On-site

Roofer

Roofers re-slate and tile roofs, fit skylight windows and replace lead sheeting and cladding.

Annual Salary

£21,000 to £36,000

Working hours

42 to 44 a week

You could work: evenings; away from home

What's it all about?

Day-to-day tasks

As a roofer, you could:

  • remove or repair broken tiles or slates
  • check the condition of roof timbers and seal roof joints
  • measure the roof area to work out how much material is needed
  • fit insulation
  • cover roofs with slates, tiles, sheets or cladding
  • apply waterproof membranes to flat roofs
  • fit plastic or lead 'flashings' around chimneys, windows and walls

We've identified this as a potential green job

For a roofer to be a green job, you could:

  • install solar panels on buildings
  • fit roof insulation to make a property more energy efficient
  • use environmentally friendly and recyclable materials

Find out more about green careers

Working environment

You may need to wear safety clothing and use safety equipment.

You could work on a construction site, at a client's business or at a client's home.

Your working environment may be at height, dirty and outdoors in all weathers.

You can get into this job through:

  • a college course
  • an apprenticeship
  • working towards this role
College

You can take a college course which will teach you some of the skills you'll need to get a trainee position with a roofing company.

You could do a course in roof slating and tiling or roof sheeting and cladding.

Apprenticeship

You could do a Roofer Level 2 Intermediate Apprenticeship.

This can take up to 2 years to complete. You'll do on-the-job training and spend time with a college or training provider.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • some GCSEs, usually including English and maths, or equivalent, for an intermediate apprenticeship
For more information
  • equivalent entry requirements|https://www.gov.uk/what-different-qualification-levels-mean/list-of-qualification-levels
  • guide to apprenticeships|https://www.gov.uk/apprenticeships-guide
Work

You could work as a roofing labourer or 'mate' and do further training while you work to get a roofing qualification.

Requirements and restrictions

You'll need to:

  • You may need a driving licence for some jobs.
  • be able to cope with working at height
  • have a good level of fitness

More information

Career tips

You can do specialist training courses if you're interested in heritage and conservation skills in roof slating and tiling.

Professional and industry bodies

You can join the Institute of Roofing for training opportunities and to make industry contacts.

Further information

You'll find more details about careers in roofing from Go Construct.

You could become a roofing surveyor, estimating costs, dealing with contracts and working with architects. You could also be a site manager, move into equipment sales or work as a steeplejack.

With a lot of experience, you could train apprentices, set up your own business or specialise in heritage conservation work.

Skills required and how your skills match up

What skills are required?

  • knowledge of building and construction
  • the ability to work well with your hands
  • to be thorough and pay attention to detail
  • the ability to work well with others
  • knowledge of maths
  • physical fitness and endurance
  • to be flexible and open to change
  • the ability to operate and control equipment
  • to be able to carry out basic tasks on a computer or hand-held device
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