If you have a head for heights and a good understanding of building plans, a job as a roofer could be perfectly suited to you. As a roofer, the work that you do could be anything from replacing the roof slates on a property to restoring roofing on an older building. There are a number of different skills required in order to work successfully as a roofer; good number skills, flexibility and team work to name just a few. When it comes to getting started in roofing, there are a number of different pathways to choose from including taking a course in the subject, learning on the job, or doing an apprenticeship.
Work Activities
As a roofer, the bulk of your work would mainly be carried out on flat or pitched roofs using either synthetic or traditional slates or roof tiles, or fitting felt sheets or spreading a water resistant bitumen layer. Typical roofing duties include the removal and repair of broken tiles, checking that roof timbers are in good condition, measuring and cutting different roofing materials to the right size and shape, cutting and fitting flashings around adjoining walls and chimneys, and carrying out safety risk assessments – for example checking fall protection equipment for breakages.
Specialist Areas
As a roofer, you may also wish to become further trained in a range of specialist roofing techniques, for example leadwork, which is used to cover a roof using lead rolls (commonly seen on church roofs) and thatching, which is the process of using natural materials to cover a roof. As a roofer, a large number of the jobs that you do would be collaborative with other tradespeople, such as plumbers and joiners.
Working Hours and Conditions
Typically, the working week for a roofer is around forty hours, although this can be even more during the summer months when roofing jobs are in high demand. For most roofers who work for another company, it is not a problem getting overtime during warmer weather. Roofing is a high risk job; you will be expected to work at heights, using equipment such as scaffolding and ladders. Because of this it is vital for roofers to adhere to all safety guidelines and ensure that safety is a top priority when on the job; using safety equipment such as hard hats, kneepads and fall protection harnesses which can be found here at fallprotectionpros.com is important.
Getting Started
Finding a job as a roofing laborer is one of the most common ways into this career. The majority of roofers started out as a laborer working on construction sites or for a roofing company, learning the skills of the trade on the job from their employer. Alternatively, some roofers may enter the career through an apprenticeship program or even a construction or roofing based educational training course which qualifies them to be a roofer. In most cases, employers will require new recruits to have some form of construction site experience.
Do you have a good head for heights and enjoy manual work? Roofing could be the ideal choice of future career for you.
