What's involved

Felt roofers work with bitumen to apply felt to a roof, usually in several layers bonded together, to form a watertight covering that will keep the interior of the building dry.

It is a skilled job that requires specific training and working safely is also very important, as working at heights and dealing with the materials used can be dangerous.

Skills required

You'll need a head for heights as you'll be working on the top of buildings. You'll also need to enjoy working outdoors and have good people skills. Being good with figures is also important as you'll be calculating plenty of areas and volumes.

Qualifications required

There are no formal requirements although it would help to have Maths and English Standard Grades.

Salary ranges

(This is a guide to the average salary a fully qualified and experienced person might expect to get.)

£16,000 - £31,000

Progression routes

If you decide to progress into supervisory, design or management roles there are opportunities to study for:

• Technical, supervisory and  management SVQ qualifications (SCQF Levels 6 to11)
• HNC Construction or a number of other built environment HNC/HND qualifications (SCQF Levels 7 or 8)
• Degree level qualifications in a number of construction disciplines (SCQF Levels 9 to 12)