Bricklayer
Build homes, walls and chimneys brick by brick – an outdoor, team-based trade where your work stands for generations.
- Salary£25,000 – £45,000
- Hours40 to 44 hours a week, usually between 8am and 6pm; some jobs involve working away from home (National Careers Service)
- Working for yourselfSelf-employment is common
What the job is like
Bricklayers build and repair the walls of houses, extensions, chimneys and decorative brickwork, and some specialise in restoring historic buildings. It is physical, outdoor work, usually as part of a small team or 'gang', and there is real satisfaction in seeing a building rise that will stand for decades.
You need a good eye for straight lines and level courses, a head for measurements and the stamina for work in all weathers. With experience you can supervise, estimate or inspect, specialise in heritage brickwork or stonemasonry, or become a self-employed contractor.
What you'll do
- Read and follow building plans
- Measure work areas and set out the first courses of bricks or blocks
- Mix mortar by hand or machine
- Lay bricks and blocks with a trowel
- Cut and shape bricks with hand and power tools
- Check work is straight and level with spirit levels, lasers or plumb lines
- Repoint old or damaged mortar joints
- Build decorative and architectural brickwork features
Where you'll work
- Outdoors
- Construction sites
- In customers' homes
- Working at height
- In a team
- On your own
Skills and hobbies that help
Weighted by how much they matter in this job, from the official job profile's skills and tasks. Tap one to see other careers that use it.
Key skills
Used a lot
Handy to have
Hobbies that give you a head start
How to become a bricklayer
Apprenticeship
Bricklayer – Level 2 apprenticeship (ST0095), typical duration 24 months.
Craft Bricklayer – Level 3 apprenticeship (ST1334), typical duration 18 months; job titles include senior and foreman bricklayer.
Onsite Trades Level 2 Foundation Apprenticeship for 16 to 21 year olds (or 22 to 24 in some circumstances).
College
Bricklaying or basic construction skills courses; some colleges and training organisations run short taster courses for career changers.
Other ways in
Start as a labourer or hod carrier with a bricklaying gang and train on the job.
Qualifications, licences and cards
- CSCS card (or equivalent) – most principal contractors expect one before you work on a construction site
Where it can lead
- Bricklaying team supervisor
- Construction estimator or site inspector
- Specialist heritage brickwork or stonemasonry
- Self-employed contractor or your own business
- Training apprentices at a further education college
Good to know
- The National Careers Service profile still mentions the Onsite Construction T Level, but the Department for Education lists September 2024 as its final enrolment, and it no longer appears on the T Levels subject list. For this trade, look at college diplomas or apprenticeships instead.
- The work is physically demanding, outdoors in all weathers and sometimes at height.
- Expect to travel between sites.
Courses and training
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Apprenticeship search
Find an apprenticeship – GOV.UK
The official GOV.UK service for searching and applying for apprenticeship vacancies in England.
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Course search
Find a course – National Careers Service
The National Careers Service search for college and training provider courses in England, including Skills Bootcamps.
Official information
Sources
We checked these pages in September 2026. Rules, pay and courses change, so always confirm with the official source.
- National Careers Service: Bricklayer nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/job-profiles/bricklayer
- Bricklayer (Level 2, ST0095) skillsengland.education.gov.uk/apprenticeships/st0095-v1-2
- Craft bricklayer (Level 3, ST1334) skillsengland.education.gov.uk/apprenticeships/st1334-v1-2
- Introduction of T Levels (GOV.UK) gov.uk/government/publications/introduction-of-t-levels/introduction-of-t-levels
- T Level subjects tlevels.gov.uk/students/subjects
- Go Construct: Bricklayer goconstruct.org/construction-careers/what-jobs-are-right-for-me/bricklayer