Sub Contractor: Job Profile and Role

For the following blog’s job, you need to be excellent in communication, conflict resolution, teamwork, and collaboration. These competencies are more or less the skills groundwork to excel in the job of a UK subcontractor which, in turn, can be several different professions.

In the following sections, we will therefore explore what a subcontractor job can be and what qualifications you need to train in the respective professions. We will also take a closer look at the three skills we have already mentioned and give you insights into a day in the life of a subcontractor. Last, but not least, you get three tips for thriving which you can apply to any subcontractor job you have been trained in.

Short Summary

• As a subcontractor, you coordinate and collaborate with other people on a construction site, including the construction manager. You, however, do not tend to deal with the client who has commissioned a building project.
• As a subcontractor, you are responsible for identifying hazards and risks on a construction site before you start your own specialised work.
• As a subcontractor, you can be in charge of various construction-related work, including plumbing, wiring, setting concrete, or planning a building’s interior.

Job description

Depending on your subcontractor job, you are responsible for performing different tasks. Let’s say you work as a painter and decorator who has been commissioned with prepping and finishing the walls. Here, you are in charge of preparing and painting a wall. As a plumber, you are tasked with planning, laying, and installing pipes, water systems, and water heating. An electrician – which you may also be – is responsible for planning and installing electrical wiring, sockets, and lighting. Regardless of your exact job, there is one thing you must ensure – that all health and safety measures are adhered to at all times.

Responsibilities

• Record Keeping
• Quality Assurance
• Dispute Resolution
• Insurance and Liability
• Identifying Hazards/Risks
• Storing/Handling Materials
• Observing Assets/Structures
• Compliance with Regulations
• Maintaining Work Environment
• Coordination and Collaboration

Different types of Sub Contractors

• Roofing Subcontractor
• Electrical Subcontractor
• Groundwork Subcontractor
• Specialised Trades Subcontractor
• Painting/Decoration Subcontractor

Salary

You can earn from ￡27,000 to ￡42,000 per year in your job as a subcontractor. The average annual base salary tends to be between these two numbers and comes in at around ￡33,000. The job of a subcontractor has a few peculiarities if you want. What you eventually earn each year is highly dependent on your subcontractor job since you can work as a plumber, a painter and decorator, or an electrician on a construction project. Therefore, you need to check these salaries when applying for a subcontracting job. Besides, you need to be aware of the following salary-affecting factors: your employer, the location, and self-employment where you decide on your hourly rates and, thus, your annual salary.

Working hours

You may work up to 48 hours a week which mainly depends on your subcontractor job and potential peak times, for instance, meeting a building/construction deadline. Generally, you work daytime hours which can also include weekend work except Sundays. You may also have to factor in travelling which can increase your working time.

Employers

Your employer is a contractor who, in turn, works for various main employers. Your employment as a subcontractor can take place on different construction sites which can be found in multiple sectors. Therefore, you can be employed for doing subcontractor work in the healthcare, construction, government, financial, and educational sectors.

Subcontractor vs. Contractor

While a contractor is the person responsible for liaising with a client, project management, sourcing supplies, and managing personnel, you, as a subcontractor, are the expert who is drafted in for the jobs a contractor is not qualified for. In short: you are the person needed to plan and complete specialised jobs that require your skills, qualifications, and expertise. 

Qualifications

Even though there are several subcontractor jobs and respective educational approaches, the overall entry requirements tend to be the following: you will need between two and five General Certificates of Secondary Education/GCSEs at either grades 9 to 3 (A* to D) or 9 to 4 (A* to C). It can also be possible to enter your chosen education with the equivalent A-Levels. These depend on the subcontractor job you are qualifying for. The same applies to technical/IT knowledge, meaning the software you will be using. This can range from electrical software to painting and decorating, plastering, plumbing, and time-management software.

Skills

Being a subcontractor can require all sorts of soft skills. This is one of the reasons why it is especially important to check the competencies wanted by your future employer. Nevertheless, there are three skills you will certainly need when doing the job of a subcontractor. Let’s take a closer look at them in this section.

Communication

Even though your main employer is a contractor, you deal with several other entities when working as a subcontractor. Therefore, outstanding communication skills are mandatory to perform well. You not only need to focus on your verbal communication but also on your verbal and non-verbal one. Being proficient in all three communication areas ensures clear directives and reduces the risk of misunderstandings and conflicts.

Collaboration/Teamwork

Working with other experts requires strong collaboration and teamwork which you also need for your subcontractor team. You need to know what these two aspects involve and how to apply collaboration and teamwork guidelines and concepts for smooth workflows and a healthy and satisfying work environment.

Conflict-Resolution

Even if your communication, collaboration, and teamwork skills are above average, conflicts can still arise. Strong conflict resolution is, therefore, another competency vital for you when doing a subcontractor job. This ability should be accompanied by problem-solving skills and a high level of level-headedness and diplomacy.

Career Path

Whether you work as a subcontracting plumber, electrician, painter and decorator, or an IT expert – your career path will always start with first your education/training and then, with your entry-level position. This tends to be a trainee job which you stay in for roughly 12 months. Your work performance can lead to more senior roles which can include managerial positions. You can also start your own business in the profession you have been trained in.

Educational Background

As you can see from the qualifications section, there is no set educational background to become a subcontractor. Since your education depends on the job you want to train for, we can only give you some examples of the most common subcontractor jobs in the UK and what training you can do.

Plumber/Electrician

Typically, you become a plumber or an electrician by completing an advanced apprenticeship or a college course. An appropriate college course can be the Level 2 Diploma in Access to Building Services Engineering (Electrical) for an electrician or a T Level in Building Services Engineering for Construction for a plumber. Appropriate apprenticeships for these two jobs are an installation and maintenance electrician advanced apprenticeship (electrician) and an advanced apprenticeship in plumbing and domestic heating.

Painter and Decorator

You become a painter and decorator by doing an apprenticeship or a college course. Here, you can look into a T Level in On-Site Construction or a Level 2 or Level 3 Diploma in Painting and Decorating. You can also do a painter and decorator intermediate apprenticeship which typically takes three to four years to complete and gives you first work experience.

Entry Level

Your entry-level job in subcontracting will always be the position of a trainee, be it a trainee plumber, a trainee electrician, or a trainee painter and decorator. Here, you assist a more senior colleague in the most common jobs of the trade and learn all there is to know about it. 

Continuous Learning

Spending time on improving your hard skills may not be mandatory but we highly recommend it. Since at this point, we cannot know which subcontractor you will eventually be, here’s a list of possible options for your continuous learning process. 

Plumber

If you are a plumber, you should look into doing an NVQ or SVQ (National Vocational Qualification/Scottish Vocational Qualification) in plumbing, with the option of completing a Level 2 or a Level 3 qualification. Alternatively, you can be awarded qualifications from the Chartered Institute of Plumbing and Heating Engineering (CIPHE), such as a qualification in low temperature heating and hot water systems in dwellings. You can also do WRAS training (Water Regulations Advisory Scheme).

Electrician

If you are an electrician, you need to be up-to-date on the national wiring regulations. You should also look into obtaining an ECS (Electrical Certification Scheme) card and completing a Portable Appliance Testing (PAT) certification. If you want to become an electrical engineer, you need to look into an undergraduate degree. You also may need to register as a Chartered Engineer (CEng) and/or an Incorporated Engineer (IEng).

Painter and Decorator

As with the job of a plumber, you can take part in NVQs and SVQs where you gain a Level 2 or Level 3 diploma. You can complete the relevant courses with City & Guilds, for example, a Level 2 NVQ Diploma in Decorative Finishing and Industrial Painting Occupations, or a Level 3 NVQ Diploma in Decorative Finishing – Painting and Decorating.

A Day in the Life of a Sub Contractor

We are fairly certain that your head is on fire, computing all the different information you have just received on the job of a subcontractor in the UK. To give your system a bit of R&R, we now take a look at three typical tasks a subcontractor performs daily.

Coordination and Collaboration

Coordination and collaboration will take part at any given time in your working day. You discuss the day’s schedule and projections at the start of your day where you talk to your team, other subcontractors, and the main contractor. Together, you check the overall progress and which jobs need to be finished by the end of the day. This also requires close collaboration with all other subcontractors involved.

Inspections and Controls

Inspections will occur at various points in your day. Typically, you do the first inspection before you start the day’s tasks to ensure that everything is in working order and to avoid disruptions and accidents. Inspections and quality checks are furthermore necessary after you have completed a task, such as installing new wiring or water pipes, and at the end of the day to ensure the day’s work was a success.

Performing Tasks

Naturally, most of your day will be occupied by actually doing the job you have been hired and are being paid for. Depending on your profession, you can be in charge of planning and installing electrical wiring, laying pipes, or preparing a finished outer or inner wall for painting and decorating. If you are in charge of a team, you may be the person who is delegating most of these jobs to the members of said team.

Tips for Thriving as a Sub Contractor

As with the skills, there are almost endless ways to thrive as a UK subcontractor since all tips depend on your profession. But do not despair – we do have three tips that will help you thrive, regardless of the subcontractor job you have trained for:

• Contracts/agreements
• Reliability
• Expertise

Contracts/Agreements

Your job name already hints at the fact that it involves work contracts. Therefore, you need to be a bit of a legal whizz when it comes to drawing up said contracts and agreements. You need to ensure that a contract details exactly what jobs you are expected to do, how many hours you need to invest, and when your work is to be paid. Drafting a work contract should also extend to defining and setting down your interests which may require some negotiation skills.

Reliability

Building and construction projects ideally run on a set timetable, meaning that they should be finished by a fixed date. To ensure on-time completion, every person involved needs to be reliable and professional. It is all well and good to have the foundations in place, but a building will never be usable if it does not have plumbing, electricity, and properly painted and decorated walls. Needless to say, you must be reliable and both show up for your subcontractor job and perform it in the set timeframes.

Expertise

You also need to be the best person for the job at hand. Whether you are an electrician, a painter and decorator, an IT expert, or a plumber – you need to have the required work experience, further training and qualifications, and an outstanding work ethic to ensure that you thrive in your job. The bigger your expertise portfolio, the more likely it is that you will be hired over and over again. This is especially important if you run your own business and are also responsible for your employees.

Frequently Asked Questions