Welder training and work
Courses, certificates, pay, and welding work across the European Union.
Welding is one of the few trades where a specific, examinable qualification maps directly onto what you can be paid for — and where that qualification is recognised across twenty-seven countries.
Two things decide the rate, and neither is the number of certificates. Position and process: the spread between plate MAG in the flat position and coded TIG on pipe in position is roughly a factor of two, everywhere. Consistency: a welder whose work does not come back is worth more than a faster one who produces occasional repairs, because a repair costs the gouging, the re-weld, the re-test and the delay.
For welders arriving from outside the Union, almost all of the difficulty is paperwork rather than skill, and it is solvable in a predictable order.
- What welders earn Welder salary in Europe, gross median: Germany €3,843 a month, Norway NOK 50,500, Poland 7,290 zł, UK £35,344 a year. Why coded TIG on pipe pays about twice plate MAG.
- Welder salary in Warsaw Median 7,290 zł gross ≈ €1,660 (NBP rate 23.10.2026), net ≈ €1,210. Warsaw job ads 6,000–14,000 zł ≈ €1,370–3,190. Hourly rates, contracts, B2B, rent.
- Welding course: cost and length A basic MAG course takes 3–4 weeks, 120–160 hours and costs 2,200–3,200 zł (Poland, 2026); TIG 3,000–4,500 zł. Table per process, what the price covers, the certificate.
- How to become a welder Course, EN ISO 9606-1 test, first job: MAG course 3–4 weeks and 2,200–3,200 zł, the test alone 600–1,500 zł. Which process to learn first and what the test involves.
- Work for foreign welders A non-EU welding certificate is usually not accepted: re-sit EN ISO 9606-1 in a day, no course. Pay in Poland (median 7,290 zł gross), agency checks, contract, WPS language.
- Welding work in the EU Where welders are short: energy, shipyards, pipe, rail. Which certificate travels, VCA, SCC and GWO safety tickets, posting rules (A1, 12/18/24 months), checking an offer.
Frequently asked questions
How long before I can earn a living at welding?
Three to six months to reach employable competence in one process, with serious practice. Two to three years to be genuinely good. The gap between passing the test and being fast and consistent all day is the part the brochures leave out.
Which certificate is worth the most?
TIG on pipe in position — 141 with H-L045. Hardest to obtain, hardest to replace, and paid accordingly. Adding another plate process to a plate qualification moves the rate far less.
Is my non-EU certificate accepted in Europe?
Usually not directly, because the accreditation chain matters as much as the standard. The practical route is to re-sit the examination at an accredited European centre — for someone who can already weld that is a day and one fee, not a three-week course.