The route, drawn out
DWG 8604 · 5 stops · 1.5 years to qualify-
Day one Start as an apprentice from £15.6k
-
Year 2 Training continues, pay rises min. £21.2k+
-
1.5 years Fully qualified around £25k
-
+3–5 years Experienced up to £38k
-
Then Your own business you set the rate
The first figures are legal minimums: the apprentice rate (£8.00/hr) and the National Minimum Wage for 18–20s and 21+ from April 2026, on a 37.5-hour week. Qualified and experienced pay are indicative UK ranges — most employers pay apprentices above the minimum.
What the job is
Butchery is a craft skill that has become scarce: the number of trained butchers has fallen sharply while demand from farm shops, restaurants and premium retail has grown.
You learn primal cuts, boning, seaming, sausage and product making, plus the hygiene and traceability rules the trade runs on. Skilled butchers who can also serve customers well are genuinely sought after, and many end up running counters or their own shops.
A typical day
- Break carcasses into primals and prepare retail cuts
- Bone, trim and seam meat with minimal waste
- Produce sausages, burgers and value-added products
- Maintain strict hygiene, temperature and traceability controls
- Advise customers on cuts, cooking and provenance
How you get in
- No formal qualifications required for most level 2 apprenticeships
- You must be comfortable working with raw meat in cold rooms
- Sharp attention to hygiene
- Early starts are normal
Where it leads
- Advanced butchery (level 3) and specialist product development
- Counter or department manager
- Abattoir, wholesale or food production supervision
- Your own butchery or farm shop
Where to train for this
11 colleges and training providers on our list cover Butcher training. Open your region to see them, then check current intakes with the provider directly.