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Construction

Bricklayer

View this career for different education levels:

Primary Secondary Post-16

Imagine building a tall castle or a strong house, brick by brick! That is what a bricklayer does. A bricklayer is a super important person in building new homes, schools, and even big shops. They carefully put bricks and blocks together using a special sticky cement called mortar, to make strong walls and beautiful buildings. They need to be very precise, making sure every brick is straight and in the right place, like solving a giant puzzle. It is a job where you get to see your hard work turn into something real that people will use every day. Being a bricklayer means you get to work outside a lot, use cool tools like trowels and spirit levels, and sometimes even work high up on scaffolding. It is a very hands-on job, which means you use your hands and your brain to create things. Bricklayers also fix old walls and make sure they are safe and strong. They are true builders who help shape the towns and cities we live in!

Bricklayer

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📊 Statistics

Average Salary for a Bricklayer

In the UK, a bricklayer can earn between 25,000 to 40,000 pounds a year. Very experienced bricklayers might even earn more, especially if they run their own business.

Number of Bricklayer Jobs

There are many opportunities for bricklayers across the UK. It is a job that is often in demand because houses and other buildings are always being built or repaired.

Working Hours

Most bricklayers work around 39 to 40 hours a week, usually from Monday to Friday. Sometimes, they might work extra hours if a big project needs finishing.

🚀 Careers in this path

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Stone Mason

Imagine building beautiful walls and sculptures using different kinds of stone. A Stone Mason is like an artist who uses special tools to cut and shape big stones, just like building with LEGOs, but much bigger and stronger!

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Tiler

Have you ever seen lovely patterns on bathroom walls or kitchen floors? A Tiler is the person who carefully sticks all those small, pretty tiles into place, making rooms look neat and colourful. It's a bit like doing a big, fancy puzzle!

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Paviour

A Paviour is someone who lays all the bricks and stones on the ground to make paths, driveways, and even streets for us to walk and drive on. They make sure everything is flat and strong so people don't trip over. It's like building a big, super-strong carpet out of bricks!

Learning the Basics

Help Around the House

Lend a hand with small building tasks at home, like tidying up the garden shed or helping mum or dad with DIY. This helps you get used to tools and how things fit together.

Even simple tasks like helping to sort out a toolbox or moving small, safe items around in the garden can teach you about being organised and careful. You could help build a small planter box with adult supervision, learning about measuring and making things level. Always make sure to ask an adult before touching any tools and always have them there to help you.

Play with Building Blocks

Use LEGO, wooden blocks, or other toy bricks to build tall towers, strong houses, or amazing castles. This helps you learn how to stack things neatly and make them stable.

When you play with building blocks, try to make your structures strong and balanced. Think about how many blocks you need to make a wall. Can you make a wall that is perfectly straight? This is a fun way to practice the skills a bricklayer uses every day, like precision and planning, without even realising it!

Watch Builders at Work

If you see builders working on a local construction site (from a safe distance!), observe what they are doing. You can learn a lot by just watching how they handle bricks and tools.

Always make sure you are with an adult and stay a safe distance away from any construction site, as they can be dangerous places. Notice how the bricklayers lay the bricks in a pattern, how they use their trowel, and how they make sure their walls are straight with special tools. You might even see them mixing the mortar, the sticky stuff that holds the bricks together.

School Time and Skills

Do Well in Maths and Art

Maths helps you measure and count bricks, and art helps you understand shapes and patterns. Both are important for a bricklayer!

In maths, you'll learn about measuring lengths, calculating how many bricks you might need, and making sure angles are correct for corners. In art, you can learn about design, symmetry, and how different shapes fit together. These skills will help you follow building plans and create walls that look great and are strong. You'll use these skills every day as a bricklayer.

Join a DIY Club

If your school has a club where you build things or do practical activities, join it! It's a great way to try out different tools and building ideas.

A DIY or craft club can give you hands-on experience with different materials and tools. You might learn how to safely use a hammer, saw, or measuring tape. These clubs can help you develop your coordination and problem-solving skills, which are very useful when you're building with bricks. Always remember to follow safety rules and listen to your teachers.

Learn About Safety

Safety is super important when building. Learn about wearing helmets, gloves, and safe ways to lift things to protect yourself and others.

Even when you're just helping out at home or playing, thinking about safety is key. Understanding why we wear protective gear like gloves and safety glasses is a big step. Learning how to lift heavy things properly, by bending your knees and keeping your back straight, can prevent injuries later on when you're lifting real bricks. Always listen to adults about safety rules.

Becoming a Professional

Go to College or Apprenticeship

After school, you can go to a college that teaches building skills or join an apprenticeship. An apprenticeship means you learn on the job with experienced bricklayers.

When you finish school, there are special courses at colleges where you can learn all about bricklaying, from mixing mortar to laying different types of bricks. Or, you could do an apprenticeship, which means you work for a building company, learn from older, more experienced bricklayers, and get paid at the same time! It's a fantastic way to learn by doing and get real-world experience building actual houses and walls.

Practice, Practice, Practice

The more you practice laying bricks, the better you'll become! Keep trying to make your walls perfect and neat.

Just like learning to ride a bike, the more you practice bricklaying, the more natural it will feel. You'll learn to spread the mortar just right, place the bricks accurately, and make sure everything is level and straight. Practising helps you get faster and more precise, which are important skills for any good bricklayer. You might start by building small garden walls and then move on to bigger projects.

Get Your Qualifications

Once you've learned a lot, you'll get special certificates that show you're a skilled bricklayer. This helps you get amazing building jobs!

To become a fully qualified bricklayer in the UK, you'll typically need to achieve National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs) or similar qualifications in bricklaying. These qualifications show employers that you have the right skills and knowledge to do the job well and safely. With these certificates, you can work on bigger and more exciting construction projects, building everything from new homes to big office buildings!

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🎯 View Apprenticeships

Explore relevant apprenticeships that can help you kickstart your career in Bricklayer. Apprenticeships offer hands-on experience and training while earning a wage.

🎓 View Apprenticeships

Career Progressions

This page showcases various career options and the pathways to reach them. Each career listed here shares transferable skills and knowledge, making it easier for individuals to transition between them.

Your current career is highlighted to help you see how it fits into the broader landscape of potential career choices. By clicking on any career, you can learn more about it, including the training and education required to pursue it.

Remember, progressing in your career often involves further learning and training. This page provides insights into future career options as well as those that can lead up to your current one.

These career progression decisions are informed by comparing the skills and knowledge needed for different occupations, along with data on how people move between them. Explore the possibilities and discover the exciting journey ahead in your career!

Current Career

Bricklayer

Laying bricks, blocks and other types of building components in mortar to construct and repair walls.

Advanced Careers

Construction site supervisor

Supervising specialist contractors and workers on construction projects.

Plasterer - Fibrous plasterer

Preparing walls and ceilings for decoration and finishing.

Property maintenance operative

Ensuring that buildings are in a safe working condition.

Military engineering construction technician - Building & Structural Finisher

Multi-skilled soldiers, combat engineers and tradesmen.

Stonemason - Banker Stonemason

Install new natural sustainable and ethically sourced stone or conserve, repair or replace existing natural stone in buildings and/or landscape projects.

Stonemason - Exterior Stone Fixer

Install new natural sustainable and ethically sourced stone or conserve, repair or replace existing natural stone in buildings and/or landscape projects.

Stonemason - Heritage Stonemason

Install new natural sustainable and ethically sourced stone or conserve, repair or replace existing natural stone in buildings and/or landscape projects.

Stonemason - Interior Stone Fixer

Install new natural sustainable and ethically sourced stone or conserve, repair or replace existing natural stone in buildings and/or landscape projects.

Stonemason - Memorial Stonemason

Install new natural sustainable and ethically sourced stone or conserve, repair or replace existing natural stone in buildings and/or landscape projects.

Stonemason - Stone Facade Preservation

Install new natural sustainable and ethically sourced stone or conserve, repair or replace existing natural stone in buildings and/or landscape projects.

Sample Qualifications

How to become

You can get into this job through:

  • a college course
  • an apprenticeship
  • working towards this role

College

You can take a college course like:

  • basic construction skills
  • bricklaying
  • T Level in On Site Construction

These courses teach you some of the skills you'll need to find a trainee bricklayer job with a construction company.

Some colleges and private training organisations may offer short or part-time bricklaying 'taster' courses. These may be of help to you if you're thinking of a change in career.

Entry requirements

Entry requirements for these courses vary.

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

More Information

Apprenticeship

You can apply to do an apprenticeship, such as:

  • Onsite Trades Level 2 Foundation Apprenticeship
  • Bricklaying Level 2 Intermediate Apprenticeship
  • Craft Bricklaying Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship

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:

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • no specific qualifications or experience to apply for a foundation apprenticeship
  • some GCSEs, usually including English and maths, or equivalent, for an intermediate apprenticeship
  • 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths, for an advanced apprenticeship

More Information

Work

You could start as a construction site labourer or hod carrier, with a bricklaying team or 'gang', and do training on the job to become a bricklayer.

More Information

Registration

Further information

You can find out more about becoming a bricklayer from Go Construct and House Building Careers.

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