Tiler
Impact: Creating durable, waterproof, and aesthetically superior surfaces in homes and commercial spaces
Install ceramic, porcelain, natural stone, and mosaic tiles on floors, walls, and specialist surfaces in residential, commercial, and wet area applications. Prepare substrates, set out patterns, cut tiles to precision, and apply grout and sealants to achieve durable, waterproof, and aesthetically superior finishes. Advise clients on tile selection, layout, and maintenance.
What the day looks like
- People interaction
- Moderate
- Team vs solo
- 30% Team / 70% Solo
- Client facing
- Frequent
- Impact visibility
- High
- Travel
- 10-30% local travel to sites
- Schedule flexibility
- Flexible
- Remote work
- On-site Only
- Typical work hours
- 38-48 hours/week
- Stress level
- Low
At a glance
- Median salary
- $50,000
- Entry-level
- $28,000 - $40,000
- Senior
- $70,000+
- Growth by 2033
- 5% (housing renovation and commercial refurbishment sustain demand)
- Demand
- Stable
- Freelance potential
- High
- Salary growth potential
- High -- 75-120% growth from apprentice to self-employed specialist
- Typical student debt
- $1,000 - $3,000
Skills you'll use
Hard skills
- Tile setting and layout (BS 5385)
- Wet area waterproofing (tanking)
- Large format tile installation
- Natural stone cutting and finishing
- Grout selection and application
- Substrate preparation and levelling
Soft skills
- Attention to detail
- Spatial awareness
- Client communication
- Craftsmanship
- Patience
Technical complexity: Moderate
How to get there
- Minimum education
- Certificate or Vocational Training
- Licensing
- No
- Years to mid-career
- 2-4 years
- Years to senior
- 5-8 years
- Career switching
- Easy
Where this career leads
How people arrive here
- Plasterer
- Kitchen and Bathroom Fitter
Where you can go from here
- Specialist Stone Tiler
- Tiling Contractor
Typical progression
- Apprentice Tiler
- Tiler
- Senior Tiler
- Self-Employed Specialist
- Tiling Contractor
Future outlook
- Automation probability
- 12% -- robotic tiling machines exist for large commercial floors but domestic and decorative work remains manual
- AI disruption risk
- Very Low
- Demand trend
- Stable
How people feel about it
- Overall satisfaction
- 7.5/10
- Meaning
- 7/10
- Work-life balance
- 7.5/10
- Prestige
- 5/10
- Social perception
- Moderate