A garage door install apprentice is the newest hand on an install crew and learns from the install lead on every job. Early days mean unloading, staging parts in install order, hauling off the old door and sweeping up. Track, sections and openers come next.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Median pay, other building equipment contractors · BLS, May 2025
This role supports our installation team by assisting the lead installer and learning the fundamentals of garage door installation while ensuring exceptional service and safety. It contributes directly to our company's reputation for quality workmanship and customer satisfaction.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Assist the lead installer with garage door installations and service calls.
Learn and develop a solid foundation in garage door installation techniques and equipment operation.
Prepare work areas and materials to ensure efficient and safe installations.
Adhere to company safety protocols and installation guidelines at all times.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Prepare and organize installation materials and equipment at the start of each workday.
Support the lead installer during on-site installations and service visits.
Conduct basic measurements and pre-installation checks under supervision.
Engage with customers to answer basic questions and ensure their comfort during installations.
4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Installation Assistance Efficiency: Achieve a 95% on-time setup for assigned tasks.
Material Preparation Accuracy: Maintain a 99% accuracy rate in material preparation.
Lead Installer Satisfaction: Earn a feedback rating of 90% or higher from the lead installer.
Customer Satisfaction Rating: Contribute to achieving a customer rating of 4.8 stars or higher.
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
High school diploma or equivalent.
Basic understanding of tools and mechanical equipment.
Strong work ethic with a willingness to learn and follow directions.
Excellent communication and teamwork skills.
6. Preferred Experience
Prior experience in a construction or home services role, even if limited.
Exposure to basic installation techniques or similar trade apprenticeship.
Familiarity with garage door systems or mechanical installations.
7. Physical Requirements
Ability to lift up to 50 lbs on a regular basis.
Capability to work in various outdoor conditions, including hot, cold, and rainy weather.
Frequent bending, stooping, and manual handling of installation materials.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Typical work hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
Occasional overtime or weekend work may be required based on project demands.
Minimal travel between job sites within the local service area.
On-call duties may be implemented during peak periods.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Hourly wage range of $15.00 - $20.00 per hour based on experience and skill level.
Eligibility for performance-based bonuses and overtime compensation.
Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance plans.
Access to a 401(k) plan with company matching contributions.
10. Company Culture and Overview
Our company fosters a culture of continuous growth, teamwork, and commitment to excellence.
We are dedicated to providing every team member with the training and support needed to advance their skills and career.
You will join an energetic, inclusive team that values integrity, innovation, and customer satisfaction.
We believe in investing in our employees, celebrating successes, and overcoming challenges together.
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
What makes a garage door install apprenticeship different
On a garage door crew, the order of learning matters. Some parts of a door hold enough stored energy to badly hurt someone, so the apprentice starts with the opening and the parts and works up to the springs.
One part, several names
DASMA's terminology sheet shows how many names the trade uses for the same part. A back hang is also a rear track hanger, a strut may be called a truss or truss bar, and DASMA's own papers call the opener an operator. An apprentice who learns both sets of words reads the manual right and pulls the right parts from the truck. Source: DASMA Technical Data Sheet 160: Sectional garage door terminology.
Prepping the opening is a first real job
DASMA's framing checklist starts before any track goes up. Check that existing jambs are solid, free of rot, plumb and flush, and firmly fastened to the house. A new spring pad must be sound wood with no cracks, splits or knots where the fasteners go. An apprentice can learn these checks early and flag problems to the lead. Source: DASMA Technical Data Sheet 156: Wood horizontal and vertical back jamb detail guidelines.
The wall button has a set height
Mounting the wall button is a good first opener task, and federal rules say where it goes. The manual for any home opener has to tell installers to put it in view of the door, at least five feet above the floor so small children can't reach it, and away from moving parts. The same list puts the emergency release at least six feet up, where a car won't bump it. Source: 16 CFR 1211.16: Required instructions for residential garage door operators (Cornell LII).
Builder jobs and replacements teach different habits
On a builder job, the apprentice may work in a new garage with other trades nearby and nobody home. On a replacement, there's an old door to take down, cars and storage to work around, and a homeowner with questions. An apprentice who sees both learns to keep pace on one and take care in someone's home on the other.
How much garage door install apprentices make
The closest BLS group for garage door install apprentices is Helpers--Installation, maintenance, and repair workers. Helpers--Installation, maintenance, and repair workers who work for other building equipment contractors earned a median of $22.54 an hour ($46,880 a year) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s above the $39,630 median for Helpers--Installation, maintenance, and repair workers in all industries. About 970 of the 95,580 Helpers--Installation, maintenance, and repair workers in that survey work for other building equipment contractors.
BLS keeps no separate wage figure for apprentices and files them under installer, the trade they're learning. The figures on this page, for installation and repair helpers, come closer to what a first-year hand earns. Apprentices are hourly and earn overtime past forty hours, and the template also lists performance bonuses. Tie each raise to a skill the install lead has checked off.
Other building equipment contractors
$46,880$46,880 median Middle half $40,000–$54,300 10th–90th $36,140–$60,260
All industries
$39,630$39,630 median Middle half $34,910–$46,890 10th–90th $29,310–$55,890
$20k$30k$40k$50k$60k$70k
10th–90th percentileMiddle halfMedianAnnual pay, May 2025. Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
Annual pay by percentile
Group
10th
25th
Median
75th
90th
Other building equipment contractors
$36,140
$40,000
$46,880
$54,300
$60,260
All industries
$29,310
$34,910
$39,630
$46,890
$55,890
BLS doesn’t publish pay for garage door companies on their own. These figures cover other building equipment contractors, 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
At the shop on time when the truck loads in the morning
Follows the lead's steps in order, even the small ones
Has used drills, saws and hand tools on a job, in shop class or at home
Works off a ladder with care and asks before guessing
Keeps the customer's garage, driveway and cars clean and clear
Teach these on the job
The names of door, track and opener parts, and what each does
Reading the door order and staging parts in install order
Building and leveling track
Opener rail, photo eye and wall button setup
Measuring springs, and later winding them under supervision
Your job app for photos and checklists
Apprentices start with a tape, a level and a nut driver set, then learn the crew's ladders, drills and impact drivers. Winding bars come last. If you hand new hires a starter kit or pay a tool allowance, put it in the post.
Garage door install apprentice interview questions
They have their own page: 6 questions that test this job, what strong and weak answers sound like, and a work exercise to run with your finalists.
Judge a new apprentice against where your last good apprentice stood in the same month, not against your installers. Work toward the template's goals from there.
Installation Assistance Efficiency
Share of the apprentice's setup tasks done on time, such as unloading, staging sections in order and having track ready to hang. The install lead notes any misses on the work order each day.
Material Preparation Accuracy
Parts pulled and loaded against the door order before the truck leaves: the right sections, hardware, track and opener. Count anything missing or wrong once the crew reaches the job.
Lead Installer Satisfaction
The install lead's Friday rating on four things: safe habits, effort, care in the garage and new skills learned. Rate the same four every week to see the trend over a season.
Customer Satisfaction Rating
Reviews and survey scores on installs the apprentice helped with, pulled monthly. A homeowner who mentions the crew's manners or a clean driveway is telling you about the apprentice too.
Career path
Entry hireComes from construction, a warehouse or another hands-on job.
Install apprenticeStages parts, preps openings and learns the install from the lead.
Why hire an install apprentice instead of another installer?
An apprentice gives the lead help with heavy sections from the first week, at a lower wage than an installer. Over time you get an installer who learned your way, without another shop's habits. It works only with a lead who has the patience and the time to teach, and a clear list of what earns each raise.
How much does a garage door install apprentice make?
Helpers--Installation, maintenance, and repair workers who work for other building equipment contractors earned a median of $22.54 an hour ($46,880 a year) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned between $40,000 and $54,300 a year. Pay also depends on your local market, experience and overtime.
How long until an install apprentice can work as an installer?
There's no standard length for this one, so go by skills rather than months. A sensible order is prepping the opening, building track, hanging sections, setting the opener, balancing the door, and springs last, with the lead watching. When every step is checked off and callbacks on their jobs stay rare, move them up.
How do I test an install apprentice candidate?
Give them a short, hands-on task. Have them read a tape to the sixteenth of an inch, follow a printed set of assembly steps, or put a few parts together while you watch. You're looking for care, how they follow directions, and whether they ask a question before they guess.
Does the drive to the job count as work time for an install apprentice?
If the crew meets at the shop to load the truck or get the day's orders, yes. Federal rules count the drive from the shop to the job, and from one job to the next, as hours worked. Driving from home to the shop is normal commuting and isn't work time. That's the federal rule; check your state's too.
