Stonemason

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Construction and building
Produce

Career outlook for stonemason

Average UK salary

£27,040

Currently employed in Scotland

4,100

"LMI for All" supplies our salary and employment status information. "Oxford Economics" supplies job forecasts and employment figures. Due to COVID-19 the jobs market is constantly changing. Some of the information may not reflect the current situation.

What's it like?

You would use your manual skills to carve blocks of stone, or lay and fit stonework into place on building projects.

You would normally work as either a banker mason in a workshop, or a fixer mason on site. The skills needed for each overlap, but the focus of your job would be different.

As a banker mason you would:

  • Follow design instructions
  • Carve and shape stone
  • give stone a textured or polished finish (known as dressing)
  • Use hand and power tools

As a fixer mason, you would:

  • Build walls
  • Fit cladding using specialised materials and methods
  • Repair stonework

In either specialism you might:

  • Repair old buildings and monuments
  • Carve or repair statues or headstones
  • Make and fit stonework like window frames, archways and ornamental garden pieces

As the job is so varied, you would learn to work with many materials such as sandstone, limestone, slate, marble and granite.

It would be important to follow health and safety rules at all times.

Working conditions

Hours

You would normally work 39 hours a week, with occasional overtime to meet deadlines.

Environment

As a banker mason, you would have a workshop, which could get noisy and dusty. You would use protective equipment, such as safety boots, ear defenders and goggles. As a fixer mason, you would be outdoors in all weather conditions on building sites, sometimes working at heights. In both cases, you would have to lift heavy materials and equipment.

Travel

As a fixer mason, you may travel from job to job. You would usually use a van for this.

UK employment status

Full-time

39%

Part-time

0%

Self employed

61%

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  • Creative
  • Designing
  • Innovative
  • Attention to detail
  • Concentrating
  • Developing a plan
  • Managing resources
  • Taking responsibility

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Getting in

Entry requirements for courses can change. Always contact the college, university or training provider to check exactly what you'll need.

Qualifications

You would do a Modern Apprenticeship recognised by the Scottish Building Apprenticeship Training Council (SBATC).

There are no formal qualifications required to enter this Apprenticeship but most employers value a good general education and some employers may ask for qualifications at SCQF level 4/5.

You usually have to take an aptitude test as part of the entry process.

Useful subjects

  • English
  • Maths
  • Practical technologies subject

You will also need

You must hold a Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) card or equivalent and pass a health and safety test to train or work on construction sites.

A driving licence may be required for some jobs.

Helpful to have

Qualifications and experience that show practical skills such as Skills for Work Construction Crafts (SCQF level 4/5).

You could enter this profession after gaining practical experience on site as a labourer.