Painter and Decorator Jobs – Young Jobseeker Info

Painter and decorator job trends

What entry qualifications and training do you need for this job?

School, college and training

You can usually start training as a painter and decorator straight after school. You don’t need any qualifications to get started, because you can learn on the job as a painter and decorator’s ‘mate’, or labourer.

You’ll need a Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) card if you want to work on building sites.

Apprenticeships

A key way to build up your learning and train on the job for a wage is to do an apprenticeship. You can start straight from school. People who become painters and decorators often leave school and build experience by training on the job with an apprenticeship.

The benefit of an apprenticeship is that, as well as picking up skills and work experience, you’ll also end up with an industry-recognised qualification that will make your CV stand out to employers.

While at school or college, speak to your careers advisor about useful training and/or courses for you to take and find out more about the types of career routes available.

Career progression and further qualifications

In time you could become a team supervisor or manager. You could also move into similar areas of work like estimating, contract management or interior/set design.

You could also become self-employed and set up your own business.

What experience do you need for this job?

Work experience

You can start training as a painter and decorator straight after school.

Aim to get painting and decorating work experience to build your CV. This can involve:

• Work shadowing (even if it’s just for a day)
• Work placements in a company

HOT TIP: Take ‘before and after’ photos of completed projects. Make sure the photos are taken in natural light and show off the neatness and attention to detail in your painting and decorating. Sometimes a picture can paint a thousand words to show off your skills.

Volunteering

Ask any friends or family in the trade if you can help them out on projects.

Look for local volunteering opportunities that involve painting decorating skills – like renovating the outside walls of a youth club, for example.

What skills do you need for painter and decorator jobs?

Useful skills to highlight to your employer when applying for jobs as a painter and decorator include:

• Practical skills – you’ll be good at working with your hands
• Customer care skills – you’ll be both advising and listening to your clients, and you’ll want them to feel in safe hands because this is a big decision for them to make. People have heard too many stories about ‘cowboy operatives’. Clients want to know their dream decorating project will come out looking like a dream, not a nightmare.
• Great attention to detail – you’ll know that those finishing touches really count!
• Number skills to work out surface areas and paint or wallpaper quantities
• Being able to follow instructions from your team supervisor to the letter

Vocational qualifications and work experience will help you build these skills over time.

What does a painter and decorator do?

Knowing a little more about this role will help you show the employer you understand what this job is about. It can also help you decide if it’s right for you.

You could be working indoors or outdoors. You could be painting and decorating anywhere from private homes to offices, shops, factories, hospitals, schools, ships and even stately homes (where you’d use traditional materials and techniques).

Example job responsibilities:

• Working out how long a job will take and how much material it will use so that a client can be given a cost estimate
• Preparing sites for work (e.g. moving furniture, applying covers and protection to surfaces – and, of course, clearing them up when the project is completed)
• Using a wide variety of tools including paint brushes, rollers, sponges and design stencils to make neat patterns and smooth or textured finishes
• Preparing surfaces for paint application (e.g. stripping off old paint or wallpapers from walls, filling in any holes and sanding them down to make a level surface)
• Discussing what your client needs and advising them on the best paint and materials for the job, as well as showing them paint and wallpaper samples and helping them decide which to use
• Mixing paint to the right shade (this can be done with computerised equipment)
• Applying any undercoats and primers needed, then painting in line with your client’s or supervisor’s instructions
• Applying special finish like glazes or marbled textures
• Measuring, cutting and pasting on wallpapers with neatness and attention to detail

Your first steps into painter and decorator jobs

To find jobs for young people in this role, search on job boards for positions with these words in the title:

• Junior
• Apprentice
• Trainee
• Painting and decorating mate

Useful organisations and links for painter and decorator careers

• Go Construct - see more info on how to become a painter and decorator, and discover other careers in construction.