Civil Engineer (Site-Based) — Observer Programme

Current: v2.0 · Last edited: 2026-03-24

Site Civil Engineer — Your Field Expertise Has Real Value

Surveying, setting out, supervising pours — the work you do on site can't be replicated from a desk. Now you can get paid for it.

Civil engineers are on the European Commission's official list of critical shortage professions. Your skills are in high demand. Record them. Get paid.

The Observer Programme pays site-based civil engineers to record their working day using lightweight smart glasses. You do your normal site work — we capture the expertise.

How it works

• Wear smart glasses (compatible with hard hats) while on site
• Record sessions from 30 minutes up — fits around your day
• Spend a few minutes after each session confirming what tasks you performed
• Get paid per recorded minute. The more you record, the more you earn
• All recordings are anonymised — no faces, no voices, no identifying details

What you'll earn

You're paid per minute of accepted footage — on top of your regular income.

€20–€28 per recorded hour

€80–€112 per recording day (based on ~4 hours)

€1,200–€1,800 per month (based on 20 recording days)

First Observers in a specialism or region earn a launch bonus. Extra earnings possible through referral bonuses.

What we're looking for

• 3+ years of experience as a site-based civil engineer
• Currently working on site — employed or contract
• Hands-on site work: setting out, surveying, supervising construction, inspections, quality checks
• Smartphone (iOS or Android)

All specialisms welcome: site civil engineer (road/bridge), structural site engineer, geotechnical site engineer.

Note: This role is for site-based engineers with hands-on field work. Desk-based design roles are not currently part of the programme.

We provide everything

• Smart glasses — shipped to you, pre-configured (compatible with hard hats)
• Full onboarding and support (~30 minutes)

About the Observer Programme

The Observer Programme by Aisthis works with professionals across 100+ trades to document how skilled work actually happens. Site engineering — the spatial judgement, the problem-solving, the coordination — is expertise worth recording.

Applications are reviewed with the help of AI. We'll be in touch if there's a match.