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Plumber

Alternative titles for this job include

Plumbers install and repair water and heating systems in residential households and commercial properties.

Average salary (a year)

£24,000 Starter

to

£46,000 Experienced

Typical hours (a week)

37 to 45

You could work

evenings / weekends / bank holidays as customers demand

Meet Matt

Matt works as a plumbing, heating and ventilation engineer for North Manchester General Hospital.

1 minute 45 second watch

View transcript

So I'm Matty Nicholls. I'm 21. I work at North Manchester General Hospital, and I'm a plumbing and heating and ventilation engineer.

So I did 2 years at college originally, fresh out of high school. Obviously got my qualifications. I studied a level 2, level 3 plumbing studies diploma.

It always keeps you busy, always keeps you on your toes. But that's the best bit about the job. You never know what you're going to get or how you're going to get it.

Very good for your mental health. Knowing you’ve, you can come in and make a difference, affect patient care and, you know, look after staff and at the end of the day work within a good team. That’s all that matters.

With our theatres, obviously they require hot water for sanitisation issues. In the summer, they require ventilation, air conditioning. And then in the winter, obviously they require heating. So as I say we look after all the ventilation plants. What produces the heating, the hot water. We look after all the checks to ensure the water quality is great. The steam quality is good. And then at the end of the day making sure everything that we're doing is good for the environment and and we’re being as efficient as possible.

So we've done our mandatory training with like lifting, health and safety. Got my compliance basis, a lot on asbestos. I've got training for the boiler courses, so I'm comfortable with the boilers. Ventilation, medical gas. The line is endless. Obviously they want to upskill their engineers and obviously, at the end of the day, make sure everyone's safe and competent at how to use machinery.

I always want to constantly upskill myself and gain as much knowledge as possible.

Communication is really important. I’d say teamwork, because you're always working within a team. A lot of tasks, you know, take 2 or 3 people. Being hard working, resilient, coming up on time. All them things are very, very important.

Whether you start out as a plumber and want to go and venture into different things, but there's that many aspects in plumbing, you know, you can start out as doing mainly plumbing and then taking on mechanical, boilers, ventilation, all sorts of different tasks.

How to become

Explore the different ways to get into this role.

How to become

You can get into this job through:

  • a college course
  • an apprenticeship
  • working towards this role
  • applying directly

College

You could complete a college course which may help you to find a trainee position with a plumbing company. 

Courses include:

  • plumbing studies
  • plumbing and domestic heating
  • T Level in Building Services Engineering for Construction

Entry requirements

Entry requirements for these courses vary.

  • 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths for a T Level

More Information

Apprenticeship

You can apply to do a Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship to learn the skills needed to become a plumber. Apprenticeships include:

  • Plumbing and Domestic Heating Technician
  • Building Services Engineering Craftsperson
  • Gas Engineering Operative

You could also do a Low Carbon Heating Technician Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship, if you want to become a heat pump engineer.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths, for an advanced apprenticeship

More Information

Work

You may be able to start as a plumber's assistant or 'mate' and train on the job to qualify.

You'll usually need some GCSEs, including English and maths, along with good practical skills.

Direct Application

You could apply directly for jobs if you've got qualifications and several years' experience from related industries, like building services or heating and ventilation engineering.

More Information

Registration

Professional and industry bodies

You can join the Chartered Institute of Plumbing and Heating Engineering for professional development training and industry news.

Further information

You can find out more about becoming a plumber from the Chartered Institute of Plumbing and Heating Engineering and Go Construct.

What it takes

Find out what skills you’ll use in this role.

What it takes

Skills and knowledge

You'll need:

  • the ability to use, repair and maintain machines and tools
  • knowledge of building and construction
  • to be thorough and pay attention to detail
  • knowledge of maths
  • the ability to work well with others
  • the ability to use your initiative
  • the ability to work well with your hands
  • customer service skills
  • to be able to carry out basic tasks on a computer or hand-held device

Restrictions and Requirements

You'll need to:

What you’ll do

Discover the day to day tasks you’ll do in this role.

What you'll do

Day-to-day tasks

As a plumber, you'll:

  • install and repair water, heating and drainage systems
  • cut, shape and join pipes and fittings
  • service gas and oil-fired central heating systems and radiators
  • respond to emergency call-outs, like broken boilers or blocked drains
  • fit weather-proof materials and flashings to roofs, chimneys and walls

We've identified this as a potential green job

For a plumber to be a green job, you could:

  • install solar powered hot water systems
  • replace old copper piping and joints with recyclable components
  • fit heat pumps in households to reduce reliance on fossil fuels

Find out more about green careers

Working environment

You could work at a client's home, at a client's business or on a construction site.

Your working environment may be cramped, at height and outdoors some of the time.

Career path and progression

Look at progression in this role and similar opportunities.

Career path and progression

With experience, you could:

Current opportunities

Find apprenticeships, courses and jobs available near you.

Current opportunities

Apprenticeships In England

Lowe & Oliver Ltd - Mechanical (Plumbing & Heating) Apprenticeship

  • Wage: £15,704 a year Annually
  • Location: SO50 4NU

Lowe & Oliver Ltd - Mechanical (Plumbing & Heating) Apprenticeship

  • Wage: £15,704 a year Annually
  • Location: Boars Hill, Oxford, Oxfordshire
Find apprenticeships near you

Courses In England

Plumbing

  • Provider: HULL COLLEGE
  • Start date: 08 September 2025
  • Location: Hull

Plumbing Level 3

  • Provider: UNIVERSITY COLLEGE BIRMINGHAM
  • Start date: 15 September 2025
  • Location: Birmingham
Find courses near you

Jobs In the United Kingdom

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