Do you love working outdoors? Are you not afraid of heights and have good balance? Then maybe you could be a roofer. Whilst there are no formal educational requirements, employers will value some experience in the trade. There are a number of ways you can gain that experience:
- Help a roofer by working as a labourer assistant
- Attend a course at your local college in construction skills, or the more industry-specific Level 2 Diploma in Slating and Tiling
For working on any building site, most employers will need you to have already obtained a Construction Skills Certificate Scheme card. One way to get this is to complete an apprenticeship in the construction industry.
Working as a roofer, you’ll need:
- To understand how to read and follow building plans
- Sound maths skills for calculating areas, amounts and prices
- Good with your hands and strong practical ability
During the course of an average day, you might be expected to:
- Strip the roof of broken slate or tiles and repair them
- Examine roof timbers
- Fit and attach felt sheets
- Correctly measuring and cutting roofing materials
- Cover roofs with cladding, slate or tiles
- Fitting lead flashing to chimneys and walls
- Sealing up joists
Roofers often work alongside other construction specialists such as plumbers, joiners and electricians. Depending on your experience, a roofer can anything from £13,000 to upwards of £30,000 for many years of experience. Working as a self-employed roofer, you would be able to set your own competitive rates.
Roofers and other tradespeople normally work a 40-hour week, but this can vary depending on the season. You may work less in the winter and longer hours during the fine weather of summer. When you need a dependable roofer, contact a Gloucester Flat Roofing specialist at http://premiertradespeople.co.uk/trade-services-gloucester/gloucester-roofing/
The work involves being high up and using ladders and scaffolding. Health and safety is a crucial aspect of the job. You’ll need safety equipment like a hard hat and knee pads. It’s a tough and physically demanding job and of course, you’ll be working out in the open in all kinds of weather. You might only travel locally, but you could also take on bigger projects that require staying away from home and living near the site in temporary accommodation.
There are several progression routes and a further qualification in the Level 3 Diploma in Roofing Occupations. Some roofers choose to specialise in areas such as heritage conservation, solar panel installations or even thatching. Other related careers you could move onto include a cost estimator, roofing surveyor, site manager or setting up your own business as a roofing consultant.
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