On-site

Tiler

Tilers fix tiles to walls and floors in kitchens, bathrooms, shops and restaurants, using materials like ceramics, slate, stone and marble.

Annual Salary

£21,000 to £38,000

Working hours

40 to 45 a week

You could work: evenings / weekends; occasionally

What's it all about?

Day-to-day tasks

As a wall and floor tiler, you'll:

  • work out the amount of materials needed for a job
  • follow design plans to match the layout of tile patterns
  • cut tiles to the correct shape and size by hand or with power tools
  • prepare surfaces by levelling off with plaster, sand or cement
  • fix tiles into place and apply grouting and sealants
  • tidy up work areas and dispose of old materials safely

Working environment

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

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

Your working environment may be dusty, noisy and physically demanding.

You can get into this job through:

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

You could take a college course to learn some of the skills needed to do this job. Courses include:

  • wall and floor tiling
  • construction skills - tiling

Some colleges offer short DIY courses in tiling that you can try before deciding whether to take a longer course that leads to a qualification.

Apprenticeship

You could apply to do a Wall and Floor Tiling Level 2 Intermediate Apprenticeship.

This can take up to 3 years to complete and combines on-the-job training with off-site study.

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 may be able to start work as a site labourer or tiler's 'mate' and do further training on the job to qualify as a tiler.

Requirements and restrictions

You'll need to:

  • You may need a driving licence for some jobs.

More information

Further information

You can find more details about tiling careers and training from:Go Construct; House Building Careers; The Tile Association

With experience and extra training, you could move into:site management; estimating; contract management; heritage work

You could also train apprentices in further education or set up your own business.

You'll need a Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) card or equivalent to train and work on a construction site

You'll find more details about tiling careers and training from Go Construct and The Tile Association.

Skills required and how your skills match up

What skills are required?

  • knowledge of building and construction
  • to be thorough and pay attention to detail
  • the ability to work well with your hands
  • knowledge of maths
  • the ability to work well with others
  • customer service skills
  • design skills and knowledge
  • the ability to organise your time and workload
  • to be able to use a computer and the main software packages competently
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