Assay lab technician
| Highest | $3,200 / mo · Switzerland |
|---|---|
| Experience | 0–1 yrs |
| Degree | Required |
| First paycheck | 0 months — direct paid traineeship |
Pay in the destination countries
Monthly, in US dollars. Each country is an Imora admission package — open one for that route's fees, language requirement and deadline.
| Country | Monthly |
|---|---|
| SwitzerlandIELTS 6.5 · CHF 0.9–8k | $3,200max |
| ItalyIELTS 6.0 · €0–4k | $3,050 |
| NorwayIELTS 6.0–6.5 · NOK 130–260k | $3,050 |
| United StatesTOEFL 80–100 · $10–70k | $3,050 |
| DenmarkIELTS 6.5 · DKK 45–135k | $3,000 |
| AustriaGerman A2–C1 · €726 | $3,000 |
What does the day look like?
You start by taking in the batch: you log incoming jewellery, bullion or scrap lots and weigh them on a micro-analytical balance. Then you screen them on a benchtop ED-XRF spectrometer for gold, silver, platinum, palladium, copper, zinc and nickel percentages. You run touchstone tests on a basanite stone, dropping standard nitric acid and aqua regia solutions on the metal streak and comparing it against standard test needles.
For definitive gold you prepare a fire assay: you scrape 0.1 grams to 0.5 grams, wrap it in lead foil, melt it in a muffle furnace at 1050 degrees to 1150 degrees, part the silver in nitric acid baths, and weigh the remaining gold cornet on a balance accurate to 0.001 milligrams. You run titration or ICP-OES for silver and platinum-group metals, then stamp the statutory hallmark with a press, hand punch or Nd:YAG / fiber laser and log the certificate in LIMS. Shifts are usually 08:00 to 16:30 or 09:00 to 17:30, 40 hours per week. The glamorous part — handling gold and stamping jewels — is about 15% of the day, the other 85% is washing, weighing, calibration and paperwork. Industrial refineries run 2 or 3 shifts, hallmarking offices work weekdays only. No night work or on-call duty at entry level.
Where does this lead?
Next step up
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