Annual Salary
£17,000 to £38,000
Average UK salary in 2023 was £34,963
(source Office for National Statistics)
Swap to Design & planning or Property management or go back to all job sectors
Carpenters and joiners make and install wooden structures, fittings and furniture.
Average UK salary in 2023 was £34,963
(source Office for National Statistics)
You could work: evenings / weekends; occasionally
There will be
1.1% fewer Carpenter jobs in 2027.
Depending on where you work, you could:
You may need to wear protective clothing.
You could work in a workshop, at a client's business, on a construction site or at a client's home.
Your working environment may be dusty, at height and you'll travel often.
You can get into this job through:
You could take a college course like:
You'll usually need:
You could apply to do a:
These can take up to 2 years to complete and combine on-the-job training with time at a college or training provider.
If you're thinking of changing career to carpentry, look out for short or part-time 'taster' courses at your local college. These are designed to help you find out if carpentry is for you.
You can find out more about becoming a carpenter from Go Construct and House Building Careers.
With experience, you could become a site supervisor or construction project manager.
You could also move into:construction estimating; contracts management; a specialist area like stage sets or heritage restoration; starting your own business; training apprentices; teaching at a further education college
Find out more about teaching in further education from teach in further education.
You can find out more about becoming a carpenter from Go Construct and House Building Careers.
You'll need: