How to become a roofer, roof tiler or slater

Official title: Roofers, roof tilers and slaters

Also called: Roofer, Slater, Roof fixer, Roof liner, Roof tiler, Felt roofer, Flat roofer, Roof coverer, Roof erector, Roof sheeter, Roof mechanic, Roof repairer

Roofers, roof tilers and slaters cover roofs and exterior walls with felting, sheeting, slates, tiles and thatch to provide a waterproof surface.

Main tasks

• Measures roof or exterior wall and calculates required amounts of underfelt, tiles, slates or thatching material
• Cuts wooden battens, felt and underfelt to required size
• Lays and secures underfelt and covers with hot bitumen or other adhesive compound
• Lays, aligns and secures successive overlapping layers of roofing material
• Seals edges of roof with mortar and ensures that joints are watertight

How to become one

There are no formal academic entry requirements, though GCSEs/S grades are advantageous. Entry is typically through an approved apprenticeship programme or college course in conjunction with on-the-job training, leading to a NVQ/SVQ level 2/3 qualification, or through building up work experience supplemented with short courses.

Ways in

• Apprenticeship (England): Roofer (level 2). England. Typically 24 months. Skills England standard ST0270.

Pay · Outlook

• Median full-time pay: £31,906 a year The middle half earn £26,385 to null.
• About 33,000 people work in this job now, and about 31,000 are projected by 2035. (-6.1%)

Related jobs

• Steel erectors
• Stonemasons and related trades
• Bricklayers
• Plumbers and heating and ventilating installers and repairers
• Carpenters and joiners
• Glaziers, window fabricators and fitters

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Questions people ask

How do I become a roofer, roof tiler or slater?

There are no formal academic entry requirements, though GCSEs/S grades are advantageous. Entry is typically through an approved apprenticeship programme or college course in conjunction with on-the-job training, leading to a NVQ/SVQ level 2/3 qualification, or through building up work experience supplemented with short courses.

How much does a roofer, roof tiler or slater earn in the UK?

Median full-time pay is £31,906 a year (Office for National Statistics).

Is a roofer, roof tiler or slater a growing career in the UK?

Employment is projected to fall 6% by 2035, from about 33,000 to about 31,000 people (Department for Education).

Sources

• Office for National Statistics: SOC 2020 Volume 1: structure and descriptions (2026-08-27 edition), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
• Department for Education: Skills Imperative 2035: employment projections by occupation (2021 to 2035 (Warwick IER / Cambridge Econometrics)), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
• Office for National Statistics: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14 (2025 provisional), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
• Office for National Statistics: Annual Population Survey: employment by occupation (April 2025 to March 2026), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03

Updated 2026-10-03