A chimney sweep apprentice is the technician's second pair of hands: covering the hearth area, running the soot vacuum, holding the ladder, and carrying out soot, nest debris and liner kits. Over the next year or two they learn to sweep and inspect, get signed off for roof work, and prepare for CSIA's Certified Chimney Sweep exam.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Median pay, building services companies · BLS, May 2025
As an Apprentice / Helper, you are integral to our team's delivery of top-notch chimney and fireplace services. Your primary role is to assist skilled technicians in providing efficient, high-quality service, ensuring customer satisfaction and contributing to the overall success of our company.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Assist technicians with site preparation and cleanup.
Handle debris removal from job sites.
Perform basic tasks under the guidance of skilled technicians.
Ensure tools and equipment are properly maintained and stored.
Adhere to safety protocols and company policies at all times.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Prepare work sites for service delivery.
Assist in the removal and disposal of debris.
Support technicians in carrying out services.
Clean and maintain tools and equipment.
Interact with customers in a professional and courteous manner.
4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Efficiency of Site Preparation: 90% ready within specified timeframe.
Debris Removal: 100% removal post job completion.
Task Completion Rate: >95% of assigned tasks completed daily.
Compliance with Safety Protocols: >99% adherence to all safety rules.
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
High school diploma or equivalent.
Ability to follow instructions and work in a team.
Good physical condition and endurance.
Basic understanding of safety precautions in the workplace.
Strong communication and interpersonal skills.
6. Preferred Experience
Prior experience in the home services or construction industry.
Experience in a supporting role or as an apprentice.
7. Physical Requirements
Ability to lift and carry objects up to 50 lbs.
Comfortable working in various weather conditions.
Capable of performing physical tasks such as climbing ladders and handling tools.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Typical work hours are from 8 AM - 5 PM, Monday to Friday.
Occasional weekend work may be required.
Some travel to various job sites may be necessary.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Hourly wage range of $15 - $20, depending on experience.
Health, Dental, and Vision benefits.
401k retirement plan.
10. Company Culture and Overview
At [INSERT COMPANY NAME HERE], we foster an inclusive and growth-oriented culture. We believe in nurturing talent, encouraging continuous learning, and providing opportunities for career progression. We are committed to delivering exceptional service and maintaining a high level of customer satisfaction.
11. How to Apply
If you meet the above criteria and want to be part of a growth-oriented company focused on customer satisfaction, please send your resume to [INSERT EMAIL HERE] or apply online at [INSERT WEBSITE LINK HERE].
Need help filling this role? HireBus posts the ad, Iris interviews every applicant by phone before you do, and you decide who to hire. Start hiring now
A new helper starts in the living room and on the ground, and earns the roof and a credential later. The order matters as much as the skills.
The first season is ground work
Early on, a helper's work stays inside the house and at the foot of the ladder. Inside, they protect the room and have the vacuum pulling before the technician starts. Outside, they steady the ladder, hand up rods and brushes, and feed liner up from the ground on reline days. Repair days add mixing mortar and carrying firebrick. Every job ends with soot and old nest debris bagged and out of the house, with nothing dropped on the carpet.
The roof comes after training
Make it company policy that a helper stays off the roof until they finish your fall protection training and a technician signs them off. The first climbs come with that technician on the roof, setting the anchor and checking the tie-off. Write the sign-off date in the helper's file, so a short-handed fall morning never sends an untrained person onto a roof.
Under 18 means no work on or about a roof
Federal Hazardous Occupations Order 16 bars 16- and 17-year-olds from all work on or about a roof. The rule defines that as work upon or in close proximity to a roof, metal work, maintenance and repair included. A top-down sweep, setting a cap or chase cover, and resealing flashing all happen on the roof, so they fall under it. The exemptions are narrow: registered apprentices and student-learners, under conditions set out in a separate section. Source: 29 CFR 570.67: Roofing operations and work on or about a roof, Order 16 (eCFR).
The trade has a registered apprenticeship
Chimney sweeping can be a registered apprenticeship. The National Chimney Sweep Guild's program runs two years and pairs 4,000 hours of on-the-job training with 288 hours of classroom instruction. DOL's apprenticeship office has approved the guild's standards, which the guild says makes registering a program in your state much easier. Registration also gives the helper a written plan, and it is one of the conditions for the under-18 roof exemption. Source: National Chimney Sweep Guild: Apprenticeship program.
A CSIA academy seat after the first season
CSIA's six-day National Training Academy in Plainfield, Indiana, is pitched at people brand new to the trade as well as seasoned pros, and the Certified Chimney Sweep exam comes on the last day. That suits a helper with a season of ground work behind them. CSIA lists the academy among its classes approved for G.I. Bill benefits, along with its dryer technician workshop, so veterans on the crew should check their eligibility with the VA. Source: CSIA: Military benefits for CSIA classes.
How much chimney sweep apprentices make
The closest BLS group for chimney sweep apprentices is building cleaning workers. Building cleaning workers who work for building and home services companies earned a median of $21.37 an hour ($44,450 a year) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s about the same as the $44,040 median for building cleaning workers in all industries. About 12,080 of the 17,210 building cleaning workers in that survey work for building services companies.
BLS publishes no code for chimney sweeps or their helpers, so this page uses the same building cleaning code as the chimney technician page. That count includes experienced workers, so a new helper's hourly rate tends to start lower. Set raises for milestones such as roof sign-off and passing the CSIA exam.
Building services companies
$44,450$44,450 median Middle half $37,440–$53,310 10th–90th $33,540–$72,340
All industries
$44,040$44,040 median Middle half $37,440–$50,410 10th–90th $32,370–$64,030
$20k$30k$40k$50k$60k$70k$80k
10th–90th percentileMiddle halfMedianAnnual pay, May 2025. Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
Annual pay by percentile
Group
10th
25th
Median
75th
90th
Building services companies
$33,540
$37,440
$44,450
$53,310
$72,340
All industries
$32,370
$37,440
$44,040
$50,410
$64,030
BLS doesn’t publish pay for chimney sweeps on their own. These figures cover services to buildings and dwellings, which include them. Post a real range for your market in the ad.
The pay line in the template above is an example from our Role Blueprint. Set yours from these figures and what local companies pay.
Skills to hire for, and what you can teach
Hire for these
Works full weeks through the fall, when most sweeps get booked
Does the step the technician asked for, and checks back before trying a new one
Works in a finished living room without leaving soot on carpet or furniture
Ready to climb ladders now and work on roofs once signed off
Answers a homeowner politely and passes technical questions to the technician
Teach these on the job
Covering the hearth area and sealing off the firebox before a sweep
Putting rods together and running rotary whips under a technician's eye
Feeding the camera up the flue and calling out what it shows
Your fall protection gear, tie-off and roof sign-off steps
Filling in a Level 1 report for the technician to check
Soot safety: protective gear, the assigned respirator and washing up
From day one, a helper handles the bulky gear: the soot vacuum and its hoses, rod bundles, ladder sections and debris bags. The company issues coveralls, gloves and the respirator its program assigns, and a harness after roof sign-off. Say in the ad which items are issued and whether helpers drive a company truck.
Chimney sweep apprentice interview questions
Two of the 6 questions we'd ask, and what a strong answer sounds like. Ask every candidate the same questions, and rate each answer on your own before you compare notes.
Situational · Containing a soot spill
You're carrying a full soot bag through a customer's living room, and it tears, spilling onto a light carpet. What do you do?
A strong answer: Stops, tells the technician, doesn't rub or wipe it in, cleans it with the HEPA vacuum the way they've been shown, and is honest with the customer about what happened.
Behavioral · Keeping things clean during messy work
Tell me about a time at work, school or volunteering when you had to keep a room clean while doing dusty or sooty work, like cleaning out a fireplace, grill or shop. How did you do it?
A strong answer: Specific steps: covered surfaces, worked carefully, cleaned as they went and checked the space at the end.
Set the numbers after the technicians have watched a few weeks of a helper's work in the fall.
Efficiency of Site Preparation
The technician times a few setups a week, from walking in the door to the room covered and the vacuum on. Note any setup the technician had to fix before starting.
Debris Removal
An end-of-job check by the technician: hearth and floor clean, soot and nest debris bagged and out, and nothing left on the roof edge, in the gutters or on the lawn. Use the closing photos.
Task Completion Rate
Each morning the technician hands over a list, with any training items due that week on it. Count what got done and signed, and talk through leftovers on Friday.
Compliance with Safety Protocols
Unannounced checks by the operations manager: gear on, ladder steadied or tied, no roof time before sign-off and a tie-off on every climb after it. Talk through any miss before the next job.
Career path
Apprentice / HelperWorks the ground and the living room, then earns the roof and studies for the CSIA exam.
Chimney technicianRuns a route on their own once certified and signed off.
Can I hire a 16- or 17-year-old as a chimney helper?
For indoor and ground work, often yes, but not for work on or near the roof, and your state's law may be stricter. The rule doesn't say how close "close proximity" is, so keep teens off the ladder and away from the roof edge. A registered apprentice may do some roof work if it is incidental to training, short and occasional, and closely watched by a journeyman. Student-learners need a signed agreement with their school. At 14 and 15 the limits go further: no ladders, no construction or repair work, and no work as a helper on a motor vehicle.
How much does a chimney sweep apprentice make?
Building cleaning workers who work for building and home services companies earned a median of $21.37 an hour ($44,450 a year) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned between $37,440 and $53,310 a year. Pay also depends on your local market, experience and overtime.
What should a helper do if birds are nesting in the chimney?
Stop and get the technician before any brush goes in. Chimney swifts nest in chimneys, and they are on the federal list of birds the Migratory Bird Treaty Act protects. Texas Parks and Wildlife, writing for sweeps, says it is illegal to remove or disturb swifts, their nests, eggs or young during the breeding season. Its advice is to close the damper, leave the top open, and reschedule the cleaning, ideally for late fall after the swifts have flown south.
What does "good physical condition and endurance" mean in the ad?
That line ships with the template, but a helper's ad works better when it names the work. Here that means carrying the soot vacuum, rod bundles and drop cloths from the truck, moving and holding ladders, kneeling at the hearth, and lifting loads up to the template's 50-pound limit. Put the same task list in front of every candidate, ask whether they can do each one, and discuss any accommodation they ask for.
Which sign-offs come before a helper sweeps alone?
Use sign-offs instead of a date. Each one is a skill a technician has watched done right more than once: a full room setup with no soot escaping, a bottom-up sweep of a fireplace flue, a camera run with the findings called out, then roof sign-off and top-down sweeps with the technician on the roof. The last two are a Level 1 report the technician would sign as written and a passing CSIA exam.
