Pros and Cons of Working as a Tile Man

advantages and disadvantages of being a tiler

You think about becoming a tiler but are still not sure whether this job would be right for you or not?

Great! Stick with me since I will show you all the pros and cons of being a tiler in the following article so that you can better decide whether you still want to become a tiler or rather want to go for a different job instead.

Table of Contents

Tiler Job Profile

Job DescriptionTilers cover floors, walls and other surfaces with tiles in bathrooms, kitchens, living rooms and sometimes also outdoors on the porch or on the balcony.
Salary$45,000 per year on average, most tilers make between $34,000 and $58,000 per year.
Job SecurityDecent since due to the housing boom and growing population, tilers are in high demand right now.
Job SatisfactionDecent if you like to work with your hands.
Work-Life BalanceGood since tilers have free weekends and holidays and also come home from work relatively early.
Physically / Mentally Demanding?Working as a tiler can be physically demanding but you don’t have to stress your brain that much.
Future OutlookDecent since good tile setters will always be needed in the construction industry.
RequirementsNo special educational requirements, you can start working as a tiler right after finishing high school.

Advantages of Being a Tiler

  1. You don’t need a college degree for working as a tiler
  2. You stay fit as a tiler
  3. You see the results of your labor rather quickly
  4. Tilers are not at great risk of burnout
  5. Tilers can work indoors most of the time
  6. Tilers have decent work-life balance
  7. You have decent job security as a tiler
  8. Tilers don’t have to work on weekends or holidays
  9. Tilers don’t have to work at nighttime
  10. You can meet up with your friends after work
  11. Tilers don’t have to work many extra hours
  12. You can avoid working in a classical office environment
  13. Decent future job prospects for tilers
  14. Being a tiler can be beneficial for your private life
  15. You can help out your family and friends
  16. Relatively easy to start your own tiler business

You don’t need a college degree for working as a tiler

One advantage of being a tiler is that you don’t need a college degree for working in this field.

Instead, you can start your tiler apprenticeship right after finishing high school and don’t have to spend lots of money as many other people have to do to get their dream jobs but can rather start making money from a relatively young age.

You stay fit as a tiler

Since you will work with your hands in a physical manner, you can also stay fit at work and will also burn lots of calories.

Consequently, your risk of suffering from being overweight is relatively low compared to people who work in classical office jobs and just sit in their chair all day long.

You see the results of your labor rather quickly

Working as a tiler can also be great since you will see the results of your labor every day and will also really see the progress you make while many other people who just work on presentations often don’t see a tangible result from their labor and get frustrated and unmotivated with what they are doing in the long run.

Tilers are not at great risk of burnout

Another upside to working as a tiler is that you are also not at great risk of burnout since you will not have to deal with high levels of time pressure and can rather spend your workday in a pretty relaxed manner.

Tilers can work indoors most of the time

As a tiler, you will also be able to work indoors most of the time and don’t have to worry about adverse weather conditions outdoors as garbage collectors and roofers often have to do.

Tilers have decent work-life balance

Working as a tiler can also be great for you in case you have a family since tilers have great work-life balance and often come home from work pretty early what allows them to spend lots of time with their loved ones.

You have decent job security as a tiler

Another benefit of becoming a tiler is that you have decent job security.

Due to the construction boom and our increasing population, tilers are in high demand right now and you will find more than enough clients to make a living from what you are doing.

Tilers don’t have to work on weekends or holidays

A tiler career is also great since you don’t have to work on weekends and holidays and can rather use those days to make nice trips with your loved ones.

Tilers don’t have to work at nighttime

Not only will you have free weekends and holidays, but you will also not have to work at nighttime as a tiler.

Consequently, you will come home from work relatively early and will be able to maintain a steady sleeping pattern to avoid sleeping problems in the long run.

You can meet up with your friends after work

Since you will come home from work relatively early, you will also have more than enough time to meet up with your favorite people after work as a tiler.

Tilers don’t have to work many extra hours

Tiler men also don’t have to work many extra hours. While investment bankers often sit in the office for long hours, tilers mostly quit their workday on time and will have lots of time to spend on their hobbies or with their favorite people.

You can avoid working in a classical office environment

Becoming a tiler can also make sense for you if you don’t want to work in a classical office environment with a computer all day long but rather want to work with your hands instead.

Decent future job prospects for tilers

Good tilers will always be needed in the construction sector.

Consequently, you can make money in this industry for many years and even decades to come and don’t have to worry about becoming unemployed anytime soon.

Being a tiler can be beneficial for your private life

Since you will come home from work relatively early, you will have more than enough time to care for your loved ones and chances that your relationship will work out will be higher compared to musicians and other people who are away from home quite often.

You can help out your family and friends

Another advantage of working as a tiler is that you can also help out your loved ones.

For instance, if your family members or friends build a home, you can do all the tile work and your loved ones can save lots of money.

Relatively easy to start your own tiler business

Since you don’t have to spend lots of money upfront, you can also start your own business in the tiling industry without having to take on huge business risks and if you want to work self-employed sooner or later, a tiler career can be a great way to go for you.

As you can see, there are many reasons why you might want to become a tiler.

However, there are also many downsides related to this job that I want to discuss for your in the following so that you get a better idea of what a tiler career really looks like and whether you still want to work in this field or rather want to go for a different job instead.

Disadvantages of Working as a Tiler

  1. Tilers have a rather low social standing
  2. Tile setters don’t make good money
  3. You have to stress your body quite a lot
  4. Physical health issues are pretty common among tilers
  5. You may have to quit your career early
  6. You may get bored with your tiler career in the long run
  7. Tilers get rather low pensions
  8. Many tilers can’t save enough for retirement
  9. You may get involved in accidents at work
  10. Tilers often can’t afford proper health insurance
  11. Hard to get out of the tiling industry
  12. You will not learn many digital skills
  13. Tilers are often not able to afford any luxury
  14. Clients can be demanding
  15. You may get sued
  16. Hard to provide for your family as a tiler
  17. You can’t work remotely as a tiler

Tilers have a rather low social standing

One problem with working as a tiler is that you will have a rather low social standing.

Even though your clients will appreciate your work, you will still not have the same high social standing as nurse practitioners or other people who can save lives on a daily basis.

Tile setters don’t make good money

You should also take into account that tilers don’t make good money.

In fact, they are often barely able to make a decent living from what they are doing and tilers who live in pretty expensive regions sometimes even need a second job to cover their expenses.

You have to stress your body quite a lot

Working as a tile setter is physically demanding and you will work on your knees quite often.

Consequently, if you rather don’t want to stress your body that much, you will be better off working as an accountant or in another classical office career.

Physical health issues are pretty common among tilers

Tilers often also suffer from physical health problems sooner or later since they have to stress their bodies at work quite a lot and once they get older, many tilers have a hard time doing their jobs since their bodies just no longer work properly.

You may have to quit your career early

Due to the physical nature of this job, many tilers also have to quit their careers early due to physical health problems and often have a hard time finding a suitable job in a different field.

You may get bored with your tiler career in the long run

Another downside of being a tiler is that you will not work in an exciting environment.

Instead, you will do the same things over and over again and if you are not really passionate about working in this industry, chances are that you will get bored with your tiler career sooner or later.

Tilers get rather low pensions

Since tilers don’t make good money during their active careers, many of them also receive pretty low pensions and really struggle to pay their bills once they get older.

Many tilers can’t save enough for retirement

Tilers are often also not able to put enough money aside for retirement and while judges and other people who can save and invest lots of money during their active careers will have a great time during retirement, tilers often struggle to cover their expenses and may suffer from serious old-age poverty.

You may get involved in accidents at work

Since you will have to work with your hands, you may also get involved in accidents at work and if you are really unlucky, you may even have to quit your tiler career due to those accidents.

Tilers often can’t afford proper health insurance

Another disadvantage to working as a tiler is that tilers often don’t make enough money to afford proper health insurance and in case they get sick, tilers often can’t afford the best medical treatment.

Hard to get out of the tiling industry

Since tilers are pretty specialized, they often also have a hard time getting out of this industry and switching fields since they simply lack the skills to do so.

You will not learn many digital skills

Digital skills are pretty important in the job market right now.

However, you will not learn any of those skills as a tiler and you may therefore have serious problems finding a job in the future in case you don’t want to work as a tiler anymore.

Tilers are often not able to afford any luxury

Since tilers don’t make good money, they are often also not able to afford any luxury for themselves or for their loved ones and may get really frustrated in the long run.

Clients can be demanding

Since you will work in the client business, you will also have to deal with many difficult people and this can really stress your nerves in the long run.

You may get sued

If you make mistakes, some clients may even sue you and this may lead to serious financial consequences for you as a tiler in the long run.

Hard to provide for your family as a tiler

Since you will not make really good money as a tiler, you will also have a hard time providing for your family and you may just not be able to buy your kids and your spouse nice gifts.

You can’t work remotely as a tiler

Another downside to a tiler career is that you can’t work remotely and have to be present at your workplace in person.

Consequently, you will be less flexible and also have to spend more money commuting to work and back compared to people who work in classical office jobs and are able to work from home quite often.

Top 10 Being a Tiler Pros & Cons – Summary List

Being a Tiler ProsBeing a Tiler Cons
Tilers don’t have to work at nighttimeTilers don’t make great money
Tilers don’t have to work many extra hoursYou have to work in a hard physical manner
You will come home from work relatively earlyTilers often suffer from physical health problems
Tilers have decent work-life balanceMany tilers have to quit their careers early
Can be beneficial for your private lifeTilers are pretty specialized
You can help out your loved onesYou will not learn many important skills
Tilers have decent job securityWorking as a tiler is not that exciting
Good future outlook for tilersYou can’t work from home
Tilers don’t have to work in an office jobTilers receive rather low pensions
You get exercise during workTilers have a rather low social standing

Should You Become A Tile Setter?

Now that you know all the pros and cons of being a tiler, it is on you to decide for yourself whether you still want to become a tile man or rather want to work in a different field.

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

Advantages and disadvantages of becoming a baker

Advantages and disadvantages of becoming an electrician

Advantages and disadvantages of becoming a plumber

Sources

https://www.statista.com/statistics/939668/global-leading-ceramic-tile-manufacturing-companies/

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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