Career Overview
Help painters, paperhangers, plasterers, or stucco masons by performing duties requiring less skill. Duties include using, supplying, or holding materials or tools, and cleaning work area and equipment.
Also Known As
- Painter Helper
- Plaster Helper
- Plaster Tender
Alternate Job Titles
- Billboard Poster Helper
- Bridge Painter Helper
- Dry Plasterer Helper
- Exterior Work Helper
- Highway Painter Helper
- House Painter Helper
- Hydroblaster
- Mason's Tender
- Ornamental Plasterer Helper
- Painter Assistant
- Painter Helper
- Paperhanger Assistant
- Plaster Helper
- Plaster Tender
- Plasterer Tender
What You'll Do
In this role, your typical responsibilities include:
- Clean work areas and equipment.
- Perform support duties to assist painters, paperhangers, plasterers, or masons.
- Apply protective coverings, such as masking tape, to articles or areas that could be damaged or stained by work processes.
- Erect scaffolding.
- Fill cracks or breaks in surfaces of plaster articles or areas with putty or epoxy compounds.
- Supply or hold tools and materials.
Key Abilities
This career requires key abilities in:
- Arm-Hand Steadiness
- Gross Body Equilibrium
- Extent Flexibility
- Trunk Strength
- Static Strength
- Manual Dexterity
- Gross Body Coordination
- Multilimb Coordination
- Oral Comprehension
- Oral Expression
Work Style
People who excel in this career typically demonstrate:
- Dependability
- Cooperation
- Attention to Detail
- Cautiousness
- Humility
What Matters in This Career
This career tends to satisfy these work values:
- Relationships
- Support
- Working Conditions
- Independence
- Achievement
Education & Preparation
Typical Education: Less than a High School Diploma
On-the-Job Training: Over 6 months, up to and including 1 year
Education Details: Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
Experience Required: Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience. For example, landscaping and groundskeeping workers might require very little training or previous experience, while agricultural equipment operators can benefit from on-the job training.
Technology You'll Use
Popular Technologies & Software
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Office software
Tools & Equipment
- Adjustable wrenches
- Airless paint guns
- Application spatulas
- Bosun chairs
- Caulking guns
- Chalk lines
- Claw hammers
- Darbies
- Drywall stilts
- Floats
- Hand shears
- Heat guns
- Humidity indicators
- Ladders
- Locking pliers
Work Environment
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams
- Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team
- Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls
- Spend Time Standing
- Contact With Others
Salary & Job Market
| Salary Percentile | Annual Wage |
|---|---|
| Entry-Level (10th percentile) | $31,360 |
| Median | $38,140 |
| Top Earners (90th percentile) | $51,720 |
Workers Employed Nationally: 7,220
Related Careers
If you're interested in this career, you might also consider:
Helpers--Brickmasons, Blockmasons, Stonemasons, and Tile and Marble Setters
Education: High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)
Median Salary: $46,480
Helpers--Carpenters
Education: High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)
Median Salary: $41,600
Helpers--Pipelayers, Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters
Education: High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)
Median Salary: $39,270
Plasterers and Stucco Masons
Education: Less than a High School Diploma
Median Salary: $56,020
Helpers--Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Workers
Education: High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)
Median Salary: $38,860
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Occupational data sourced from the O*NET OnLine database, developed by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration. Wage data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), 2024.