Brick layer Apprenticeship - Is it worth the hard work?

As a brick layer, you find yourself working with a range of building materials such as bricks, concrete blocks, sand cement, brick ties and lintells to name just a few!

The job involved planning and laying of bricks in all kinds of walls. This can be anything from simple garden walls, garages or even newly built houses or flats.

Brick layers have to work on many different types different construction site. Some brick layers make a choice to to specialize. For example some choose loft or barn conversions whilst others prefer restoration work.

When deciding wether to undertake an apprenticeship you will need to consider its demands. Brick laying is a physically hard job. You will be working with heavy materials such as bricks and blocks that weigh tonnes, so some back and leg ache is expected on a regular basis! Also brick laying is for the most part an outdoor activity that is carried out in all kinds of weather conditions so you have to make sure that this doesn't bother you. Then there are the qualifications and training that you will need in order to be seen as a competent professional. With and NVQ Level 2 qualification and a technical certificate you can expect to start your working life on arround 16,000 per year but with experience and as your skills and knowledge develop this will rise. You could perhaps even run your own projects and be your own boss!

Brick laying is also a potentially dangerous job and often includes working at height so it is very important that you listen carefully to all health and safety instructions you are given. This will allow you to work safetly without causing injury to yourself or others.

In summary brick laying is a very physically demanding and technical job. It has a steep learning curve and has dangerous aspects. You have to expect to put in a lot of effort to become a competent and skilled brick layer, however the reward is more that work this effort. Brick laying is a very rewarding job and personally I take a great deal of pride in seeing buildings that we have constructed. The financial rewards can be good and job security is quite good since people will always need to maintain their buildings and as such people with building skills will always be in demand!