for having health insurance. But how do you go about getting covered? This guide gives you an insight into how the Austrian health system works.

Salary researchers Germany: What do researchers earn?

Researchers are employed by a university or research institution, and their salary is set on the basis of a collective agreement. The salary of researchers depends on the relevant professional experience.

Academics
  • About us
  • Contact
  • Legal notice
  • Terms of use
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies & Tracking
  • Partners
  • Job-Mail
  • academics.de
For Employers
  • Post a job
  • Mediapack
  • Terms and conditions
You can also visit us at
academics - Logo From Die ZEIT - Logo Forschung & Lehre - Logo Deutscher Hochschulverband
Data privacy
Please deactivate your ad-block plugins to edit your permissions regarding cookies and tracking.