Fancy becoming a Career Carpenter?
Begin a career in construction - carpentry
Thinking of becoming a career carpenter? If you have just left school or want to take your DIY carpentry to the next level, training to become a carpenter is a great career choice!
Good chippies are always in demand, job satisfaction is practically guaranteed and the monies good too!
When I first got a job on site I actually thought I was going to become a bricklayer! I started labouring in the summer and spent time helping each of the different tradesmen (admittedly doing a lot of tidying up and fetching stuff) and so got a taste of what each of the different trades have to do day to day.
It wasn't long before I completely changed my mind and really wanted to learn more about carpentry. I think 80% of that was probably because of all the power tools they used!
And, I soon realised bricklayers spend a lot of the day bent over laying footings or picking up heavy concrete blocks (getting a bad back). Plumbers do toilets and other stinking waste pipes. Electricians do.. I don't want to get electrocuted! And carpenters do wood. Compared to the others, I like wood!?
Wood is a great material to work with. It's got to be the most versatile material in the world, and has literally thousands of different uses and applications. That's why carpentry is such an interesting topic, your career could take you in any one of a number of different areas that all fall under 'career carpenter'. You very rarely end up doing the same thing twice, there's always variations and new things to challenge your mind.
Some of the carpentry career possibilities
The list goes on. Not only are there lots of different types of career carpenters, there are different levels of employment. You could work within a company, register as self employed and sub contract to several or even start a business of your own. There are more self employed carpenters than any other trade! Fancy being your own boss?
The best way to learn carpentry is definitely by completing a carpentry apprenticeship. Splitting the time between learning theory plus basic skills in college and getting on the job experience for the rest of the week means you can learn a lot, and fast. There are evening courses and intense courses if you want to learn carpentry whilst keeping your current job too.
So, what skills does a carpenter need? A successful carpenter must have/be:
Click here to find out which skills will be taught during your Carpentry Apprenticeship, including how to estimate and price up carpentry work.
Have a question or comment about starting a career as a Carpenter?