Skilled Trades in the UK: Earnings Overview and How to Get Started

Most trade days start early and are organised around jobs rather than hours at a desk. You collect a worksheet or job list, load the van, drive to site or to a customer's home, and work through first and second fix, fault-finding, testing, repairs or servicing before writing up certificates and parts used.

Typical work differs by trade. Electricians install power, lighting and renewable technologies in buildings and inspect and repair electrical control systems, with typical hours of 37 to 45 a week and the possibility of being on call as customers demand (National Careers Service (gov.uk), undated). Plumbers move between installation, leaks, boilers and bathroom work. Gas engineers service and repair appliances, and in Great Britain that work must be done by a Gas Safe registered engineer qualified for that specific type of work (Logic4training, 2026).

Tools are yours to buy and maintain over time: hand tools, power tools, test instruments, and increasingly a phone or tablet for job sheets, photos and certification apps.

None of this is remote. You are on site, in lofts, under floors, in plant rooms or in occupied homes, which means PPE, risk assessments and site inductions. On larger projects you also work to a programme set by a principal contractor, so start times, site rules and sign-in are fixed for you.

If you are still weighing trades against other UK options, the UK Job Market Guide on this site sets out how sectors differ before you commit to a training route.

These are the categories of employer that take on trades and apprentices across the UK. Which ones dominate depends on your region and on whether you are domestic-focused or site-based.

• Specialist contractors — electrical, mechanical, plumbing and heating firms that subcontract to larger projects. Often the main route for apprentices.
• Principal contractors and major house builders — most of them require workers on their sites to hold a valid CSCS card, even though the card is not a legislative requirement (CSCS, undated).
• Local authorities, housing associations and social landlords — repairs and maintenance teams, usually PAYE with set shift patterns and call-out rotas.
• Facilities management and building services companies — static or mobile maintenance roles in offices, hospitals, schools and retail estates.
• Utilities, energy and retrofit installers — heating upgrades, metering and renewable technologies.
• Trade recruitment and labour-supply agencies — short-term and project work; check whether you are engaged PAYE or as a subcontractor.
• Small independent firms and sole traders — one or two vans, often hiring by word of mouth and local adverts.
• Self-employment via trade directories — gas engineers need Gas Safe registration to be listed on Checkatrade, described in its own guidance as the leading trade directory (Checkatrade, undated).
• The armed forces — apprenticeships are open to all ages and can also be done through the armed forces (National Careers Service (gov.uk), undated).

Apprenticeship vacancies are searched for at the official government portal, GOV.UK Find an apprenticeship (Prospects, undated).

Rates move with region, trade, qualification level and whether you are employed or working for yourself. Use the table to understand the model, then check live adverts for current numbers.

1. Pick the trade and check the entry bar. Entry to an advanced (Level 3) electrician apprenticeship usually needs 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 including English and maths, and apprenticeships are open to all ages (National Careers Service (gov.uk), undated). If you are short of maths or English, a Functional Skills course alongside your application is the usual fix.
2. Choose your route. Apprentices are fully employed by their company, work at least 30 hours a week and combine on-the-job training with college study (High Speed Training, undated). For electricians there are two routes: Installation/Maintenance (Level 3 5357 NVQ Electrotechnical plus the AM2S assessment) and Domestic (Level 3 5393 plus AM2D) (Electrician Courses 4U, undated). Most plumbers qualify through an NVQ Level 2 or 3 in Plumbing and Domestic Heating by college, apprenticeship or a fast-track programme, taking 2 to 4 years on a full pathway, with apprenticeships typically four days on site and one in the classroom (Alpha BSE, undated).
3. Get your site card. CSCS is managed by CITB and the standard route requires passing the CITB Health, Safety and Environment Test (Keyostas, undated). A Green Labourer card needs a Level 1 Award in Health and Safety in a Construction Environment plus the test; a Blue Skilled Worker card needs an NVQ Level 2 or equivalent plus the test (Construction Safety Training, undated). Check the current card list at cscs.uk.com.
4. Sort out how you will be paid. If you are employed, you need a UK bank account and a National Insurance number for PAYE. If you will subcontract or trade on your own account, check HMRC guidance on gov.uk for registration, record-keeping and construction-sector deductions before you start invoicing, and speak to an accountant rather than relying on site gossip.
5. Write a one-page CV built around evidence. List cards and certificate numbers, qualifications and awarding body, hours logged, the types of job you have done, your driving licence, and your own tools. Add photos of finished work if you have them.
6. Apply in two directions at once. Search the government apprenticeship portal for funded vacancies, and send direct speculative applications to local contractors and maintenance teams. A first application should include the CV, a three-line email saying which trade and level you are at, your card status, and when you can start.
7. Add the registration your trade requires. For gas, a new entrant typically completes a Gas Managed Learning Programme, builds a portfolio alongside a registered engineer, takes ACS assessments for CCN1 and the relevant appliances, then applies to join the Gas Safe Register (Skills Training Group, undated); the ACS assessment lasts five years before reassessment (Able Skills, undated). For electrical work, firms doing notifiable work under the Building Regulations register with a government-authorised competent person scheme (Whito, 2026).

• Check the company exists as it claims. Look up the registered company name and number on the Companies House register, and confirm it matches the name on your offer and payslip or invoice.
• Check the trade registrations. For gas, registration with the Gas Safe Register is a legal requirement under the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 (Logic4training, 2026); the register covers Great Britain, the Isle of Man and Guernsey and is administered by Capita on behalf of the Health and Safety Executive (Wikipedia, undated). For electrical firms, there is no licence to trade in England and Wales, so what you can check is competent person scheme membership — gov.uk has listed BESCA, Blue Flame Certification, Certsure (NICEIC), NAPIT, OFTEC and APHC as authorised bodies for Part P schemes in England (Whito, 2026).
• Confirm the employment status and payment method in writing. PAYE employee, agency worker or subcontractor are not the same thing. Get the pay model, pay date, overtime and call-out uplifts and any deductions stated before you start.
• Confirm there are no fees to you. You should not be paying an agency or employer to be placed in work. Ask who pays for your cards, tests and course fees, and whether any cost is clawed back if you leave.
• Confirm hours, travel and rota. Ask for the standard week, the earliest site start, the travel radius, whether travel time is paid, and how the call-out rota works.
• Check reviews and public work history. Look the firm up on a trade directory such as Checkatrade (Checkatrade, undated) and on general employer review sites, and read the one-star reviews as well as the five-star ones.
• Check the kit. Van, fuel card, PPE, test instruments and calibration — ask what the employer supplies and what you are expected to own.
• Check supervision if you are still training. You need a qualified supervisor on site and a clear plan for logging portfolio evidence towards your NVQ or ACS.