Vocational.uk The route, drawn out

Construction & Building

Painter & Decorator

Prepare, paint, paper and finish interiors and exteriors — the last trade on site and the one everyone sees.

Steady demand Can go self-employed Level 2 apprenticeship
Typical pay once qualified
£26,000 – £38,000
Training length
2 years
Apprenticeship standard
Painter and decorator
Where to train
251 providers listed

The route, drawn out

DWG F300 · 5 stops · 2 years to qualify
  1. Day one Start as an apprentice from £15.6k
  2. Year 2 Training continues, pay rises min. £21.2k+
  3. 2 years Fully qualified around £26k
  4. +3–5 years Experienced up to £38k
  5. 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

Decorating is far more about preparation than paint. Filling, sanding, priming and masking are where the quality comes from, and a decorator who cuts in a straight line without tape is worth their day rate anywhere.

Work splits between new build (fast, repetitive, on price), commercial contracts and domestic work where you deal directly with the customer. It is the easiest construction trade to start on your own with modest tools, and one of the best for part-time or flexible working.

A typical day

  • Prepare surfaces: strip, fill, sand, prime and make good
  • Apply paint by brush, roller and spray to spec
  • Hang wallpaper and specialist coverings, matching patterns
  • Work at height from ladders, towers and scaffold safely
  • Protect floors, fittings and furniture, and leave the job clean

How you get in

  • Level 2 apprenticeships generally have no formal entry requirements
  • Colour vision and a steady hand matter more than exam results
  • Comfortable working at height
  • CSCS card for site work

Where it leads

  • Advanced painter and decorator (level 3), including specialist finishes
  • Spray finishing, industrial coatings or heritage decoration
  • Self-employed domestic decorator with a repeat client base
  • Contract supervisor for a decorating firm

Where to train for this

251 colleges and training providers on our list cover Painter & Decorator training. Open your region to see them, then check current intakes with the provider directly.

East Midlands 15
East of England 18
London 18
North East 15
North West 29
South East 25
South West 21
UK-wide 24
West Midlands 21
Yorkshire and the Humber 20
East Scotland 6
North Scotland 7
West Scotland 9
North Wales 3
South Wales 8
West Wales 2
Northern Ireland 7
Channel Islands 2
Isle of Man 1

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