Glazier
Measure, fit and repair windows, doors, rooflights and glass panels in homes and businesses.
- Salary£23,000 – £40,000
- Hours40 to 45 hours a week; evenings, weekends and bank holidays on a rota (National Careers Service)
- Working for yourselfSelf-employment is common
What the job is like
Glaziers and window fitters install and repair windows, doors, conservatories, rooflights and glass panels, working with uPVC, aluminium, timber and composite frames. Jobs range from replacing a broken pane to fitting glazing across a new commercial building.
Accurate measuring, careful handling and good customer skills are central to the job. With experience you could move into supervision, surveying, design or sales, specialise in heritage glazing, or set up your own business or franchise.
What you'll do
- Talk to customers about what they need and agree plans
- Remove old glass, beading and frames
- Measure up, cut and shape glass and glazed units
- Move large panels into place with suction lifters or hoists
- Fit new glazing and make sure seals are watertight
- Clear up and dispose of waste safely
- Complete paperwork and respond to emergency call-outs
Where you'll work
- Indoors
- Outdoors
- In customers' homes
- Construction sites
- 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 glazier
Apprenticeship
Fenestration Installer – Level 2 apprenticeship (ST0743), typical duration 18 months; job titles include window fitter and window and door installer.
College
Construction skills or carpentry and joinery courses can help you get a trainee job with a glazing company.
Direct application
There are no set entry requirements, although you need maths for measuring and some employers ask for GCSEs at grades 9 to 4.
Other ways in
Start as an assistant to a glazier or window fitter and learn on the job.
Qualifications, licences and cards
- CSCS card (or equivalent) – most principal contractors expect one before you work on a construction site
- Competent person scheme registration (for example FENSA or CERTASS) lets a business self-certify replacement windows and doors in England
- A driving licence helps for some jobs
Where it can lead
- Site supervision
- Surveying and estimating
- Glazing project design, or sales and marketing
- Heritage restoration and conservation
- Your own business or a window fitting franchise
Good to know
- Some work is outdoors and at height, and you will need safety equipment when handling glass.
- Commercial and industrial contracts can involve travelling to other parts of the country.
- Experience in carpentry, joinery or window manufacturing can help you get started.
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.
-
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: Glazier nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/job-profiles/glazier
- Fenestration installer (Level 2, ST0743) skillsengland.education.gov.uk/apprenticeships/st0743-v1-1
- Competent person schemes (GOV.UK) gov.uk/guidance/competent-person-scheme-current-schemes-and-how-schemes-are-authorised
- Go Construct: Glazier goconstruct.org/construction-careers/what-jobs-are-right-for-me/glazier