Pros and Cons of Working as a Scaffolder

You think about becoming a scaffolder but want to get additional information about job prospects, salaries, work-life balance, educational requirements and much more before making your final decision in this regard?

Great! Stick with me since I will show you all the pros and cons of being a scaffolder in the following chapters.

Scaffolder Job Profile

Advantages of Being a Scaffolder

1. Scaffolders don’t have to work at nighttime
2. Scaffolders often have free weekends
3. Decent work-life balance for scaffolders
4. Scaffolders can work with their hands
5. You see the results of your labor rather quickly
6. Scaffolders can stay fit
7. You don’t need a fancy degree for becoming a scaffolder
8. You can avoid student loan debt
9. Scaffolders can start making money at a rather young age
10. You get lots of fresh air
11. Scaffolders have decent job security
12. Scaffolders will be in high demand for many years to come
13. Working as a scaffolder can be beneficial for your private life
14. You can help out your friends as a scaffolder
15. Scaffolders are not at great risk of burnout

Scaffolders don’t have to work at nighttime

One upside to being a scaffolder is that you don’t have to work at nighttime. Hence, while bartenders, taxi drivers and many other people have to work rather exotic hours, you as a scaffolder will have a rather normal workweek and don’t have to work exotic hours.

Scaffolders often have free weekends

You will also have free weekends as a scaffolder most of the time and this gives you the opportunity to spend lots of precious time with your family and you can also do many nice weekend trips with your loved ones.

Decent work-life balance for scaffolders

Scaffolders also have pretty decent work-life balance since they don’t have to work on weekends, holidays or at nighttime and will have enough time to see their kids grow up.

Scaffolders can work with their hands

Unlike people who work in classical office jobs and just work with a computer all day long, you will be able to work with your hands as a scaffolder and can really get the feeling that you do something productive while financial analysts and many other people just prepare presentations all day long and may get fed up with what they are doing pretty soon.

You see the results of your labor rather quickly

Another benefit of working as a scaffolder is that you will see the progress of your work every day and may be really proud of the work you are doing since you know that you do an important job for many other people using your scaffolds.

Scaffolders can stay fit

Since working as a scaffolder is physically demanding, you will also burn lots of calories at work and will not have to go to the gym to stay fit as many other people who work in classical office jobs often have to do.

You don’t need a fancy degree for becoming a scaffolder

Another advantage of being a scaffolder is that you also don’t need to spend many years in college to work in this field. Instead, a high school diploma is usually enough to start your scaffolder career.

You can avoid student loan debt

Since you don’t have to spend lots of time and money on college education, you also don’t have to deal with student loan debt and while many of your friends may struggle to pay back this debt for many years, you will have a much easier time in this regard since you will not have to go into debt to start your scaffolding career at all.

Scaffolders can start making money at a rather young age

Since you don’t have to spend many years in college, you can also start your scaffolding career at a pretty young age and can start making money pretty soon so that you can become independent of your parents much sooner than most other people.

You get lots of fresh air

You will also get lots of fresh air during your job since you will often work outdoors and this can get you in a pretty good mood, at least during times when weather is great while many other people just sit in office buildings and are not able to enjoy the sun.

Scaffolders have decent job security

Another reason to become a scaffolder is that you will also have pretty decent job security. In fact, scaffolders are in high demand right now and due to the construction boom and growing population, you don’t have to worry about losing your job for the foreseeable future.

Scaffolders will be in high demand for many years to come

Thanks to growing population numbers, also the construction of new buildings will be a main priority in the future and this means that scaffolding work will be urgently needed for many decades.

Working as a scaffolder can be beneficial for your private life

Since scaffolders are usually skilled craftsmen and pretty talented when it comes to working with their hands, many scaffolders can do much more than just do their regular work. For instance, you may also be able to do tiling or flooring work and while many other people working in classical office jobs don’t learn those skills and have to spend lots of money on those services, you as a scaffolder may be able to do those tasks at your own home yourself and may be able to save lots of money in this regard.

You can help out your friends as a scaffolder

Since many of your friends will renovate or build a home sooner or later, you can also do good for your loved ones as a scaffolder since you can do your work at a lower rate or even for free for your friends and your loved ones will in turn be much more likely to do good for you as well in the long run.

Scaffolders are not at great risk of burnout

Even though scaffolding is physically demanding, it is not the most stressful work and you will therefore also not be at the same great risk of burnout as investment bankers or other people who have to deal with significant time pressure on a daily basis.

Now that you know all the chances of working as a scaffolder, we also have to talk about the drawbacks of being a scaffolder so that you get a more realistic picture of reality and can better decide whether you still want to become a scaffolder or rather want to work in a different industry instead.

Disadvantages of Working as a Scaffolder

1. Most scaffolders don’t make really good money
2. Working as a scaffolder is physically demanding
3. Scaffolders often have to quit their careers early
4. Scaffolders often ruin their bodies in the long run
5. Scaffolders have a rather low social standing
6. Your friends may not understand your career choice
7. Tasks are pretty repetitive
8. You have high levels of responsibility as a scaffolder
9. You may be liable for mistakes
10. You may not be able to save enough money for retirement
11. Hard to provide for your family as a scaffolder
12. You may need to work a second job
13. Working as a scaffolder is risky
14. Accidents at work are quite common
15. Hard to make a real impact as a scaffolder
16. Scaffolders are not able to work remotely
17. Scaffolders have to work outdoors during times of bad weather

Most scaffolders don’t make really good money

One disadvantage of being a scaffolder is that you will not be able to make really good money in this industry. In fact, many scaffolders complain about their rather poor salaries and get pretty frustrated with their salary in the long run.

Working as a scaffolder is physically demanding

You should also know that scaffolding is hard physical work and if you are not in good physical condition and also not willing to work with your hands, you should rather go for a teacher career or other jobs where you don’t have to stress your body as much.

Scaffolders often have to quit their careers early

Due to the significant physical burden related to this job, many scaffolders also have to quit their careers early due to physical health problems and often have a hard time finding a job in a different field.

Scaffolders often ruin their bodies in the long run

In general, many scaffolders ruin their spine and their bodies sooner or later and once they get older, they may not even be able to walk anymore and may need a wheelchair or other assistance.

Scaffolders have a rather low social standing

Another downside to working as a scaffolder is that scaffolders have a pretty low social standing and although you will do an important job to provide a safe environment to construction workers, you will still not be admired as much as dentists or nurse practitioners.

Your friends may not understand your career choice

Since scaffolders have a rather low social standing and also have to ruin their bodies, many of your friends may also not understand your career choice and you may have to justify it quite a lot.

Tasks are pretty repetitive

You should also know that working as a scaffolder is not very exciting and you will do similar tasks every workday. In turn, you may get bored with your scaffolder career in the long run.

You have high levels of responsibility as a scaffolder

Another problem with becoming a scaffolder is that you will also have a high level of responsibility and mistakes on your side may take away the lives of people and you therefore always need to stay focused at work to minimize the risk of such mistakes.

You may be liable for mistakes

You should also know that you as a scaffolder may be liable for mistakes that may lead to serious adverse outcomes and you should therefore get proper insurance so that you are covered in case of emergency.

You may not be able to save enough money for retirement

Since scaffolders don’t make really good money, many of them also have problems saving and investing enough money for retirement and may suffer from serious old-age poverty once they get older and quit their active careers.

Hard to provide for your family as a scaffolder

Due to the rather poor money man scaffolders make, it is also hard to provide for their families and many scaffolders are also not able to provide their families with a fancy lifestyle and may also miss out on many nice things other people can afford.

You may need to work a second job

If you live in pretty expensive regions, your scaffolder salary may not even be enough to cover your basic expenses and in such a case, you may even have to work a second job just to survive.

Working as a scaffolder is risky

You should also keep in mind that working as a scaffolder is quite risky and if you are unlucky, you may even lose your life at work and you may therefore always have to worry in this regard.

Accidents at work are quite common

While most scaffolders don’t lose their lives, they are still at pretty high risk of getting involved in accidents at work and you may therefore have to deal with many unpleasant wounds or other health issues in the long run.

Hard to make a real impact as a scaffolder

Compared to teachers and other people who can really influence the thought process of many people, scaffolders have a rather limited impact on society and are just not able to make a real positive difference in the lives of many people.

Scaffolders are not able to work remotely

Since scaffolders have to be present at their workplace in person, they are also not able to work remotely as many other people working in classical office jobs and will also be less flexible when it comes to managing their private and professional life at the same time.

Scaffolders have to work outdoors during times of bad weather

You will also have to work outdoors as a scaffolder on a regular basis. Consequently, you will also have to deal with unpleasant weather conditions quite often.

Top 10 Being a Scaffolder Pros & Cons – Summary List

Should You Become A Scaffolder?

While working as a scaffolder can be a great career since you will get lots of fresh air, you can also stay fit at work and you have pretty decent work-life balance, you should also know that most scaffolders don’t make good money, you have to work in a heavy physical manner and that your tasks will also be pretty repetitive so that you may get bored with your scaffolder career in the long run.

In the end, it is on you to evaluate all the pros and cons of being a scaffolder so that you can better decide whether you still want to work as a scaffolder or rather want to work in a different field.

If you come to the conclusion that a scaffolder career is not for you, you may also want to check out the following articles:

Advantages and disadvantages of becoming a locksmith

Advantages and disadvantages of becoming a driving instructor

Advantages and disadvantages of becoming a trucker

Sources

https://www.statista.com/statistics/513944/uk-iron-steel-scaffolding-shuttering-propping-sales-volume/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scaffolding

Own research and interviews.

About the author

My name is Andreas and my mission is to educate people about the different career paths that are possible in our current state of the world. In my opinion, people often make the mistake to choose their profession solely based on how much money they can earn from it instead of doing what makes them really happy.

This is quite sad and I just want to give people a more objective picture of how a fulfilling career could look like. I did the same when I started working in consulting after finishing my Master’s degree in Economics. However, I’ve quit pretty soon after that since I haven’t found true meaning in my job.

Now I can do what I really love to do and I want to enable as many other people as well to go this exciting path towards happiness instead of money.

I conducted various interviews with employees to give you a good impression of what working in different fields will look like and that you can make the best possible decision regarding your future career choice.

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