Career profile for Roofer Assistant

What does a Roofer Assistant do?

Roofer Assistants help roofers by performing duties requiring less skill.

In addition, Roofer Assistants duties include using, supplying, or holding materials or tools, and cleaning work area and equipment.

What kind of tasks does a Roofer Assistant perform regularly?

Roofer Assistants are often responsible for overseeing or executing some or all of the following tasks:

Check to ensure that completed roofs are watertight.
Sweep and clean roofs to prepare them for the application of new roofing materials.
Locate worn or torn areas in roofs.
Clean work areas and equipment.
Maintain tools and equipment.
Cover roofs with layers of roofing felt or asphalt strips before installing tile, slate, or composition materials.
Remove old roofing materials.
Unload materials and tools from work trucks, and unroll roofing as directed.
Set ladders, scaffolds, and hoists in place for taking supplies to roofs.
Place tiles, nail them to roof boards, and cover nailheads with roofing cement.
Provide assistance to skilled roofers installing and repairing roofs, flashings, and surfaces.
Attach roofing paper and composition shingles, using nails.
Perform emergency leak repairs and general maintenance for a variety of roof types.
Attach sheets of metal to roof boards or building frameworks when installing metal roofs.
Hoist tar and roofing materials to roofs, using ropes and pulleys, or carry materials up ladders.
Apply shingles, gravel, or asphalt over the top layer of tar to protect the roofing material.
Chop tar into small pieces, and heat chopped tar in kettles.
Clear drains and downspouts and clean gutters.

The above responsibilities are specific to Roofer Assistants. More generally, Roofer Assistants are involved in several broader types of activities:

Activities	Importance	Details
Getting Information		Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings		Monitoring and reviewing information from materials, events, or the environment, to detect or assess problems.
Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials		Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials to identify the cause of errors or other problems or defects.
Making Decisions and Solving Problems		Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events		Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.

Getting Information

Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.

Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings

Monitoring and reviewing information from materials, events, or the environment, to detect or assess problems.

Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials

Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials to identify the cause of errors or other problems or defects.

Making Decisions and Solving Problems

Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.

Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events

Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.

What is a Roofer Assistant salary?

The median salary for a Roofer Assistant is $33,260, and the average salary is $35,080. Both the median and average roughly describe the middle of the Roofer Assistant salary range, but the average is more easily affected by extremely high or low salaries.

Many Roofer Assistants earn significantly more or less than the average, due to several factors. About 10% of Roofer Assistants earn less than $24,610 per year, 25% earn less than $28,080, 75% earn less than $39,840, and 90% earn less than $49,650.

Between the years of 2020 and 2030, the number of Roofer Assistants is expected to change by 4.9%, and there should be roughly 1,000 open positions for Roofer Assistants every year.

Median annual salary: $33,260
Typical salary range: $24,610 - $49,650
Projected growth (2020 - 2030): 4.9%

What personality traits are common among Roofer Assistants?

Interests

Career interests describe a person's preferences for different types of working environments and activities. When a person's interest match the demands of an occupation, people are usually more engaged and satisfied in that role.

Compared to most occupations, those who work as a Roofer Assistant are usually higher in their Realistic and Conventional interests.

Roofer Assistants typically have very strong Realistic interests. Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.

Also, Roofer Assistants typically have moderate Conventional interests. Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.

Values

People differ in their values, or what is most important to them for building job satisfaction and fulfillment.

Compared to most people, those working as a Roofer Assistant tend to value Relationships, Support, and Working Conditions.

Most importantly, Roofer Assistants moderately value Relationships. Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to provide service to others and work with co-workers in a friendly non-competitive environment.

Second, Roofer Assistants moderately value Support. Occupations that satisfy this work value offer supportive management that stands behind employees.

Lastly, Roofer Assistants somewhat value Working Conditions. Occupations that satisfy this work value offer job security and good working conditions.

Psychological Demands

Each occupation brings its own set of psychological demands, which describe the characteristics necessary to perform the job well.

In order to perform their job successfully, people who work as Roofer Assistants must consistently demonstrate qualities such as attention to detail, dependability, and self-control.

Below, you'll find a list of qualities typically required of Roofer Assistants, ranked by importance:

Demands	Importance	Details
Attention to Detail		Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.
Dependability		Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.
Self-Control		Job requires maintaining composure, keeping emotions in check, controlling anger, and avoiding aggressive behavior, even in very difficult situations.
Adaptability/Flexibility		Job requires being open to change (positive or negative) and to considerable variety in the workplace.
Persistence		Job requires persistence in the face of obstacles.

Attention to Detail

Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.

Dependability

Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.

Self-Control

Job requires maintaining composure, keeping emotions in check, controlling anger, and avoiding aggressive behavior, even in very difficult situations.

Adaptability/Flexibility

Job requires being open to change (positive or negative) and to considerable variety in the workplace.

Persistence

Job requires persistence in the face of obstacles.

What education and training do Roofer Assistants need?

Working as a Roofer Assistant usually requires a high school diploma.

Roofer Assistants need anywhere from a few months to one year of working with experienced employees. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with this occupation.

Educational degrees among Roofer Assistants

34.3% did not complete high school or secondary school
38.8% completed high school or secondary school
16.6% completed some college coursework
4.1% earned a Associate's degree
5.0% earned a Bachelor's degree
1.0% earned a Master's degree
0.1% earned a doctorate or professional degree

Knowledge and expertise required by Roofer Assistants

Roofer Assistants may benefit from understanding of specialized subject areas, such as building and construction, administration and management, or customer and personal service knowledge.

The list below shows several areas in which most Roofer Assistants might want to build proficiency, ranked by importance.

Knowledge areas	Importance	Details
Building and Construction		Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
Administration and Management		Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
Customer and Personal Service		Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
Mathematics		Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
Public Safety and Security		Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.

Building and Construction

Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.

Administration and Management

Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.

Customer and Personal Service

Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.

Mathematics

Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.

Public Safety and Security

Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.

Important Abilities needed by Roofer Assistants

Roofer Assistants must develop a particular set of abilities to perform their job well. Abilities are individual capacities that influence a person's information processing, sensory perception, motor coordination, and physical strength or endurance. Individuals may naturally have certain abilities without explicit training, but most abilities can be sharpened somewhat through practice.

For example, Roofer Assistants need abilities such as trunk strength, manual dexterity, and gross body equilibrium in order to perform their job at a high level. The list below shows several important abilities for Roofer Assistants, ranked by their relative importance.

Abilities	Importance	Details
Trunk Strength		The ability to use your abdominal and lower back muscles to support part of the body repeatedly or continuously over time without "giving out" or fatiguing.
Manual Dexterity		The ability to quickly move your hand, your hand together with your arm, or your two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.
Gross Body Equilibrium		The ability to keep or regain your body balance or stay upright when in an unstable position.
Multilimb Coordination		The ability to coordinate two or more limbs (for example, two arms, two legs, or one leg and one arm) while sitting, standing, or lying down. It does not involve performing the activities while the whole body is in motion.
Problem Sensitivity		The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.

Trunk Strength

The ability to use your abdominal and lower back muscles to support part of the body repeatedly or continuously over time without "giving out" or fatiguing.

Manual Dexterity

The ability to quickly move your hand, your hand together with your arm, or your two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.

Gross Body Equilibrium

The ability to keep or regain your body balance or stay upright when in an unstable position.

Multilimb Coordination

The ability to coordinate two or more limbs (for example, two arms, two legs, or one leg and one arm) while sitting, standing, or lying down. It does not involve performing the activities while the whole body is in motion.

Problem Sensitivity

The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.

Critical Skills needed by Roofer Assistants

Skills are developed capacities that enable people to function effectively in real-world settings. Unlike abilities, skills are typically easier to build through practice and experience. Skills influence effectiveness in areas such as learning, working with others, design, troubleshooting, and more.

Roofer Assistants frequently use skills like coordination, active listening, and monitoring to perform their job effectively. The list below shows several critical skills for Roofer Assistants, ranked by their relative importance.

Skills	Importance	Details
Coordination		Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
Active Listening		Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Monitoring		Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Speaking		Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Critical Thinking		Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.

Coordination

Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.

Active Listening

Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.

Monitoring

Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.

Speaking

Talking to others to convey information effectively.

Critical Thinking

Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.

What is the source of this information?

The information provided on this page is adapted from data and descriptions published by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration under the CC BY 4.0 license. TraitLab has modified some information for ease of use and reading, and the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment, and Training Administration has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.

If you have any questions or suggestions about this information, please send a message.

Career profile Roofer Assistant

Roofer Assistant

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