Thatcher
What is the work like?
Thatchers are skilled craftspeople who repair and replace thatched roofs. They work to strict rules governing the materials and methods they are allowed to use in order to preserve buildings in their original form.
One of your main tasks as a thatcher is to prepare the roof and materials before starting work on the re-roofing. This would involve:
- putting up scaffolding or securing ladders to the building to allow access to the roof
- stripping off the old roof
- checking the roof timbers for damage or rot
- repairing, treating or replacing timbers where necessary before starting to thatch
- preparing the materials – straw, wheat reed or water reed – into bundles ready for use.
Once you have prepared the roof, you would secure bundles of thatch to the roof timbers (battens), using tarred cord or metal hooks. You would start at the eaves (where the roof meets the walls) and work your way up to the ridge at the top. You might also shape the ridges into patterns, which can be quite decorative.
You would use a range of thatching craft tools, including shearing hooks, needles, eave-knives and mallets. Some thatchers also grow and harvesting their own thatching materials.
What qualifications and experience will employers look for?
You do not need any specific qualifications for this job. You normally have to contact individual thatchers or thatching companies for details about possible trainee positions.
If you start as a trainee thatcher, you may be able to apply for the New Entrants Training Scheme run by Herefordshire College of Technology. See the training and development section for more details.
You may also need to relocate to an area where thatching skills are in demand.
The Thatching Information Service has details about regional contacts of organisations linked to this job. You can also find a list of thatching companies on the National Society of Master Thatchers website.
What further training and development can I do?
You could work towards on-the-job training leading to an NVQ qualification, such as Roofing Occupations (Thatching) at levels 2 and 3. The NVQ covers:
- preparing roofs
- preparing thatching materials
- thatching roofs
- thatching specialist features (dormer windows, gable ends and ridges)
- health and safety.
If you take up a place on the New Entrants Training Scheme, you would normally train over two years, and combine off-site training with work placements. Training takes place on the job and at Knuston Hall in Northamptonshire. Once you complete the course you would gain the NVQ above. For details about the scheme, contact Herefordshire College of Technology.
If you are an experienced thatcher, a trainee or simply have an interest in the craft, you can contact the National Society of Master Thatchers, about their membership scheme, which could help you develop your career and make contacts within the industry. The Society also runs training courses for members and offers advice on technical issues.
Traditional Building Skills Bursary Scheme
The Traditional Building Skills Bursary scheme aims to address skills shortages within the traditional crafts and built heritage sector, by offering bursaries and organising work-based training placements for eligible applicants.
To find out more about the scheme, eligibility and what placements are available, visit the Traditional Building Skills Bursary Scheme website.
Where can I go for more information?
Thatcher's RestLevens Green
Great Munden
Nr Ware
Hertfordshire
SG11 1HD
Tel: 01920 438710 Office of the Chief Executive Officer
13 Parkers Hill
Tetsworth
Thame
Oxfordshire
OX9 7AQ
Folly Lane
Hereford
HR1 1LS
Tel: 01432 365314
If you would like to discuss your career options with a learning adviser, call 0800 100 900 or use our online enquiry form
Alternatively, you can visit our website at: www.direct.gov.uk/careersadvice
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What salary and other benefits can I expect?
- Salaries start between £13,000 and £16,000 a year.
- Experienced thatchers earn between £17,000 and £22,000.
Figures are intended as a guideline only.
What are the hours and working conditions?
Your working hours depend on available work, but may include early starts, late finishes and weekends. You would work longer hours in the summer and shorter ones in the winter, although some thatchers work at night under floodlights.
You would be outdoors in most weather conditions, working from a ladder or scaffolding. The job can be very dusty, and reed seeds and spores from wheat straw can produce very difficult conditions for anyone with a chest condition.
You may have to travel across a wide area for jobs.
What skills and knowledge will I need?
- a good head for heights
- a willingness to work outdoors in all weathers
- strong practical skills
- good maths skills for estimating materials, pricing jobs and doing accounts
- good communication and negotiating skills
- a knowledge of building, safety and conservation regulations
- the ability to adapt your skills to work on complicated thatched structures and solve problems
- a good level of fitness
- a willingness to travel and work flexibly.
What opportunities are there?
Most of you opportunities are going to be as a self-employed thatcher, either working alone or with one partner or trainee.
Most thatched buildings are in rural areas of the country like East Anglia, the Midlands and the West Country. Small numbers of thatchers work in Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Conservation regulations often do not allow owners to replace thatch with other materials, so the number of thatched properties remains reasonably stable.
There is a lot of competition for thatching work. The Countryside Agency advises craftspeople who live outside a main thatching region to have another source of income, but one which also provides the flexibility to take on thatching work as it arises.
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