Ask what a first-year apprentice earns before you switch to a trade

You may have read that the trades are short of workers, that the pay is high, and that you start with no student debt. Some of that is true. An apprenticeship is a paid job, and the US Department of Labor says apprentices’ pay rises as they learn. But high pay figures can be what fully trained workers earn, and an apprentice earns less while learning.

Before you switch to a trade, find out what a first-year apprentice is paid where you live, because the high pay figures you hear can be what fully trained workers earn.

If you could not live on a lower wage for years, or you already have a bad back, bad knees or joints, the part called “Who this is not for” is yours to read first.

What an apprentice is paid

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics says apprentices receive less pay than fully trained electricians, but their pay increases as they learn to do more. It says most electricians learn in a 4- or 5-year apprenticeship, and that unions and contractor associations sponsor the programs. Its median wage for all electricians was $30.38 an hour in May 2025. That is the middle figure for every electrician, so half earn less, and it is not a first-year rate.

The Department of Labor’s apprenticeship site describes a Registered Apprenticeship as a paid job with a mentor, classroom instruction, wage increases as you gain skills, and a credential that is portable and nationally recognized. It says you apply directly to the employer or the program sponsor, and it has a search tool called the Apprenticeship Finder.

In England, GOV.UK says an apprentice is an employee who earns a wage, gets holiday pay, and gets time to train, at least 20 percent of normal working hours. When this page was checked in October 2026, the apprentice minimum wage was £8 an hour for anyone under 19 and for anyone 19 or over in their first year. After the first year, if you are 19 or over, you are entitled to the minimum wage for your age. That is a legal floor and not what any trade pays; your contract should state your rate.

Some people say apprentice pay often starts at about half of a fully trained worker’s pay and rises steadily, and that an apprenticeship is best seen as paid training and not a full wage, though it can be a way to earn without student debt. If the full rate in your area is 40 dollars an hour, half of it is 20 dollars an hour. That is an example of the arithmetic, not a pay figure for any trade.

Some people who answered someone praising trade pay said the figures were above typical starting pay, and that what new workers are paid is lower and depends on the region and the employer. Some people pointed out that a pipefitter figure quoted as a starting wage was probably the fully trained rate, and that apprentices start much lower and wait years to reach it. Some people add that pay differs a lot by place, and that a high wage in an expensive area can be cancelled out by what housing costs.

The first years can cost money as well: one person says they cost money for books and tools. The trade school question is in the questions below.

Getting a place

One person says the shortage is of master electricians willing to teach, not of people who want to learn, so competition for apprentice places is fierce. One person describes sending résumés to plumbing companies and getting only one reply. People disagree about whether local union programs are taking more apprentices: one person says there is demand, and another says local unions are not accepting more. What decides it, they say, is the policy of the local union.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics says unions and contractor associations sponsor apprenticeship programs. Some people say one way into a union program is to work for a non-union contractor first and then apply through a union organizer, and one person says a local service company can recommend you to a union program. Some people warn that union entry can depend on connections rather than merit. In the US, the apprenticeship site says an American Job Center near you can help, and CareerOneStop can find the nearest one. In England, GOV.UK’s Find an apprenticeship service lets you search and apply; Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have their own routes. One person suggests that someone with no construction experience take a 10-hour safety course approved by the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and some math classes before applying.

Work that stops and starts

Some people say the trades are not recession-proof. They point to the 2008 downturn, and some say apprentices can be laid off during a downturn. One person says construction slows in winter, and another that new home building is hit first when the economy turns. Some people say the picture depends on the trade and the employer. They say factory work, commercial heating and cooling, and federal contract work give more regular hours than new home building. One person says commercial heating and cooling keeps going when the economy slows, because people still need it. Whether trade work is steadier than office work is an open argument, below.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects electrician employment to grow 9 percent from 2025 to 2035, much faster than average, with about 72,700 openings a year, including openings left by people who retire or change jobs. That is a national projection, not a forecast for your area.

What the work does to the body

The box at the top has what the official safety agencies say. People who describe the work add this. Some people say it is hard on the spine, knees and hands, and that you should plan how you will move out of heavy field work, for example into supervision, your own business or a less physical job that uses your trade knowledge, before your 40s or 50s. One person says knee problems are extremely common among the tradespeople doctors see. Another says rehabilitation departments see many injuries from trade workers.

Some people say lifting well, protecting your knees and using the right equipment can reduce the damage. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health publishes guidance on tools and equipment that may reduce the risk of injury in construction. One person warns that injured workers can face pressure to keep working because they cannot afford time to recover, or because insurance covers them poorly. In a 2020 bulletin, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health says opioids are often prescribed for pain after work injuries. It points to a Massachusetts study of deaths in 2011 to 2015, in which construction and extraction workers died of opioid-related causes at six times the average rate for all workers in the state. If pain medicine worries you, SAMHSA’s free helpline is 1-800-662-4357, open 24 hours; in the UK, FRANK is on 0300 123 6600. In the US, if you work for a private company, a job injury claim goes to your state’s workers’ compensation office, and the Department of Labor keeps a list of them. In Great Britain, GOV.UK explains Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit for illness or injury caused by work, and the Acas helpline gives free advice on your rights. One person says safety rules were written after people were hurt or killed, and that complacency around heavy equipment and crane paths leads to fatal accidents.

The questions below name trades that people say are easier on the body.

Who this is not for

If you earn much more now than an apprentice does, the switch means a pay cut while you learn, and not everyone can afford that. Some people raised this exact objection to someone praising trade pay. That person answered that the wage has to be read against your local cost of living, and others said the schedule of raises matters too. Put the first-year pay beside your bills before you decide.

If steady income is what you need soonest, one person says new building work is prone to layoffs and that anyone who puts job security first should stay out of it.

If you already have trouble with your knees, back, joints, stamina or how your body handles heat or cold, some people say the work can be unmanageable or make those problems worse. One person says pre-existing arthritis makes the work a poor fit. That is not a medical ruling for you: ask your own doctor what the work would involve. In the US, the Job Accommodation Network explains how disability law applies to changes at work. In Great Britain, the Acas helpline gives free advice on employment law, though the call itself may cost you.

If you want an office-style schedule, one person describes apprentice work as running until the job is done, often in bad weather, with trips to remote sites for months, while another says electricians generally do not travel far for long stretches.

Some people who describe the work say women can face real barriers to being hired and to being treated fairly, depending on the crew. Other people say some crews are accepting, with strong peer support, and that supervisors and no-tolerance policies deal with harassment. This page cannot say which crew you would join. In the US, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission takes complaints about sex discrimination and harassment at work; in Great Britain, the Acas helpline gives free advice.

People disagree about leaving college for a trade. One person says to leave at once, and another says to finish if you are close, because a degree can be combined with trade skills. This page does not decide that for you. The one thing it asks is that you not leave a course or a job on a pay figure you have not checked.