Annual Salary
£18,000 to £30,000
Average UK salary in 2023 was £34,963
(source Office for National Statistics)
Swap to Engineering design or Manufacturing or go back to all job sectors
Swap to Engineering design or Manufacturing or go back to all job sectors
Water network operatives lay and maintain the pipes, mains and pumping stations that supply water to homes and businesses.
Average UK salary in 2023 was £34,963
(source Office for National Statistics)
You could work: evenings / weekends / bank holidays; on shifts
There will be
5.8% fewer Water network operative jobs in 2027.
As a water network operative, you could:
You may need to wear protective clothing.
Your working environment may be physically demanding and outdoors in all weathers.
You can get into this job through:
You could take a college course, which will teach you some of the skills you'll need in this job.
Courses include:
After completing your course, you could contact water companies to find out about trainee positions.
You could apply to a company to do an apprenticeship, such as:
These take between 2 and 3 years to complete.
You'll usually need:
Employers will set their own entry requirements for vacancies but some may prefer you to have GCSEs in English and maths.
You might have an advantage when applying, if you have experience in construction groundworks, plumbing, building services engineering or roadworks.
You'll need to:
Utility companies can use sub-contractors on some jobs, so it's worth checking with construction firms for potential vacancies.
You can find out more about working and training in the water industry from Energy and Utilities Jobs.
You can also check the careers and jobs sections of water company websites.
With experience and further training, you could become a:team supervisor; project manager; leakage inspector; quality control officer
You could also work on water engineering schemes or at a treatment works.
You'll find more details about working and training in the water industry from Talent Source Network.
You'll need: