Career Options for Carpenters

Carpentry and joinery are one of the oldest professions within the trade industry, and is revered and respected like no other. Carpenters are always in great demand no matter what type of work they are undertaking, and carpentry encompasses a wide range of skills, environments, and practices. 

However, information regarding what career options are available to carpenters is not always that easy to find. Carpentry is a varied, demanding, and skills-dependent vocation. Carpentry is by no means restricted to making furniture and measuring wood, although these are of course fundamental to the practice. 

The aim of this article is to communicate the rich and varied career opportunities available to those with carpentry qualifications, so that you can make sure you are getting the most out of your career and are exploring all avenues to make your professional life as fulfilling and lucrative as it can be.

Carpentry Career Options

No one day as a carpenter will be the same as the last. A career in carpentry will be hugely varied, and will also give you the skills and experience to explore other professional avenues. For example, the environment in which you can work as a carpenter will vary considerably. You could work on a construction site, domestically in clients’ homes, or in a workshop – even all three. 

Domestic Carpentry

Carpenters will primarily work with wood and other natural materials, but not exclusively so. For domestic carpenters alone, the range of work available to you is substantial. From designing, cutting and building furniture, to installing floor joists, floorboards, roof trusses and wall partitions. From renovating entire properties and roofing, to installing kitchens and other home interiors, such as staircases, doors, skirting boards, cupboards. A house is no house without any of the above, and so this alone should tell you the demand which will always exist for carpenters. 

Construction / Commercial Carpentry 

Domestic carpentry is possibly the most common form of carpentry work, but it is by no means the only one. As well as residential buildings, you could also work on commercial buildings and much larger establishments such as offices, businesses, and more. The nature of the work will then of course depend on the environment in which you’re working, and you will learn to work within a range of settings.

Formwork Carpenters

Of course, that’s just the inside world; depending on your qualifications, and the extent of your experience, there is a whole array of career opportunities for carpenters which involves structures beyond either residential or commercial properties. For example, you could work on designing and building frames for bridges, structures for roads, dams, and other similar kinds of large external structures.

Restoration Carpenters

Renovating historic buildings is also a fascinating and well-paid niche of carpentry which requires a particular level of skill and attention to detail. 

Even these few examples have barely scraped the surface of the kind of work opportunities available to carpenters and joiners. But what makes carpentry skills so valuable is the fact that they will provide you with an incredible array of transferable skills which are invaluable not only for work within the construction industry, but also relevant to careers beyond it. 

Carpentry Careers and Salaries

Carpenters, like all tradespeople, are in consistent demand, and their rates and salaries are currently rising. Depending on the level of qualification and experience, a carpenter can expect to earn between £25,000-£30,000; a more qualified and experienced carpenter can earn between £30,000-£45,000; and somebody with their own business can even earn upwards of this.

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Electricians, plumbers, bricklayers, and plasterers will all need to call on a carpenter from time to time. Many tradies decide that it would be easier – and more financially beneficial – to upskill and acquire these qualifications themselves. This is one valuable asset of having any trade qualification: it will always be of value to you in your working life, and the more qualifications and skills you have, the more self-sufficient you will be as a tradesperson. Carpentry is an essential trades skill that will always boost your opportunities for work within the construction industry, whatever it is you set out to do.

Carpentry Further Career Paths

Beyond the construction industry, carpentry qualifications are invaluable. Whether you later decide to go into design, architecture, or engineering, carpentry is a relevant and essential skill to possess. You might stay within the construction industry and become a manager of construction sites, or a construction estimator. You could start your own business and manage a construction company. You could train new apprentices and work in helping the next generation of carpenters become qualified. You could design stages for theatre, or work in heritage restoration. 

Becoming a qualified carpenter will always be a decision you will be glad to have made – it can only lift you higher. If you're interested in training to become a carpenter, why not get qualified with Access Training?

We offer training at a wide range of levels; whether you’re completely new to the world of carpentry, or are an experienced carpenter looking to gain further qualifications to practice more advanced carpentry, you’re sure to find a course that suits you. We also offer training at a wide range of paces – whether you want to make use of our Fast Track training courses to get qualified as soon as possible, or have other responsibilities to manage and would prefer to train part time at a pace that suits you, our expert team of staff and mentors are here to support you every step of the way.

Carpentry Courses