CAREER PROFILE

What does a Roofer actually do?

The honest version — real salaries, real hours, real entry routes. From the CourseThread Career Atlas.

Starting salary — log in
Mid-career salary — log in
40–45 hrs
Typical week
AI: Low
AI vulnerability

The short version

Roofers keep water out — pitched tile and slate work on one side, flat systems like single-ply and GRP on the other. It's the most physical mainstream trade and the most exposed to the weather, literally and financially.

The pitch: chronic shortage, constant re-roof and repair demand on the existing stock, and strong self-employed rates for a competent pair. The catch: rain days don't pay, the injury stats are the worst in construction, and every job starts with a scaffold decision.

Entry routes that actually work

  • Roofing apprenticeship (Level 2 → Level 3) — the recognised route covering pitched and flat systems.
  • Labourer / roofing mate — the common real-world entry; learn while you carry, then build the NVQ portfolio.
  • Manufacturer system tickets — GRP, single-ply and liquid flat roofing each need product-specific training that unlocks commercial work.

Read the full guide — free

The complete Roofer profile — salary by year, honest day-in-the-life, AI vulnerability breakdown, and the exit-path map — is in the Career Atlas. Log in to read it online or download the PDF.

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Free account. No card. The Atlas is free to read and download.

Inside the full guide

Money & progression — salary bands by level, sources cited
Day in the life — a real Tuesday, not the brochure version
AI vulnerability — what AI does, can't do, and how the role is changing
Exit paths — where people go at 2, 5, and 10 years

Compare with

BricklayerElectricianPlumberCarpenter & JoinerPlastererPainter & DecoratorGroundworker / Civil OperativeQuantity SurveyorSite ManagerBuilding Services Engineer (M&E)