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Stonemasons carve and shape stone blocks, and lay and fit stonework on construction, conservation and restoration projects.
You could work: between 8am and 6pm;
As a stonemason, you could:
In this job, you'll work with materials like sandstone, limestone, slate, marble and granite.
You may need to wear safety clothing and use safety equipment.
You could work on a construction site, in a workshop or at a client's home.
Your working environment may be at height, dusty, noisy and physically demanding.
You can get into this job through:
You could take a college course, which would teach you some of the skills needed to get a trainee job with a building company.
Courses include:
You could apply to do a Stonemason Level 2 Intermediate Apprenticeship.
This apprenticeship has pathways for different types of stonemasonry work, for example:
This apprenticeship takes about 24 months to complete and is a mix of workplace learning and off-site study.
You'll usually need:
You could start as a construction labourer or bricklayer and take further training with your employer to get a qualification in stonemasonry.
You may be able to find short training courses in heritage skills by contacting organisations like The Historic England Foundation.
You'll find more information about careers in stonemasonry from Go Construct and the Stone Federation.
You can also get details about stonemasonry carving skills from the Crafts Council.
With experience, you could become a site supervisor or specialise in heritage conservation.
You could also move into related areas like:estimating; construction management; training apprentices in further education
In time, you might set up your own stonemasonry business.
You'll find more on careers in stonemasonry from Go Construct and the Stone Federation.