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- Use tiles to cover floors and walls in homes or commercial buildings
- You'll develop specific skills and will need good maths ability to work out quantities and layouts
- Work for a company or become self-employed
As a tiler you'll learn a skilled trade and work on a range of different projects in homes, commercial or industrial settings.
DAY-TO-DAY DUTIES
- Marking out an area to estimate the amount of tiles and adhesive needed (known as setting out)
- Cutting tiles to size and shape with hand-cutters or bench-mounted tools
- Preparing surfaces by levelling off with plaster, sand or cement
- Fixing the tiles and applying grout before finishing off
- Repairing or removing the previous surface before the setting out stage
- Working with various building materials
DAY-TO-DAY ENVIRONMENT
The work can be physically demanding and often involves lifting heavy loads. You'll wear protective safety clothing when working with adhesives and grout. You'll travel from site to site and may sometimes stay overnight.
You'll need
There are no set requirements but you'll usually need experience and a qualification in wall and floor tiling.
You can get into this career through a wall and floor tiling intermediate apprenticeship. You may also be able to start as a site labourer and do further training on the job to qualify as a tiler.
Or you could take a college course to learn some of the skills needed to do this job and then look for employment. Courses include a Level 1 Certificate in Wall and Floor Tiling, a Level 2 Diploma in Wall and Floor Tiling, or a Level 2 Certificate in Wall and Floor Tiling for Property Maintenance.
You'll need good practical skills, the ability to follow design plans, accuracy and attention to detail, maths skills for calculating costs and quantities of materials, creative flair and a good eye for design, customer service skills, and the ability to keep paperwork and accounts up-to-date, if self-employed.
You may also need a Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) card to work on some sites. Your employer may be able to help you get one when you start.
CAREER PROSPECTS
With experience and extra training, you could become a site supervisor, clerk of works or contract manager. You could also work as a trainer and assessor on tiling courses or set up your own business.