Skip to content

On-site

Stonemason Green Job

Stonemasons carve and shape stone blocks, and lay and fit stonework on construction, conservation and restoration projects.

Annual Salary

£24,000 to £40,000

Average UK salary in 2024 was £37,430
(source Office for National Statistics)

Working hours

37 to 42 a week

You could work: between 8am and 6pm;

2.4%
Future employment

There will be 2.4% fewer Stonemason jobs in 2029.

Day to day tasks

As a stonemason, you could:

  • saw, carve, dress and polish stone blocks in a workshop, using hand and power tools
  • build walls and lay paved flooring and paths following design plans
  • repair damaged stonework on modern and historic buildings and monuments
  • carve or repair architectural features, statues and memorial headstones
  • make and fit stonework like window frames, archways and ornamental garden pieces

In this job, you'll work with materials like sandstone, limestone, slate, marble and granite.

Working environment

You may need to wear safety clothing and use safety equipment.

You could work on a construction site, in a workshop or at a client's home.

Your working environment may be at height, dusty, noisy and physically demanding.

You can get into this job through:

  • a college course
  • an apprenticeship
  • working towards this role
College

You could take a college course, which would teach you some of the skills needed to get a trainee job with a building company.

Courses include:

  • construction skills
  • craft masonry
  • stonemasonry

Apprenticeship

You could apply to do a Stonemason Level 2 Intermediate Apprenticeship.

This apprenticeship has pathways for different types of stonemasonry work, for example:

  • interior stone fixing, often used for floors, wet rooms and kitchens
  • memorial stonemasonry
  • exterior stone fixing on buildings and structures
  • heritage stonemasonry for conserving historic monuments

This apprenticeship takes about 24 months to complete and is a mix of workplace learning and off-site study.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • some GCSEs, usually including English and maths, or equivalent, for an intermediate apprenticeship
For more information
  • equivalent entry requirements|https://www.gov.uk/what-different-qualification-levels-mean/list-of-qualification-levels
  • guide to apprenticeships|https://www.gov.uk/apprenticeships-guide
Work

You could start as a construction labourer or bricklayer and take further training with your employer to get a qualification in stonemasonry.

More information

Career tips

You may be able to find short training courses in heritage skills by contacting organisations like The Historic England Foundation.

Further information

You'll find more information about careers in stonemasonry from Go Construct and the Stone Federation.

You can also get details about stonemasonry carving skills from the Crafts Council.

Showing jobs in:
View all vacancies in this region

With experience, you could become a site supervisor or specialise in heritage conservation.

You could also move into related areas like:estimating; construction management; training apprentices in further education

In time, you might set up your own stonemasonry business.

You'll find more on careers in stonemasonry from Go Construct and the Stone Federation.

How does this job help to address the impacts of climate change and protect wildlife and nature in the West of England?

Stonemasons are needed to work on sustainable and low carbon building and construction projects in the West of England.

Examples of post-16 courses you could study at local schools or colleges

  • Level 1 Construction Skills at SGS College

Click here to find a local provider

Apprenticeships you may be able to take with local employers

  • Level 2 Stonemason

Click here to search for a local apprenticeship

For more information on the different routes you can take to get into working as a stonemason, take a look at the 'Routes into this job' section above. 

Click here for an explanation of the different course and apprenticeship levels.

Local employers 

  • Local building contractors
  • Conservation projects

For more local employment opportunities see the 'Live job vacancies by region' section above.

Skills required and how your skills match up

What skills are required?

You'll need:

  • knowledge of building and construction
  • the ability to work well with your hands
  • to be thorough and pay attention to detail
  • the ability to use your initiative
  • knowledge of maths
  • design skills and knowledge
  • the ability to work well with others
  • the ability to use, repair and maintain machines and tools
  • to be able to carry out basic tasks on a computer or hand-held device
My top 5 skills
Please sign in to compare your skills to this job. Sign in

To save or view your choices and results you must sign in or register (takes 1 minute).

Sign in Register