← Engineering and trades

ANZSCO 3341Skill level 3Engineering and trades

Plumber

Install and maintain water, sanitary, drainage, gas-fitting, roofing and mechanical services.

Registration: State plumber licence required

Salary

Cited figures from Job Outlook and QILT. ExamExplained does not publish predictive earnings or projections.

FigureAUDSource
Full-time weekly earnings$2000Job Outlook (2025-06-01)

How far does this stretch in each city?

What a plumber actually does

Plumbers move between residential, commercial and service work. New-build plumbers turn up to construction sites for rough-in, doing drainage, water supply, gas-fitting and roof drainage. Once the trades clean up, plumbers come back for fit-off, installing fixtures, sanitaryware, hot-water systems and gas appliances. Service plumbers run from a van doing leak repairs, blocked drains and hot-water replacements. Most days start around 7am and run to 3.30pm or 4pm. Once you are licensed, you can sign off your own work to AS/NZS 3500 and the National Construction Code. Like electricians, many plumbers move into running their own business after 5-10 years. There are several licence endorsements in plumbing including gas-fitting, drainage, roofing, mechanical services and water plumbing.

Typical tasks

  • Install pipework and fixtures to AS/NZS 3500 series standards.
  • Conduct compliance inspections and pressure tests.
  • Diagnose and repair leaks and blockages.

Skills you'll use

  • Pipe joining including copper soldering, PEX and PVC solvent welding
  • Installing fixtures and sanitaryware to AS/NZS 3500
  • Gas appliance installation and testing under AS/NZS 5601
  • Roof and stormwater drainage
  • Operating a CCTV drain camera and electric eel
  • Reading hydraulic services drawings
  • Quoting and basic customer service

How to become one

  1. 1Finish Year 10 or 12. A pre-apprenticeship Certificate II in Plumbing can help you secure a host employer
  2. 2Secure a host employer and sign an apprenticeship agreement through an apprenticeship network provider
  3. 3Complete a 4-year Certificate III in Plumbing (CPC32420) at TAFE alongside paid on-job training
  4. 4Add endorsement units for gas-fitting, drainage, roofing and any other speciality you want to license in
  5. 5Apply for your state plumbing licence (for example through the NSW Fair Trading licensing portal or the Victorian Building Authority). Most states require a separate gas-fitting endorsement
  6. 6Optional steps include working toward a Certificate IV in Plumbing and Services, becoming a registered builder, or specialising in hydraulic design

Where you can work

  • Residential and commercial new build sites
  • Service plumbing businesses running call-out vans
  • Mechanical services contractors
  • Water utilities such as Sydney Water and Yarra Valley Water
  • Mining and resources operations
  • Hospital, school and government facility maintenance teams
  • Hydraulic design consultancies

Career progression

Typical stages and salary bands. Salary figures are sourced from Job Outlook, QILT or industry bodies; brackets are 25th-75th percentile not absolute floors or ceilings.

  1. Apprentice
    0-4 years
    Typical roles: First-year apprentice, Fourth-year apprentice
    Salary band: $30,000 - $60,000 per year (source, sourced 2026-05-21)
  2. Licensed plumber
    4-8 years
    Typical roles: Domestic plumber, Commercial plumber, Service plumber
    Salary band: $85,000 - $115,000 per year (source, sourced 2026-05-21)
  3. Senior or sub-contractor
    8-15 years
    Typical roles: Leading hand, Service supervisor, Sub-contractor running their own crew
    Salary band: $110,000 - $160,000 per year (source, sourced 2026-05-21)
  4. Business owner or hydraulic designer
    15+ years
    Typical roles: Plumbing business owner, Hydraulic designer, Master plumber

Is this for you?

You might love this if

  • You enjoy physical work and do not mind getting dirty
  • You want a clear apprenticeship pathway to running your own business
  • You can deal calmly with messy callouts and unhappy customers
  • You are good with spatial reasoning and reading plans
  • You can handle confined spaces and working in trenches

This might not suit you if

  • You dislike physically demanding work
  • You have a back, knee or shoulder issue that limits heavy lifting
  • You do not want to work outside in heat, cold and rain

Three ways in

Uni, TAFE and trade routes for plumber. Not every career has all three; we only list pathways that actually lead to this occupation.

University

Bachelor degrees that lead to this career.

No direct undergraduate pathway. Consider postgraduate study after a related bachelor degree.

TAFE / VET

Nationally accredited Certificate and Diploma qualifications.

Apprenticeship trade

Earn while you learn through an Australian Apprenticeship.

Sources

ExamExplained does not publish predictive salary figures. For current Australian earnings data check Job Outlook directly. Career classifications follow the ABS ANZSCO 2022 release.