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Plumber

Plumbers install and repair water and heating systems in residential households and commercial properties.

Potential salary
£24,000 starter to £46,000 experienced per year
Typical hours
37 to 45. Working pattern: evenings / weekends / bank holidays as customers demand.
Career area
Construction and the built environment
Where they might work
You could work at a client's home, at a client's business or on a construction site. Your working environment may be cramped, at height and outdoors some of the time.
A typical task
install and repair water, heating and drainage systems
Subjects that may help
4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths for a T Level
Typical route
No university route listed.
Interest area used here
Making, fixing and working outdoors

Career actions

What you might do

  • install and repair water, heating and drainage systems
  • cut, shape and join pipes and fittings
  • service gas and oil-fired central heating systems and radiators
  • respond to emergency call-outs, like broken boilers or blocked drains
  • fit weather-proof materials and flashings to roofs, chimneys and walls
  • install solar powered hot water systems
More tasks (2)
  • replace old copper piping and joints with recyclable components
  • fit heat pumps in households to reduce reliance on fossil fuels

Could this suit me?

Consider which of these skills and ways of working appeal to you.

  • the ability to use, repair and maintain machines and tools
  • knowledge of building and construction
  • to be thorough and pay attention to detail
  • knowledge of maths
  • the ability to work well with others
  • the ability to use your initiative
More skills
  • the ability to work well with your hands
  • customer service skills
  • to be able to carry out basic tasks on a computer or hand-held device

Routes into this career

University courses that could lead to this career

These are course families, not published offers. A link does not mean the degree is sufficient on its own.

  • Mechanical engineering

    Related, but not enough on its own. Plumbing is an apprenticeship trade. This degree is not the training route.

Explore university routes

Apprenticeship or vocational route

  • You could complete a college course which may help you to find a trainee position with a plumbing company.
  • Courses include: plumbing studies; plumbing and domestic heating; T Level in Building Services Engineering for Construction.
  • You can apply to do a Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship to learn the skills needed to become a plumber. Apprenticeships include: Plumbing and Domestic Heating Technician; Building Services Engineering Craftsperson; Gas Engineering Operative.
  • You could also do a Low Carbon Heating Technician Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship, if you want to become a heat pump engineer.
  • You may be able to start in an assistant role by doing a Building Services Engineering Level 2 Foundation Apprenticeship.
  • You can apply for a foundation apprenticeship if you're aged 16 to 21.
  • If you're aged 22 to 24, you can apply if you: have an education, health and care (EHC) plan; are in care or have been in care; are in prison or have been in prison.
  • You may be able to start as a plumber's assistant or 'mate' and train on the job to qualify.
  • You'll usually need some GCSEs, including English and maths, along with good practical skills.
  • You could apply directly for jobs if you've got qualifications and several years' experience from related industries, like building services or heating and ventilation engineering.
  • no specific qualifications or experience to apply for a foundation apprenticeship
Career progression
  • With experience, you could: do further training to become a heat pump engineer; work with ventilation and air-conditioning systems, or renewable energy technologies like solar powered heating; get certified with the Oil Firing Technical Association (OFTEC); become a master plumber or move into building services engineering; train apprentice plumbers in a further education (FE) college or training centre.

Registration and requirements

you'll need a Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) card or equivalent to train and work on a construction site

be on the Gas Safe Register to work with domestic gas heating systems

Subjects that may help

Subject guidance

  • 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths for a T Level
  • 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths, for an advanced apprenticeship

What you could do next