Tiling Apprentice Hub
Wall and floor tilers lay ceramic, porcelain, stone, glass and mosaic tiles on walls and floors, inside and out. The tiles are the bit everyone sees, but most of the trade is what happens underneath: getting the substrate right, screeding falls, waterproofing wet areas and setting out the job so the cuts land where they should. Do the prep wrong and the best tiles in the world will fail.
You earn the trade through an apprenticeship, working full time for a tiling contractor while you knock over the Certificate III in Wall and Floor Tiling (CPC31320) at TAFE or another registered training organisation. It usually takes three to four years. Tilers are officially in shortage in every state and territory, so if you can handle the knees, the dust and the fussy detail work, there is plenty of work about.
Thinking about it?
Thinking about getting into Tiling?
How to get in with no experience
You become a wall and floor tiler by doing an apprenticeship: full time paid work with a tiling contractor plus the Certificate III in Wall and Floor Tiling (CPC31320) through TAFE or another registered training organisation, over roughly three to four years. Before you start you need a white card, and it helps to do a pre-apprenticeship (like a Certificate II construction pathway course with a tiling focus) or some labouring to prove yourself. You can be employed directly by a tiling business or through a Group Training Organisation that hires you and hosts you out, and school students can start through a school-based apprenticeship. No Year 12 required, and there is no upper age limit: adult apprentices start on higher award minimums.
Who it suits
Tiling suits people who are fussy in a good way. The whole trade is visible: every joint, cut and line is on show forever, so you need patience, a straight eye and pride in neat work. You need solid practical maths for set-outs, falls and wastage, a body that can handle kneeling and lifting day after day, and the discipline to do boring prep properly because that is what separates real tilers from cowboys. It rewards self starters too: a big share of tilers end up subcontracting or running their own show, so if working for yourself one day appeals, this trade has a clear path to it. If you want to sit down at work or you rush everything, look elsewhere.
What you can earn
For qualified tilers, be a bit careful with the big salary numbers you see on job sites. The Australian Government's occupation data at Jobs and Skills Australia currently lists median weekly earnings for wall and floor tilers as not available, because so many tilers are self employed or on piece rates that the survey sample is not reliable, so check the live Your Career profile for whatever figures are published when you read this. In practice, what a tiler takes home depends heavily on whether they are on wages, on an EBA commercial job, or subcontracting on price, where fast clean work directly equals more money. Apprentice pay is a separate system set by the award, your year of training and your age, with adult apprentices on higher minimums: use the Fair Work Pay Calculator at https://calculate.fairwork.gov.au/ for your exact rate.
Job outlook
Demand is strong and officially recognised. Wall and Floor Tiler (ANZSCO 333411) is rated in shortage nationally and in every state and territory on the Jobs and Skills Australia Occupation Shortage List, and has held that rating every year from 2021 to 2025. Around 21,700 people work in the occupation, employment is concentrated where the building is (roughly a third in NSW and nearly another third in Queensland), and government projections have the workforce growing. Housing construction targets and a wave of older tilers retiring mean apprentices who finish their ticket are walking into a seller's market for their skills.
Earnings and outlook are a guide only and change over time. Sources: Your Career: Wall and Floor Tiler occupation profile (opens in a new tab), Jobs and Skills Australia: Wall and Floor Tilers profile (opens in a new tab), Jobs and Skills Australia: Occupation Shortage List (opens in a new tab), training.gov.au: CPC31320 Certificate III in Wall and Floor Tiling (opens in a new tab), Fair Work Pay Calculator (opens in a new tab)
Start with these
What apprentices actually do
- •Read plans, measure rooms and set out tile layouts so cuts are balanced and lines run true
- •Prepare substrates: grind, level, prime and screed floors, and fix wet area sheeting where needed
- •Apply waterproofing membranes to bathrooms, balconies and other wet areas before tiling
- •Cut and lay ceramic, porcelain, stone, glass and mosaic tiles on floors, walls, stairs, pools and facades
- •Grout, silicone and finish joints, and clean off so the job presents well
- •Repair and replace damaged tiles, and strip out old work on renovations
- •Lay decorative work like mosaics, feature walls, terrazzo and curved surfaces as skills build
Same trade, different worlds
Same trade, very different day depending on the kind of work your employer does.
Residential bathrooms and renovations
The bread and butter for a lot of tilers: bathrooms, ensuites, laundries, kitchens and splashbacks in new homes and renos. Small crews, tight spaces and clients who will inspect every grout line.
- •Wet area work rules your life: waterproofing membranes, falls to the drain and niches all have to be spot on
- •You often work alongside plumbers, waterproofers and chippies in a tight sequence, so timing matters
- •Renos mean demo work: ripping up old tiles, grinding adhesive and dealing with dodgy old substrates
- •Quality is everything because the client is standing right there, and word of mouth wins the next job
- •Lots of driving between smaller jobs rather than months on one site
Commercial fit-outs and new builds
Shopping centres, apartment towers, hospitals, schools and office fit-outs. Bigger formats, bigger volumes and stricter programs, often under an enterprise agreement on the larger sites.
- •Large format porcelain and big open floors, so screeds, levels and set-out become the main game
- •You work to a program with other trades stacked behind you, and the deadlines are real
- •Site inductions, SWMS paperwork and stricter safety rules than most house sites
- •Bigger crews mean you can learn fast from several tradies, not just one boss
- •EBA sites generally pay above award rates, with site allowances on some jobs
External, pool and specialist work
Balconies, facades, alfresco areas, pools and spas. The hardest tiling to get right because water, sun and movement punish any shortcut.
- •Pools and spas are their own craft: glass mosaics, curved surfaces and waterproofing that cannot fail
- •External work means dealing with weather, expansion joints and falls so water drains away
- •Balcony leaks are one of the most common building defects, so this work carries real responsibility
- •Stone and terrazzo work crosses over here for tilers who like the decorative end
- •Physically the toughest setting: sun, wind and a lot of material handling
A day in the life (first year)
- ▹Start around 6.30 to 7 on site, unload the ute or van and set up the wet saw, mixing station and leads
- ▹Check yesterday's work, then help the tradie set out the day's area: measure, snap chalk lines and work out where the cuts fall
- ▹Mix screed or adhesive to the right consistency, keep the tradie fed with mud and tiles, and start laying your own sections as you get trusted
- ▹Cut tiles all day on the wet saw and with hand tools: straight cuts, holes for tapware and mitred edges, with water or dust extraction running for silica control
- ▹Grout areas laid the day before, clean off the haze, then wash tools and buckets properly because dried adhesive wrecks gear
- ▹Sweep up, load the vehicle, talk through tomorrow's plan and knock off mid afternoon
First-year expectations
- →Expect to be the labourer for a while: carrying boxes of tiles, mixing mud, cutting, cleaning tools and sweeping. It is how every tiler started
- →Your knees, back and hands will complain until your body adapts. Knee pads are not optional
- →You will mostly grout, cut and do simple walls before anyone lets you loose on a floor that matters, because mistakes in tiling are expensive and very visible
- →The maths is real: areas, percentages for wastage, falls and set-outs. If your measuring is sloppy you will get found out fast
- →Winter mornings mixing screed and washing buckets in cold water are as glamorous as it sounds
- →Ask questions and watch the set-out closely. The tradies who explain why they start a wall in a particular spot are teaching you the actual trade
Tools you'll need
Common terms
- Substrate
- The surface you tile onto: concrete slab, screed, cement sheet or rendered wall. If the substrate is wrong, the tiles will fail no matter how well they are laid.
- Screed
- A sand and cement layer laid over the slab to level a floor or create falls to a drain before tiling.
- Fall
- The deliberate slope built into a floor so water runs to the waste. Wet areas must have correct falls or water pools.
- Membrane
- The waterproofing layer applied under tiles in wet areas. It is what actually keeps water out of the building, not the tiles or grout.
- Set-out
- Planning where tiles start and finish so cuts are balanced, lines run straight and features sit centred. The most important skill in the trade.
- Lippage
- When the edge of one tile sits higher than its neighbour. A small amount is allowed under the standards, but bad lippage screams poor workmanship.
- Back-buttering
- Spreading adhesive on the back of the tile as well as the wall or floor to get full coverage, especially on large format tiles.
- Grout
- The material filling the joints between tiles. Comes in cement and epoxy types, and cleaning it off at the right time is an art.
- Large format
- Big tiles, generally 600mm and up. Popular but harder to lay flat, and they need very flat substrates and good coverage.
- Mitre
- Cutting the edges of two tiles at 45 degrees so they meet neatly on an external corner instead of using plastic trim.
TAFE & study support
The off-the-job side is the Certificate III in Wall and Floor Tiling (CPC31320), delivered at TAFE or a private registered training organisation while you work. Depending on the provider you might attend in blocks of a week or so at a time, one day a week, or have an assessor come to your sites, and TAFE Queensland even runs mobile training vans. The qualification is 20 units, 17 core and 3 electives, covering everything from reading plans and levelling through to waterproofing, mosaics and tiling curved surfaces. You will need a white card (general construction induction) before you set foot on site.
Licensing & qualifications
The trade qualification is the Certificate III in Wall and Floor Tiling (CPC31320), which is current on training.gov.au and is the same certificate nationwide. Licensing is a different thing and is state based: in Queensland you need a QBCC wall and floor tiling licence to contract for tiling work, and that licence class includes waterproofing for tiling, while in NSW you need a contractor licence for residential work over 5,000 dollars and waterproofing has its own separate licence and qualification. Victoria has no tiler licence as such, but domestic building work over 10,000 dollars needs a registered building practitioner. Always check your own state regulator before you start contracting, because waterproofing rules especially catch people out.
What you'll get paid
There is no single apprentice tiler wage. Your pay is set by the award that covers your job (usually the Building and Construction General On-site Award), your year of apprenticeship and your age, with adult apprentices (21 and over when they start) on higher minimums, and enterprise agreements on bigger commercial jobs generally paying above the award. Put your own details into the Fair Work Pay Calculator at https://calculate.fairwork.gov.au/ to get the current rate for your situation.
Common questions
How long does a tiling apprenticeship take?
Nominally three to four years depending on your state and contract. Progression can be competency based, so if you pick the trade up quickly and your employer signs off, you can finish and get to trade rates sooner.
Do I need to finish Year 12?
No. Most employers and TAFEs look for Year 10 level reading and maths. What matters more is turning up on time, being able to measure accurately and showing you actually want to be there.
Is tiling hard on the body?
Honestly, yes. You spend a lot of time on your knees and you are lifting tiles, screed and adhesive bags all day. Good knee pads, lifting properly and using trolleys and suction lifters for large format tiles make the difference between a long career and a wrecked back.
Can I do it as a school-based apprenticeship?
Yes, most states let you start a school-based apprenticeship in tiling while you finish school, working part time and doing your training alongside your studies. Talk to your school's VET coordinator and an Australian Apprenticeship Support provider about what is on offer locally.
What is the difference between working for a GTO and a tiling company?
With direct employment the tiling contractor employs you for the whole apprenticeship. With a Group Training Organisation, the GTO is your legal employer, pays your wages and looks after your training, and hosts you out to tiling businesses. GTOs suit people who want backup if a host business goes quiet, direct suits people who have found a good boss they want to stay with.
Do tilers do the waterproofing too?
Depends on the state. The Certificate III includes a unit on applying waterproofing for tiling, and in Queensland the QBCC tiling licence covers waterproofing for tiling work. In NSW waterproofing is a separately licensed trade with its own certificate, so many tilers there either get the extra qualification or work with a licensed waterproofer.
Is there actually work around?
Yes. Wall and floor tilers are rated in shortage nationally and in every single state and territory on the government's Occupation Shortage List, and have been every year since 2021. Good tilers rarely sit around waiting for the phone to ring.
Safety reminders
- ⚠Silica dust is the big one. Cutting and grinding tiles, screed and adhesive releases respirable crystalline silica, which causes silicosis and lung cancer. Since September 2024 tougher national rules apply to processing any material with 1 per cent or more crystalline silica, which covers most tiles. Wet cutting, on-tool dust extraction and a properly fitted respirator are not negotiable
- ⚠Knees and back: constant kneeling and lifting cause the injuries that end tiling careers. Use knee pads, rotate tasks, lift with your legs and use mechanical aids for large format tiles
- ⚠Cement and adhesive burns: wet cement products are alkaline and chew through skin. Gloves and washing up properly are basic self care, and epoxy grouts can cause skin sensitisation
- ⚠Wet saws and grinders: water, power leads and spinning blades in the same spot. Check guards, use RCD protection and keep leads out of the slop
- ⚠Slips, trips and cuts: freshly screeded floors, tile offcuts and broken edges are razor sharp. Keep your area clean and wear proper boots
- ⚠Sun and heat on external and pool jobs: long sleeves, sunscreen and water breaks, because tilers on a slab cop the UV from above and reflected off the surface
Sources and official links
Straight from the source. These open in a new tab.
- training.gov.au: CPC31320 Certificate III in Wall and Floor Tiling (opens in a new tab)
- Your Career: Wall and Floor Tiler occupation profile (opens in a new tab)
- Jobs and Skills Australia: Wall and Floor Tilers profile (opens in a new tab)
- Jobs and Skills Australia: Occupation Shortage List (opens in a new tab)
- QBCC: Wall and floor tiling licence (opens in a new tab)
- NSW Government: Waterproofing work licences (opens in a new tab)
- Fair Work Ombudsman: Apprentice and trainee pay rates (opens in a new tab)
- Safe Work Australia: Crystalline silica and silicosis (opens in a new tab)
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