Can You Make Good Money As A Carpenter?
It takes a considerable amount of dedication and passion to enter into a skilled job like carpentry. You need to have a keen eye for detail and a willingness to work as part of a team. You also need to be able to work well with your hands and have a good level of creativity. All of these things suggest that being a carpenter is hard work, so what’s the reward like? Can you make good money as a carpenter?
Whether or not you make good money as a carpenter will depend on several things. Your geographical location will have a bearing on your potential earnings with carpenters living in places like Oxford and London earning as much as £20 per hour. On the other hand, carpenters in Birmingham may earn less than this at an average of £18 per hour. The all round average earnings of a UK carpenter is £19.48 per hour.
How much you can earn will also depend on other factors such as who you are working for and your level of training. In this guide, we will be looking at what you can expect to earn being a carpenter.
Can You Get Rich From Being A Carpenter?
The amount you bring home from working as a carpenter will vary massively for each individual. There are some people who are earning a very basic wage of around £18,000 per year. These are usually low level carpenters, perhaps those who are newly qualified. You may also earn a lower wage if you are working as a self employed carpenter. Although, with hard work and dedication, it is possible to boost your prices and gain work from higher paying clients. This requires experience, training and a high standard of work.
Many carpenters in the UK will work their way up as an employee and could then find themselves earning around £40,000 per year. When working for an employer, what you earn will again vary dramatically. According to research, some companies in the UK will pay over £22 an hour for a good carpenter.
Now, this wage isn’t enough to buy a huge house or live a life of luxury but it is certainly enough to live comfortably and easily afford your monthly expenses. But if you want to boost your income, you’ll need to think outside the carpentry box and further your training to become a site manager.
Are Carpenters Millionaires?
The internet is littered with blog posts written by carpenters who have found huge success and now make so much money that they fall into the millionaire pile. But this isn’t standard for most carpenters. As with any profession, there are a few elite people who will shoot to the top and rake in the cash.
If this doesn’t happen to you, that is not necessarily a reflection of your work but purely down to the fact that nine times out of ten, carpenters do not become millionaires. Most people who enter into this trade are in it because it’s something they enjoy doing. Being able to go to work and take pleasure from your job is far more valuable than a six figure income.
Can You Make Six Figures As A Carpenter?
As a self employed carpenter, the amount you make will depend on your skill. There are many people out there that have been working in the trade for most of their lives and have developed a reputation for excellence and quality.
According to trade specialists, carpenters are the sixth highest paid tradespeople in the UK but their salary certainly isn’t six figures for the most part.
If you want to earn more and still be able to apply your knowledge of construction then you will need to be willing to complete additional training and work your way up. For most people, this means becoming a builder or site manager.
What Type Of Carpentry Pays The Most?
To earn the most money after completing your carpentry qualifications, you will need to further your training and work towards becoming a construction site manager. The average salary for this job in the UK is currently a little over £52,000 although some people are only earning around £47,000. But this is still significantly more than what you would earn working solely as a carpenter for an employer.
That said, there are various levels of carpentry. Before you begin training, you might start off as a carpenter’s helper earning a very basic wage before moving into an apprenticeship and learning on the job. The current rate of pay for UK apprentices is £4.81. Once qualified, you can begin earning some of the wages we have talked about. However, by honing your skills, you may move up to becoming a master carpenter which is one of the best paying carpenter jobs with many people earning up to £29 per hour.
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Conclusion
Carpentry is a skilled job that requires a very special set of skills and knowledge to become successful. While the starting wage of a carpenter isn’t always very favourable, it is possible to work your way up and earn a considerable amount of money by entering into construction site management and master carpentry.
However, the amount you earn will also depend on your location and whether you are working for a company or as a self employed carpenter. While there are some rare exceptions, it is unlikely that working as a carpenter will earn you a six figure salary or result in your becoming a millionaire.