The definitive guide on how to start a builders apprenticeship

If you have thought about becoming an apprentice builder for a long time or you have recently decided that the building trade is the challenge and opportunity you are looking for.

Then the obvious thing to do is to get an apprenticeship ready for when you finish school or when you want to change your current career.

Or maybe you are already on the building site but you want to get qualified.

The great thing about an apprenticeship scheme is that you learn and get paid at the same time while also avoiding most student debt.

The type of people that get into a trade are primarily kinesthetic learners. What this means is that kinesthetic learners learn by “doing” alongside watching someone else.

How do people learn building?

The types of learning are:

1. Kinesthetic learning 
2. Visual Learning
3. Auditory learning
4. Reading learning

They say that everyone learns differently, but arguably, “doing it” (Kinesthetic learning) after watching someone else (Visual Learning) is the best way to gain a new skill or technique in DIY or building.

With an apprenticeship, you will also be paired with bookwork and a mentor and onsite assessor to teach the things you can’t easily watch and learn on-site. However, 95% of the time you will learn on the building site through your employer and the people you work with that are already skilled and qualified themselves.

With an apprenticeship, there is more than just bookwork like many other studies. Instead, you will also get actual work experience at the same time.

The good news for us is that we can earn, work and learn at the same time, without much of a student loan. You may need to pay for some night classes and on-site assessments from time to time and get the tools you need for your toolkit.

Common types of Apprenticeship opportunities

• Carpenter/ Builder
• Joinery
• Plumber
• Electrician
• Drain layer
• Painter
• Mechanic

When to start?

1. Starting an apprenticeship from high school.

If you’re still in school, or you have just finished school, you can start an apprenticeship when you finish or plan it for your escape.

2. A switch to building from an established job.

It is common for people to start a builders apprenticeship from a regular office job or from one trade to another. To give something else a go.

Typical jobs that people change from to become a carpenter

1. Chiefs becoming a builder

Some chiefs can get tired of working night shifts at irregular times and can see carpentry as another hands-on profession they can do during the daytime on a more normal schedule.

2. People in finance becoming a builder

It seems like a drastic change, but it’s common to see new apprenticeships being started from people that exit a long career in finance.

Probably for two reasons, they get bored after a long position at their last workplace and want to try something different like most people after 10 years of any job.

People in finance might want a job that allows them to walk, wear, and say what they want with more freedom and do something physically active, as they get older.

They might have an idea of some success in established construction businesses, and maybe they want to start from the bottom and go all the way forward in their new construction career with the current skills they already have behind them.

Find a trade school.

First, find the most well-known trade schools in your area, one that takes pride in getting people qualified and dont let their students get stuck with an employer wanting to keep them as an apprentice or laborer for life.

Becoming a qualified builder should take 3-4 years.

There are two standard apprenticeship options or routes.

1. Start an apprenticeship straight away, with a builder you choose. And do night classes Or, at-home study for your theory work.
2. Do a Starter Trade course for the first year. The benefit of doing a pre-trade course like this is that you can knock out 80% of your bookworm instead of having the stress of having a job at the same time. You also learn how to use power tools in a relaxed environment making it easier to find a builder that will take you on afterward. You may still need to do some night classes but not as many, and you can do them in a class rather than by yourself at home.

Finding a builder to take you as apprentice.

1. Find a builder you already know.

The first thing to do is to see if you already know someone who is a builder and can take you on as an apprentice.

The advantage of this is that you are less likely to be messed around later.

For example, I was stuck on my last unit for 6 months, the company I was working for wouldn’t give me the last job to do, “how to apply silicon to showers and toilets.”

Eventually, my trade school just signed me off regardless. But this type of thing commonly happens to pretty much everyone. Until you are really ready to be qualified.

2. Find a builder and a job that is not yet available.

Just because a building job isn’t listed on a job search yet doesn’t mean that a potential job doesn’t exist.

It can take a busy builder a month or so on average before he finally gets around to listing that new job opportunity online.

3. Apply for the job you find.

Find your local job posting directory and send in your CV or an email.

How to create an apprenticeship job?

Put a whole day aside for your career. Use google maps or your local contact pages to find all the local building business addresses in your area. Save them into a spreadsheet.

After you create your CV you can physically print it out and send it in the mail to the direct business address of all the builders in your area. You might be surprised by how many responses you might get. 

You might also have an option to choose an apprenticeship opportunity rather than finding an employer to choose you.

This can give you the flexibility to find a healthy working environment and a company that is growing more actively.

Why simply just asking for a job can work?

If you are serious about learning and working as a builder or in another trade, there doesn’t have to be an official job opening.

If you apply to any serious building business, they would also be actively working on growing. This is probably their main focus.

Most construction businesses also consist of a high percentage of temporary labor-hire. If this is the case, you know, there is a possibility of a permanent position even if not advertised, as temporary labor is expensive and underskilled in many cases.

It’s not important how big a company is, but how much they grow while working with them and how much you can be pushed to grow naturally as they want to expand.

If a company is large but stagnant, they probably have no reason to improve any of the workers.

If a building company is small, but their goal is to have four building projects running next year instead of just one at a time, then they’re busy educating the workers and saying yes when motivated people knock on the door. 

What if you are struggling to find a builder that will take you on?

If times are tough for the building industry, you can also consider doing a pre-apprenticeship course if you haven’t done it already. 

Other options are to find a temporary relatable job, like landscaping, or being a laborer for a bit.

You can and should also ask to volunteer for free to get some work experience under your belt. 

I did this before my pre-apprenticeship course to decide if Carpentry was right for me.

The builder ended up paying me and wanting me to come back, so I did it alongside my pre-trade course, the course was (4 days per week).

The one-day on-site work experience paid for the training that I did for my apprenticeship.

Why go to a pre-trade school?

In a classroom environment, you can learn some things faster than on a Jobsite, as you won’t be doing manual labor jobs in between your learning process. 

You can also get 80% of your bookwork done while you can focus better. Instead of only doing it all in all night classes after some heavy day at work during the apprentice stage. 

You will also learn a lot of the basics of building and how to safely use hand tools and power tools in a dedicated workshop. 

Another benefit you might get in a trade school is extra motivation on what you can do with your qualification afterward that you might not get from an employer or company that you work for.

Other things for builders to think about :

Depending on your school, these mentors are also past builders and have done a range of these things and can tell you about how they did it, their mistakes, and what to do right.

Is there a demand and future for trade jobs?

Yes, as the world shifts to become more equal globally. Safety and wages have already improved a lot for trade workers in western countries, for other countries, it’s not always the same story yet.

Fewer people are starting trades; the housing crisis continues, many buildings need heavy repairs, most western countries have a shortage of builders and governments are experimenting with un-trained foreign labor, as a solution to city construction.

Many western countries want and need more skilled people in the trades and some help by paying or subsidizing training.

A lot of jobs have an unstable future and can become quieter with time with automation and technology. However, construction needs people.

Many jobs are currently created and propped up to keep themselves going and keep people busy. 

Even though we go in and out of recessions, Builders and tradies will still be needed for as long as the economy is active, especially for sustainable building, repairs, maintenance, and natural disaster repairs.

Have contact with a builder.

When you start contact with a builder from volunteering, doing a pre-trade course, or from one of the letters you sent out looking for job opportunities.

The most common thing a builder will respond with is to visit them for an interview; at this point, you can meet, talk and see if the job sounds like a good idea.

Additional tips

1. Do not rely on only your trade school to find a job for you.
2. Search for your own job.
3. Get your own tools first.
4. If you can say no to laboring jobs and focus on finding an apprenticeship.

Why should you be careful of laboring jobs?

Some builders might say that they don’t have an apprenticeship position available, but they might have a laboring position.

The reason is it’s easier. There is less commitment even though the job can be close to the same thing. They might want to test you out to see if you are committed and will work hard as you say. 

They could also be waiting for a position to become available and want you to get the basic skills down while you wait.

The most important thing is that your employer sees that you are committed to becoming a qualified builder and that you have a passion for it.

Work hard and don’t give up easily.

However, you can get too comfortable and lose your focus on finding an actual apprenticeship after getting into a routine especially if your employer gets comfortable with you working as a laborer also, it can be a problem.

If you need a job now go for a laboring position but if you think two more weeks of unemployment will result in getting an apprenticeship with more applications, stay focused and keep trying to get what you are looking for.

This is the mindset that will get you the apprenticeship your looking for in the first place.

What to do if you are offered a laboring job and accept it?

• Work hard like you usually would.
• Ask your employer at the beginning at what point in time will he/ she consider you as an apprentice.
• When that period is close to being reached 3 months/ 5 months later, remind your employer and ask them what they think.
• If you sense this is strictly a laboring job, enjoy it, it’s an easy, fun job. There is no stress or responsibility. You just don’t want to be doing it forever.
• Lastly, accept the laboring job, but keep looking for an apprenticeship; tell your employer you really appreciate the work and will work hard, and you will do this until you find an apprenticeship opportunity. After a few weeks, he might decide he needs to lock you in sooner.

You might still be getting responses slowly from your letters when each builder starts thinking about getting a new apprentice at different times. ANd they have your letter already on their office desk.

When I applied for my second job 2 years after I send letters to builders in the area, it turned out my first letter was still on my new employer’s desk.

That’s different from an email 3000 messages down the list.

Consider a landscaping job.

If all else fails, you could opt for a landscaping job while you wait for a builders apprenticeship to become available. Same with laboring, be careful not to get distracted and get too comfortable making you forget about your original goal to land an apprenticeship.

One of the most productive jobs to do that is related could be landscaping as it can improve your ability to use power tools and work in the meantime while developing a different but useful skillset to make your skills more well-rounded.

Landscaping is very similar to carpentry. Except landscaping can be more physical while being a more relaxed environment because landscaping doesn’t have many other people on the Jobsite.

And for most of the time, landscaping has no building code to follow, building inspections, or even a plan to follow. Within limitations.

Expect to have a closer relationship with the clients also. Getting regularly fed and catered for on the job happens more on the landscaping jobs.

Landscaping can also let you exercise a bit of creativity many times. Landscapers get to make decisions or suggestions on what to do. This isn’t the case with building a house following a construction drawing.

Doing some landscaping for a bit can give you a few unique skills that you can take over to building later. But you can’t become qualified doing only landscaping work.

Checklist for applying a builders apprenticeship:

• A CV
• A good attitude
• A drivers license
• A car, van or ute
• A bit of past DIY experience
• A carpenters apron
• A good quality tool kit (Read below)
• A portable toolbox

Here are the essential tools needed to start a builders apprenticeship.

It’s essential to have a basic tool kit if you want to be taken seriously.

When you have the right tools you show that you are serious, plus it is required and separates you from being a laborer.

Here’s how to find the right tools online.

Hand tools needed

Power tools needed

• Circular saw
• Cordless drill
• Impact driver
• Laser level
• Cordless planer

Tools you shouldn’t need to provide as an apprentice:

Most tools should be provided by your employer, especially the big ones that can become difficult to move around and are going to be used by multiple people. Tools that are subject to heavy wear and tear should also be maintained by the cost of the job.

Not that you shouldn’t eventually get more tools for yourself. But don’t feel pressured to supply all the tools you need at the beginning. Some standard tools employers should provide are.

Conclusion

Now you have almost everything you need to know to start your new career with a builders apprenticeship or an apprenticeship in another trade, it is time to do what you need to do and start planning.

All you need now are a few tips on how to be a good apprentice to succeed in your apprenticeship! Until then, enjoy the digging as the next two years will be a bit of real work. For now, we have your back when it comes to selecting the right tools.