Kitchen and bathroom fitter
Rip out the old and install new kitchens and bathrooms – a multi-skilled trade combining joinery, plumbing and tiling.
- Salary£24,000 – £45,000
- Hours40 to 45 hours a week; evenings and weekends, and some jobs away from home (National Careers Service)
- Working for yourselfSelf-employment is common
What the job is like
Kitchen and bathroom fitters strip out old rooms and install new units, worktops, appliances, baths, showers and suites, often laying floors and tiling too. It is a multi-skilled trade where you work alongside electricians and plumbers and see a room transformed in days.
It suits practical people who like variety, careful measuring and seeing happy customers at the end. You could work for builders, retailers, manufacturers or design firms, move into project management or kitchen design, or run your own business.
What you'll do
- Measure and set out rooms from design plans
- Mark the positions of pipes and cables
- Remove and dispose of old units and suites safely
- Install units, worktops and appliances
- Fit baths, showers, basins and toilets
- Tile walls and lay flooring
- Coordinate with electricians, plumbers and other trades
Where you'll work
- Indoors
- In customers' homes
- Construction sites
- 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 kitchen and bathroom fitter
Apprenticeship
Fitted Interiors Installer – Level 2 apprenticeship (ST0980), typical duration 18 months, covering kitchens, bedrooms, bathrooms and offices.
Apprenticeships in joinery, wall and floor tiling or plumbing may also be accepted by employers.
College
Courses such as construction skills, carpentry and joinery, plumbing studies, fitted interiors or kitchen and bathroom installation.
Direct application
Possible if you have experience and qualifications in a related trade such as joinery, plumbing, tiling or plastering.
Qualifications, licences and cards
- CSCS card (or equivalent) – most principal contractors expect one before you work on a construction site
- Gas Safe registration if you want to connect gas appliances yourself
Where it can lead
- Site supervisor, project manager or estimator
- Trainer, business development or sales roles
- Kitchen and bathroom design using computer-aided design (CAD)
- Shop fitting
- Your own business
Good to know
- The work is dusty and physical, with lots of lifting, bending and carrying.
- Commercial contracts may involve travel to other parts of the country.
- You will work closely with electricians and plumbers, and the National Careers Service notes that apprenticeships in joinery, tiling or plumbing can also lead into this job.
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: Kitchen and bathroom fitter nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/job-profiles/kitchen-and-bathroom-fitter
- Fitted interiors installer (Level 2, ST0980) skillsengland.education.gov.uk/apprenticeships/st0980-v1-0
- HSE: gas safety frequently asked questions hse.gov.uk/gas/domestic/faqs.htm
- Competent person schemes (GOV.UK) gov.uk/guidance/competent-person-scheme-current-schemes-and-how-schemes-are-authorised
- Go Construct: Kitchen fitter goconstruct.org/construction-careers/what-jobs-are-right-for-me/kitchen-fitter
- Go Construct: Bathroom fitter goconstruct.org/construction-careers/what-jobs-are-right-for-me/bathroom-fitter