Handyman: Job Profile and Role

A lot of our own four walls could easily turn into absolute disaster zones if it wasn’t for handymen who are able to fix minor and major leaks, breakages and more. In short: our lives would be a lot more challenging without the different specialisations in the handyman sector. Maybe becoming a handyman is the profession you yourself have always dreamed about?

The following blog will detail everything you need to know about the job of a handyman. Starting with your responsibilities, we will then look at your annual salary, your potential employers and the qualifications and skills needed to become a handyman. To give you an idea of your future working day, we will also take a look at a day in the life of a handyman. The blog concludes by giving you important tips for thriving as a handyman.

Short Summary

• As a handyman, you are responsible for maintenance and repair jobs. These can range from fixing leaks to unblocking sinks to repairing broken pipes or furniture.
• As a handyman, you are also responsible for taking care of your tools and materials. Actually, this is where the real maintenance in your job description starts.
• As a handyman, you play an essential role in the upkeep and outer appearance of (high-value) properties. You achieve that by dealing with smaller and bigger issues in a proficiently and efficiently.

Job description

A handyman is in charge of repairing and maintaining things. Since the job of a handyman can be split into various sub-categories, it is not easy to define an exact job description. Say you work as a handyman employed by a school. Your tasks can range from repairing furniture to unblocking toilets, fixing leaks, cleaning out gutters and touching up wall paint. What the job of a handyman definitely involves is dealing and communicating with people. Conflict management and communication skills are only two of the skills a handyman should have.

Responsibilities

• Painting
• Assisting
• Assembly
• Electrical Work
• General Repairs
• Customer Service
• Gutter Maintenance
• Outdoor Maintenance
• Door/Window Repairs
• Appliance Maintenance

Different types of Handymen

• Green Handyman
• General Handyman
• Electrical Handyman
• Plumbing Handyman
• Carpentry Handyman

Salary

In the UK, the average annual salary paid to handymen ranges from £23,400 to £30,300. These salaries refer to entry-level handymen and skilled handymen, respectively. General handymen tend to be paid the highest annual salaries, coming up to £38,900.

The salary you are being paid as a handyman does not only depend on your level of work experience and your position. It is also influenced by your employer, the company size and the location. The salary can also be influenced by emergency rates, also depending on the company you work for and the type of emergency you are dealing with.

Note that self-employed handymen can earn higher salaries, depending on the rates they have set for their individual services.

Jack of all Trades

The term handyman (handy + man) was first used in 1843 to describe a person – generally, a man – who could fix pretty much everything. Or, to be more precise, was asked to perform various jobs. Today, a handyman is someone who is employed to do any kind of work, from changing a light bulb to fixing a leaking faucet.

Working hours

A handyman’s working hours can be Mondays to Fridays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. These working hours are not always the norm. As a handyman, you are likely asked to work on the weekends and it is also possible that you are called to deal with emergencies. These will consequently affect the number of hours you work in your handyman job.

Another factor that can increase or decrease your working hours is the seasons. Sounds strange? It is anything but. It is possible that you will be busier in the spring or summer and less busy in the winter. This also depends on the handyman job you have specialised in.

Employers

Handymen can find employment in various industries, depending on their individual job description. Maintenance handymen are often employed by homeowners, property management companies, homeowner associations, businesses of all sizes, schools, universities and hospitals. Plumbers can find employment in facility management companies, for example, whereas carpenters can start looking for jobs at construction companies and furniture companies.

Qualifications

To become a handyman does not require an academic degree. In most cases, you will have to do an apprenticeship in your chosen handyman profession, for example, in plumbing or carpentry. Further qualifications can include NVQ qualifications, BTEC and City & Guilds qualifications.

Skills

Being a handyman does not only require the relevant qualifications. To do a very good job, a handyman should have personal strengths and competencies – in short: a complementing set of soft skills. To give you an idea if the job of a handyman is the right fit for you, we will look at three important skills you should have or develop.

Organisational Management

Being a handyman means being organised and efficient. A necessary soft skill to have therefore is a high level of organisation. This affects your work schedule, your client lists, your tools and the jobs that need to be done on any given day. You will also have to organise ordering replacements and materials for the jobs at hand.

Communication Skills

Being a handyman is a good fit for you if you like to talk and be around people. Regardless of the fact that you are fixing mainly stationary objects, these belong to an individual. And this individual you have to deal with every step of the way – starting at the person’s enquiry and every subsequent issue they may have. Your communication skills should be accompanied by a high level of resilience, levelheadedness and conflict management skills.

Reliability

Being reliable is one of the key skills to have as a handyman. Let’s take a bathroom emergency, for example. A client’s shower or toilet is blocked, resulting in a flooded bathroom. It does not matter at what time of the day this happens. As a handyman, you need to be “on the scene” as soon as possible. If you are not reliable, you will not get any jobs as a handyman. And no jobs eventually mean a stop to your career as a handyman.

Career Path

Your career path as a handyman begins with your apprenticeship. After that, you may have to acquire further certificates and qualifications before you can start your entry-level handyman job. Depending on the quality of your work and your years of work experience, your handyman career can go two ways: you can either get promoted in the company you work for, or you can set up your own business.

Educational Background

To become a handyman, you will have to do an apprenticeship in your chosen area. Some companies may also require specific certificates and advanced qualifications for your handyman job. We recommend that you check which certificates and qualifications you might need with your future employer.

Gaining Experience

Gaining experience is a requirement for every job you will eventually do. It therefore comes as no surprise that gaining your first experience as a handyman will also help you on your career path in this profession. While doing an apprenticeship, you will get both theoretical knowledge and practical experience. These you enhance in your first job as a handyman. Naturally, the level of experience will rise the longer you work in your profession.

Continuous Learning

You can also further your experience by educating yourself in your free time. Continuous learning is a good way to become an expert in your field. This way, you can reach a point in your career where it is easier for you to dictate working conditions and payment terms. It also allows you to look into similar handyman jobs that might also interest you. By learning new trades, tools and methods, you can broaden both your horizon and your job portfolio.

A Day in the Life of a Handyman

A day in the life of a handyman can be filled with various tasks and challenges. They may differ depending on your exact job profile and role. However, each handyman job has a certain set of daily tasks that need to be both addressed and executed. Let’s have a close look at what a day in the life of a handyman can look like.

Planning and Preparation

Before you set off for your first job of the day, you need to plan your working day meticulously. This involves reviewing your work schedule and the list of clients you are seeing that day. You also need to prepare for the upcoming jobs. This involves checking your tools and materials. Is everything you need in its place? Do you have sufficient replacements or do you need to stop off at a hardware store on the way? You should also check that your vehicle is shipshape since being a handyman includes some driving around and travelling.

Repairs and Maintenance

Repairs and maintenance are what your job as a handyman is mainly about. Depending on your handyman qualifications and specifications, this can include various repairs and maintenance, such as fixing leaks, installing new electrical fixtures, repairing furniture or doing wall touch-ups. This part of your working day can involve a certain amount of problem-solving since not every job is an easy and quick one.

Paperwork

Paperwork can be another part of a day in the life of a handyman, especially when the handyman is running his own business. This paperwork stretches from doing invoices to managing the books and finances. It can also include reviewing the work schedule and pencilling in new appointments.

Tips for Thriving as a Handyman

Thriving in your chosen profession is a sure way to enhance your career prospects, thus, also enhancing your salary and possibly the quality of your lifestyle. Regardless of what your ultimate goal might be, we are sure that you are very interested in finding out tips for thriving as a handyman. So, without further ado, we will now tell you three surefire ways that will help you thrive as a handyman.

• Develop a wide skill range
• Create a professional image
• Offer competitive pricing

Develop a Wide Skill Range

By learning new techniques, skills and tools you can develop a wide range of skills. Here, it makes a lot of sense to focus on those maintenance areas that are in high demand. The more skills and knowledge you have, the more likely it is that companies and private persons will choose you over the competition. It can make equal sense to specialise in a niche market. This way, you can offer a very rare and exclusive range of skills that will set you apart from your competition.

Create a Professional Image

Having a professional image is vital to succeed as a handyman. Not only because your clients will not take you seriously when you are anything but professional. But also, because being unprofessional comes with the risk of not doing jobs safely. If you want to thrive as a handyman, you therefore need to create a professional image. You need to come across as highly capable and reliable. This does not only affect your real-life image but also your online presence.

Offer Competitive Pricing

There are plenty of fish in the “handymen sea”. It is therefore vitally important that you stand out in this crowd. Offering competitive pricing can help you achieve that. In order to know the relevant rates, you need to do some pricing research beforehand. Knowing how much you can charge without losing business is one way to thrive as a handyman. Offering discounts and/or package deals with your most loyal clients is another competitive pricing factor that will help you thrive as a handyman.

Frequently Asked Questions