Courses and careers in plastering

If you are looking for a career as a plasterer, you've come to the right place. Here there is all the information you will ever need to discover just what it is that a plasterer needs to do.

Within the plasterer's industry, there are numerous jobs that need to be done, from being a handy man and taking care of repairs in residential areas, to working on restoring buildings that are considered historic and therefore important to conserve, and on to the commercial projects, new home building and renovations.

There are typically two kinds of work that fall under the plastering description: fibrous and solid plastering. Solid is the one that you'd deal with the most, as it is the one you see around most homes and commercial property. Some examples are when pebble dashing is done to complete an outside finish, or completing walls, ceilings and flooring.

There is also dry lining, a rarely used plastering technique that is seen in your contemporary offices, where temporary partitions and internal walls need to go up. Plasterboard is used in these instances.

The plastering courses that you will experience will cover all three of these plastering techniques.

What kinds of courses on plastering can I take?

What courses there are available to you will depend on your individual situation. There are advanced courses on plastering that you could attend, which runs on the weekends or daily over several weeks. These courses covers all of the fundamentals of plastering such as using the tools of the trade and getting familiar with all of the plastering components you will be using.

If you are not quite 19 years old and still in high school, there is a course in plastering called NVQ that you could attend, running four days with a fifth day in college. An assessor in the NVQ will take a look at the work that you perform, to make certain that it is up to the standards of the industry. You will keep your work listed in a portfolio that you assemble for demonstrating your skills outside of the course.

What do I need in the way of skills in order to pursue a career in plastering?

Before taking the step of enrolling in any courses in plastering, it is a great idea for you to pick up experience as a team player, as most jobs for plasterers are team efforts. It is also a great idea for you to get used to working up in the air some, because many plastering jobs will take you up ladders and along scaffolds.

The skills recommended for plasterers

* Be practical in the way you approach things, and be good with coordination

* Be a team player and a quick worker

* Be good with numbers as you will need to make calculations on areas of surfaces as well has the volume of material you will need to complete jobs

* Be creative in your ability to do work decoratively in the fibrous plastering techniques

* Be in good physical condition

* Be safety and health conscious

Opportunities in the Field of Plastering

Numerous plastering opportunities abound in the plasterer's world. Building contractors or local city councils could hire you for many jobs, or you could go to work with a large plastering outfit. There is the self employed route that many in the plastering field go, as they can sub-contract their work out to larger building businesses.

There are even opportunities overseas or out of your country. For instance, there are many plasterers in the United Kingdom who choose to go to work over in Australia.