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What you earn along the way, why pay increases, and what it means to be on a collective agreement
As a roofer apprentice you are employed in a company and receive wages from the day your training agreement comes into force. It is an important difference from many other apprenticeships: you don't pay to learn the trade — you are paid for it. This also makes it a realistic path for those who don't want or can afford to study on state educational grants for several years.
§Why does salary increase over time?
Your apprentice wages are not the same all the way through. They are typically divided into wage periods and for each period you advance the salary increases. The logic is simple: the longer you are in education the more you can do and the more valuable your labor is to the company. Towards the end of education you do much of the same work as a journeyman — and the salary reflects that.
§What is a collective agreement?
Roofing is covered by a collective agreement — an agreement negotiated between the employers' organization and the employees' union. On the employees' side, the trade is under 3F. The agreement sets wage levels, working hours, allowances, pension, and your conditions as an apprentice. It is renewed periodically, and it's typically there that wage rates are adjusted.
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- 02Agreed working hours and overtime rules
- 03Pension savings that the employer contributes to
- 04Supplement for special working conditions
- 05Vacation and holiday pay according to holiday act
§Adult apprentice and other situations
If you are an adult when you start, you must as a starting point be secured a minimum wage at the level of unskilled workers in the industry — or a corresponding level from a related collective agreement area. This is substantially more than an ordinary apprentice wage, so it is important to clarify your conditions before signing.
§What if you don't have an apprenticeship position?
If you haven't found a company to make an education agreement with, you can continue via school practice or an apprenticeship center at many schools. Here you get a smaller, fixed allowance instead of regular apprentice wages while you continue to look. It's not the same as apprentice wages, but it keeps you going in the education until you find a place.
§From apprentice pay to qualified worker pay
When you have passed the journeyman exam you switch from apprentice wages to skilled wages. As skilled your hourly wages are typically much higher than as an apprentice because you are now a fully trained craftsperson. In parts of construction work is also done on piecework on some tasks – a form of agreement where the wage is linked to how much you accomplish rather than how many hours you spend.
“Becoming a skilled tradesperson is an investment that pays off both along the way and afterwards: you earn a wage while you learn, and you end up with a trade that is hard to automate away.”
§Remember to put it on paper
Your apprenticeship agreement is a contract. Read it before you sign and do not be afraid to get help understanding it — for example from your school or your union. It is completely normal to get a few more eyes on an agreement and it gives you peace to concentrate on the trade.