JOB

Labourer

As a General Construction Operative (also known as a Labourer) you would work on building sites and in public places alongside skilled tradespeople. You could work on projects ranging from new housing developments to road building. General Construction Operatives can work with concrete, lay drainage and pavements and excavate holes ...

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Job Department
On-Site
Earning Potential
£17,000 - £32,000
Training Time
up to 2 years

Maisie Lapham

I like how creative it can be. Being in control of the finished product and having the responsibility to carry out your own work is really rewarding.

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Labourer

Introduction

As a General Construction Operative (also known as a Labourer) you would work on building sites and in public places alongside skilled tradespeople. You could work on projects ranging from new housing developments to road building. General Construction Operatives can work with concrete, lay drainage and pavements and excavate holes and trenches. They have a very wide range of skills, so it is probably no surprise to hear they are in demand.

Labourer

Typical Tasks

  • Performing routine maintenance on trucks and construction equipment
  • Setting up and taking down equipment at the job site
  • Utilising suitable safety restraints when working at heights and in hazardous situations
  • Directing traffic around construction sites
  • Upkeep of tools and equipment
  • Building routes and roads
  • Building a scaffold
  • Operating a forklift
  • Lifting large objects and negotiating obstacles on a construction site
  • Preparing a task site for building by excavating pits, trenches, and foundations
  • Supplying labour to a specialty staff as needed

Labourer

Earning Potential

*Pay rates
Earnings typically depend on location, employer, the stage of your training, your hours worked and the opportunity to work overtime. Please also note that the pay rate figures have come from a variety of reliable sources including:

  • National Home Builders
  • Home Builder's Sub-Contractors
  • CITB
  • The Home Builders Federation
  • Construction Recruitment Agencies

Labourer

Qualifications We Offer

Investigate your options for entering this position. You can apply for this position by a college course, an apprenticeship, or direct employment. You might begin by enrolling in a college course like: Level 1 Construction Skills Certificate Level 2 Construction Operations Certificate

Entry prerequisites:

For a level 1 course, you must have no more than two GCSEs in grades D to G, or its equivalent.
For a level 2, two or more GCSEs in the range of 9 to 3 (A* to D), or an equivalent.

Labourer

Career Progression

To become a competent tradesperson or plant operator, you could receive on-the-job training. Deconstruction is another career option.

You might advance to the position of site supervisor with time.

Labourer

Job Roles

The type of job role can differ depending on the employer and the activities involved. Some roles such as trade roles have the opportunity to be self-employed. Often employers offer a variety of employment status and flexibility. The jobs outlined in this website are common across the home building industry, but the job titles may differ from one organisation to another.

Labourer

Earn While You Learn

All our featured job roles offer different entry-points for school leavers, college leavers, and graduates to commence a career in the industry. There are opportunities to enrol on apprenticeships and other career progression routes.

For most jobs, depending on your qualifications and experience there are also openings for those looking to change career.

Key job roles

A few (of many) jobs which we are looking to recruit in the home building industry.

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Dry liner

A dry liner creates the walls and rooms in a building using stud partitioning and plasterboard sheets. They also hide pipes and wires, create space...
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Engineer

Key repsonsibilities include in-depth knowledge of the technical engineering function within a housing development. Understanding the structural a...
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Groundworker

Groundworkers and plant operators prepare a site prior to and during the building process. They ensure that the infrastructure to a building site i...
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Site Manager

Site managers run a new home building development. They are responsible for the houses being built safely, on time, on budget and to the highest qu...
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Plasterer

The plasterer makes walls and ceilings smooth and ready for decorating. They are skilled in applying different kinds of plaster to inside walls and...
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Plumber

Plumbers are predominantly responsible for the heating and water connections to a new house during its construction.
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Quantity Surveyor

A quantity surveyor works out exactly how much a house costs to construct and keeps a close eye on finances - from the first budget to the final bi...
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Roofer

Roofers ensure that a house is water tight and work at all heights and in all weather conditions. There are various roles within roofing, including...
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Sales Advisor

From customer-facing negotiations to the completion of administration work, sales advisors are responsible for the on-site property sales process. ...
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Tiler

Tilers cover walls or floors with tiles, in areas like kitchens and bathrooms.
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Bricklayer

Bricklayers are responsible for setting out buildings by laying bricks, and pre-cut stone, concrete blocks and other types of building blocks in mo...
Find out more

Carpenter

Carpenters build and install the timber structural elements of a new home and the wooden interior fittings. They also install and remove temporary ...
Find out more

Dry liner

A dry liner creates the walls and rooms in a building using stud partitioning and plasterboard sheets. They also hide pipes and wires, create space...
Find out more

Engineer

Key repsonsibilities include in-depth knowledge of the technical engineering function within a housing development. Understanding the structural a...
Find out more

Groundworker

Groundworkers and plant operators prepare a site prior to and during the building process. They ensure that the infrastructure to a building site i...
Find out more

Site Manager

Site managers run a new home building development. They are responsible for the houses being built safely, on time, on budget and to the highest qu...
Find out more

Plasterer

The plasterer makes walls and ceilings smooth and ready for decorating. They are skilled in applying different kinds of plaster to inside walls and...
Find out more

Plumber

Plumbers are predominantly responsible for the heating and water connections to a new house during its construction.
Find out more

Quantity Surveyor

A quantity surveyor works out exactly how much a house costs to construct and keeps a close eye on finances - from the first budget to the final bi...
Find out more

Roofer

Roofers ensure that a house is water tight and work at all heights and in all weather conditions. There are various roles within roofing, including...
Find out more

Sales Advisor

From customer-facing negotiations to the completion of administration work, sales advisors are responsible for the on-site property sales process. ...
Find out more

Tiler

Tilers cover walls or floors with tiles, in areas like kitchens and bathrooms.
Find out more

Bricklayer

Bricklayers are responsible for setting out buildings by laying bricks, and pre-cut stone, concrete blocks and other types of building blocks in mo...
Find out more

Carpenter

Carpenters build and install the timber structural elements of a new home and the wooden interior fittings. They also install and remove temporary ...
Find out more

Dry liner

A dry liner creates the walls and rooms in a building using stud partitioning and plasterboard sheets. They also hide pipes and wires, create space...
Find out more

Engineer

Key repsonsibilities include in-depth knowledge of the technical engineering function within a housing development. Understanding the structural a...
Find out more

Groundworker

Groundworkers and plant operators prepare a site prior to and during the building process. They ensure that the infrastructure to a building site i...
Find out more

Site Manager

Site managers run a new home building development. They are responsible for the houses being built safely, on time, on budget and to the highest qu...
Find out more

Plasterer

The plasterer makes walls and ceilings smooth and ready for decorating. They are skilled in applying different kinds of plaster to inside walls and...
Find out more

Plumber

Plumbers are predominantly responsible for the heating and water connections to a new house during its construction.
Find out more

Quantity Surveyor

A quantity surveyor works out exactly how much a house costs to construct and keeps a close eye on finances - from the first budget to the final bi...
Find out more

Roofer

Roofers ensure that a house is water tight and work at all heights and in all weather conditions. There are various roles within roofing, including...
Find out more

Sales Advisor

From customer-facing negotiations to the completion of administration work, sales advisors are responsible for the on-site property sales process. ...
Find out more

Tiler

Tilers cover walls or floors with tiles, in areas like kitchens and bathrooms.
Find out more

Job locations

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Job locations

Find opportunities in your region

To find opportunities available in your region, click a region to the left and then click one of the home builder logos below to be taken to their careers website.

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