Blacksmiths work with different metals to make and repair decorative, industrial and everyday items.
£15,000 Starter
to£30,000 Experienced
47 to 49 variable
freelance / self-employed managing your own hours
You can get into this job through:
You can do a degree course in artist blacksmithing at university.
You'll need a portfolio of your work and creative ideas for course interviews.
You'll usually need:
You could take an introductory college course in working with metal before looking for a trainee position with a blacksmith.
You could also take a Level 2 in Diploma in Blacksmithing and Metalworking though this is only available in a small number of places.
There is a Level 3 Diploma in Fabrication and Welding, which may lead you into industrial blacksmith work.
A course in general metalwork or art and design may also give you an advantage when looking for a job.
You may need:
You can get into industrial blacksmithing through an engineering or welding intermediate or advanced apprenticeship.
You may be able to use this to find a trainee job with a specialist metalwork company.
You'll usually need:
You could work as an assistant to an experienced blacksmith and learn the craft on the job. Experience in metalwork and technical drawing can be useful for this career.
You'll find it useful to do a short course in blacksmithing. This will help you decide if it's a suitable career and may be useful if you plan to look for a training position. The British Artist Blacksmiths Association has details of training organisations.
You'll need to show examples of your work and decorative ideas to get onto a design-related course or if contacting blacksmiths about trainee positions.
You could join the British Artist Blacksmiths Association and The Worshipful Company of Blacksmiths for professional development and to make industry contacts.
You can get more details about working as an artist blacksmith from the British Artist Blacksmiths Association.
You can also find out more about working in creative careers from Discover Creative Careers.
You'll need:
For each job, you'll:
You could work in a factory, in a workshop or in a foundry workshop.
Your working environment may be physically demanding, hot and noisy.
You may need to wear protective clothing.
As an experienced artist blacksmith you could set up your own gallery. You could also teach craft skills.
As an industrial blacksmith, you could move into workshop management. You could also train to become a design engineer.
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