Customer services

Shoe repairer

Shoe repairers mend footwear and items like belts and bags.

Annual Salary

£14,500 to £24,000

Working hours

39 to 45 a week

You could work: weekends;

4.8%
Future employment

There will be 4.8% fewer Shoe repairer jobs in 2027.
In your local area

What's it all about?

Day-to-day tasks

You could:

  • greet customers and price up work to be done
  • replace worn out soles and heels
  • carry out more complicated repairs, like renew stitching and welts
  • build up soles and heels
  • clean, polish, dye or stain shoes
  • replace buckles, laces, zips or straps
  • maintain equipment, sharpen cutting tools and service machinery
  • sell items and take cash and card payments

Working environment

You may need to wear protective clothing.

You could work at a store.

Your working environment may be noisy and dusty.

You can get into this job by applying directly.

Direct application

You could apply directly for a job as a trainee with a shoe repair company.

Some employers may give you a short assessment to test your English, basic maths and practical skills. Most will expect you to have the potential to develop excellent customer service skills.

You'll learn mostly on-the-job. Some employers have their own training centres where you may also spend some time.

More information

You could learn additional skills like engraving, watch repair and key cutting, as some shoe repairers also offer these services.

With experience you may be able to work your way up to a supervisor or manager position with the shoe repair company.

You could become self-employed and open your own shoe repair business.

You could use your customer service skills in other retail roles or put your practical skills to use in other types of repair or craft work.

Skills required and how your skills match up

What skills are required?

  • the ability to work well with your hands
  • to be thorough and pay attention to detail
  • customer service skills
  • the ability to work well with others
  • the ability to come up with new ways of doing things
  • ambition and a desire to succeed
  • persistence and determination
  • the ability to use your initiative
  • excellent verbal communication skills
  • to be able to carry out basic tasks on a computer or hand-held device
My top 5 skills from the skills bank
Please sign in to compare your skills to this job. Sign in

To save or view your choices and results you must sign in or register (takes 1 minute).

Sign in Register