Career · Machines, transport and industry
Waste collector (refuse truck crew)
Takes away household rubbish: drives the refuse truck or empties the bins, so the city and the yards stay clean.
Career overview
What a day looks like
The crew usually sets out early in the morning along a route: from yard to yard, from one bin area to the next. The driver steers the refuse truck, while the collector wheels up and empties the bins and checks that no rubbish is left around. Then the truck goes to a place that accepts waste. The work is physically hard, outdoors in any weather, with unpleasant smells and a risk of injury. Special clothing, gloves and reflective elements are usually needed, and in yards you have to be very careful around people and vehicles. But the result is visible every morning: clean yards, and without this service rubbish would quickly become a health threat.
Try it yourself this week
30 minutes
Write the rules for a family agreement on chores
- Ask your parents if they agree to play this game with you.
- Make a list of household chores and write down who does what and on which days.
- Write down what happens if someone doesn't keep their promise and how you'll talk it through.
- Read the text out loud and check: are there any phrases that could be understood in different ways? Fix them.
What you'll learn about yourself: Whether you're good at reaching agreements and noticing vague words that lead to arguments later.
What you can do next
Next 3 months
Follow the path of rubbish
Find out where the rubbish from your yard goes and how it is sorted or recycled in your city. Write it down step by step.
In six months
Watch the work from a distance
From a safe place, watch how a refuse truck crew works. Write down what the driver does and what the collector does. Do not go near the truck.
In a year
Ask someone who does this job
Through people you know, and together with your parents, ask what the hard sides of this work are and what helps people cope with them.
What it pays
No verified information is available in this section yet.
Where to study
No verified information is available in this section yet.
How to get into college
College gets you a profession faster than university. You can apply after grade 9 or after grade 11.
- Colleges accept students both after grade 9 and after grade 11. After grade 9 you study longer — about 3 years 10 months; after grade 11, about 2 years 10 months. The exact length depends on the college and the specialty.
Source: kchk.edu.kz (opens in a new tab) - About 80% of students admitted to colleges in the 2024/25 school year study on a state order, which means in state-funded places (in 2023/24 it was about 70%). But each college and each specialty has its own number of state-funded places.
Source: inbusiness.kz (opens in a new tab) - There are also paid colleges. For example, training as a nurse at ADILMED costs 450,000 ₸ per year. Check the price and conditions on the college's website.
Source: adilmed.kz (opens in a new tab)
UNT: which subjects to take for university
The UNT (Unified National Testing) is Kazakhstan's national university entrance test. You need it to get into university after grade 11.
- The UNT 2026 has three compulsory subjects: History of Kazakhstan, Reading Literacy and Mathematical Literacy. On top of these, you take two profile subjects, chosen to match your specialty.
Source: testcenter.kz (opens in a new tab) - In total, the test has 120 questions (maximum 140 points) and you get 4 hours. The format is the same as in 2025.
Source: testcenter.kz (opens in a new tab) - Profile subjects depend on the group of specialties. For example: information technology — Mathematics and Computer Science; nursing and veterinary medicine — Biology and Chemistry; electrical engineering — Mathematics and Physics; law — World History and Fundamentals of Law. The full list is published by the National Testing Center.
Source: testcenter.kz (opens in a new tab) - For creative specialties (for example, media and design), you take History of Kazakhstan and Reading Literacy through the UNT, and two creative exams at the university itself.
Source: testcenter.kz (opens in a new tab) - Some universities have their own admission rules. Nazarbayev University, for example, requires a UNT score of at least 85, a GPA of 4.0 and English at IELTS 6.0 level.
Source: nu.edu.kz (opens in a new tab)
Courses and opportunities
Opportunities near this field
- Programmeenbek.kz job portal (opens in a new tab)
Министерство труда и социальной защиты РК
Who it's for: anyone looking for a job or an internship.
When: all year round.
The government job vacancy portal. It has a section for students and young specialists called «Жастарға» (For young people).
Checked: September 2026
Source: enbek.kz (opens in a new tab) - Programmeup to age 35Youth internship programme (opens in a new tab)
Министерство труда и социальной защиты РК
Who it's for: college and university graduates (not for school students).
When: ongoing, up to 12 months.
A paid internship for graduates (under the terms on enbek.kz, at least 30 MCI (monthly calculation index) per month). The rules have changed before, so check them on the day you apply.
Checked: September 2026
Source: enbek.kz (opens in a new tab) - Programmeup to age 35First job programme (opens in a new tab)
Министерство труда и социальной защиты РК
Who it's for: young specialists (not for school students).
When: subsidy for up to 18 months.
The state helps pay a young specialist's salary for up to 18 months. Check the conditions on enbek.kz.
Checked: September 2026
Source: enbek.kz (opens in a new tab) - ProgrammefreeAtlas of New Professions (opens in a new tab)
Минтруда РК и Центр развития трудовых ресурсов
Who it's for: everyone.
When: reference guide, always available.
Atlas of New Professions: which jobs will appear, change or disappear in the next 5–10 years. Free to read.
Checked: September 2026
Source: atlasbt.enbek.kz (opens in a new tab)
Can you work before you turn 18?
Under Kazakhstan's Labour Code, teenagers can work, but with limits.
- Usually you can work from age 16. From 15 — if you are getting basic or general secondary education. From 14 — only in your free time outside school and only light work. If you are under 16, you need a signature from a parent or legal guardian.
Source: kodeksy-kz.com (opens in a new tab) - From 14 to 16 you can work no more than 24 hours a week; from 16 to 18, no more than 36 hours a week.
Source: kodeksy-kz.com (opens in a new tab) - Under-18s must not be given heavy or hazardous work, jobs with full financial liability, night work, overtime or business trips.
Source: mybuh.kz (opens in a new tab)
History of the career
No verified information is available in this section yet.
Well-known people in this field
No verified information is available in this section yet.