Scaffolder
What the work is
Erects and dismantles scaffolding to provide work platforms on building and industrial sites, and for temporary structures such as staging and seating.
Would you enjoy the work?
These are the main tasks in the official description. Mark how each one sounds to you.
- Fits and bolts tubes, support braces and components to form bases and build up scaffolding
- Lifts and positions sections of scaffolding
- Erects guard rails, guy wires, ropes and clamps, lays planks, and hangs safety nets
- Dismantles and removes scaffolding from building sites
Try it
A simulation and a case study from this kind of work, set in a city construction site where a mid-rise building is going up, with scaffold, reinforcing steel and a crane. They are fictional.
The kind of days you could have
Good days
- Looking up at a scaffold or steel frame you helped build and knowing it is solid
- A big pour day when every bar is in the right place and the inspector signs off
- Working at height with a crew you trust completely, with the whole city below
Hard days
- Wind and rain at height when the job must still be done safely
- Heavy steel to carry and fix, day after day, in the heat or cold
- A builder pressing you to hurry when a check is still not finished
Written by Career Calling as a general guide. Real roles vary by employer and place.
Work a mission
Step into a simulated workplace in this field, with a brief from your manager.
Description and tasks: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Occupation Standard Classification for Australia, 2024, Version 1.0 (opens another site), occupation 821731, used under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. The skill guide above is our plain English summary.