Is Carpenter a good trade?
Is carpentry a good trade? That’s a good question.
Depending on your skills and interests, carpentry can be a very good trade!
But with salary, type of work, and your ideal lifestyle to consider, you’ll need to work out whether carpentry is right for you.
Read on to learn everything you need to know before launching into a career in carpentry.
What is a carpenter?
Before you can work out if carpentry is a good trade, you have to know the basics.
A carpenter is someone who works on a building site or in a workshop using mostly timber.
Carpenters who work mostly in workshops creating cabinets and furniture are called joiners.
Most carpenters work for a builder or building company constructing houses, apartments, and other structures.
What does a carpenter do?
The main tasks that a carpenter does includes:
- Work from drawings to create structures
- Follow plans with measurement specifications
- Choose and order timber supplies and other materials
- Prepare building layouts
- Cut and shape materials to size
- Assemble and nail together materials
- Build frames for structures
- Create roof frames
- Lay sub-flooring and floorboards
- Make sure structures are secure
- Fit external wall cladding
- Fit doors and window frames
- Install pre-prepared wooden structures
- Cut wood joints
- Construct formwork for concrete
- Fix damages to existing buildings
- Work with plastic laminates, perspex and metals
How much does a carpenter earn?
Whatever you choose for your career, you should research your potential earnings.
By understanding how much you could earn as a carpenter, you’ll be able to make a decision about whether it’s right for you and the lifestyle you want to live.
According to recent statistics, the average carpenter in Australia earns $1,358 per week or $70,616 per year.
Because this is an average figure, your earnings will be a little bit less during your apprenticeship and a little bit higher after a few years of experience.
Want to find out how much you could earn as a fully qualified carpenter?
Take our Quiz to Find Out Your Earning Potential
Is carpentry a good trade?
As you can see, carpenters can make a good income, but salary should not be your only consideration.
The question of whether this is a good trade depends on whether you enjoy the work.
If you become a carpenter, you’ll be a tradie working “on the tools.”
This means that you’ll be doing hands-on physical work and will need to have reasonable fitness.
If the thought of creating things with your hands appeals to you more than sitting at a desk, then carpentry could be perfect for you.
Keep in mind that you could also be working outside a lot, which means being exposed to sun, wind and rain.
If you can weather the elements, then carpentry is a good trade for you.
Stepping up from carpenter to builder
While a lot of people who become carpenters love the work and stay carpenters for life, there are many who take a different path.
Carpentry is a good trade to learn if you want to advance your building and construction career to a higher level.
In the industry, stepping up from tradie to supervisor, manager or a self-employed builder is called getting “off the tools.”
As a fully qualified carpenter and a few years of experience under your belt, you might want a greater challenge or a higher salary.
When this time comes, you could do a Certificate IV in Building and Construction (Building) (CPC40120) to learn how to become a construction supervisor or to run your own business.
Our Certificate IV is unique because it helps you get your building licence from your relevant state authority.
Instead of a certificate 4, you might do a Diploma of Building and Construction (Building) (CPC50220) which teaches similar skills as the cert 4 but for bigger buildings.
How to become a carpenter
If you’re loving the idea of becoming a carpenter, the best place to start is with a CPC30220 Certificate III in Carpentry.
This course teaches you everything you need to know while you apply your learnings in an apprenticeship with a real employer.
This blend of book learning and real-world practice is the only way to learn carpentry.
We recommend choosing a registered training provider like CWBTS so that you can be sure you’re getting a nationally recognised certificate.
When you earn your certificate III with CWBTS , you’ll join thousands of happy graduates who have kicked off an exciting career in building and construction.
Thinking of doing a CPC30220 Certificate III in Carpentry? Find out if you’re eligible for government funding by giving our expert course advisors a call on 1300 4 CWBTS (1300 429 287), or request a call back today.