A commercial roofing apprentice learns low-slope roofing on warehouses, schools, offices and stores, working under a lead roofer. They start by carrying insulation board, setting plates and fasteners and clearing tear-off, then learn to weld TPO and PVC seams and flash curbs, drains and pipes.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Assist senior roofers in commercial roofing projects while learning and developing advanced trade skills. Contribute to the completion of roofing projects by handling basic tasks reliably and safely. Support high-quality roofing installations and repairs, ensuring adherence to industry standards and company policies.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Assist senior roofers with preparation, installation, and repair of commercial roofing systems.
Follow instructions and safety guidelines to maintain a secure work environment.
Prepare tools, materials, and equipment required for each project.
Maintain job site cleanliness and organization while working efficiently.
Learn and apply roofing techniques and best practices under supervision.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Assist in measuring and cutting roofing materials accurately based on project specifications.
Handle and transport materials to various work areas while observing strict safety protocols.
Participate in on-the-job training sessions and skill development workshops.
Support senior crew members with routine tasks, ensuring all steps are completed timely.
Communicate effectively with team members and supervisors regarding project updates and challenges.
4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Safety Compliance Rate: 100% adherence to safety protocols on all projects.
Task Completion Rate: Complete assigned tasks with a 95% on-time rate per project schedule.
Learning Milestone Achievement: Successfully pass 4 out of 5 skill assessments per quarter.
Quality Assurance: Maintain a customer satisfaction rating of >4.8 stars on completed projects.
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
High school diploma or equivalent.
Willingness to learn and develop trade-specific skills in commercial roofing.
Basic understanding of construction safety practices and regulations.
Strong work ethic with effective communication and teamwork skills.
6. Preferred Experience
Previous exposure to construction or roofing environment is a plus.
Experience with basic hand and power tools in a construction setting is desirable.
Familiarity with commercial roofing materials and installation techniques through internships or apprenticeships.
Demonstrated commitment to on-the-job learning and continuous improvement in a similar industry.
7. Physical Requirements
Ability to lift up to 50 pounds consistently during daily tasks.
Capacity to work in outdoor environments under various weather conditions.
Frequent climbing of ladders and working at heights, with appropriate safety measures.
Tolerance for repetitive physical tasks and extended periods of standing and walking.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Standard work hours are 7:00 AM to 4:00 PM, Monday through Friday.
Occasional overtime and weekend work may be required based on project demands.
Work predominantly outdoors at multiple locations with variable weather conditions.
On-site safety gear is mandatory, and regular training sessions are part of the schedule.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Hourly rate range: $15 - $20 per hour, commensurate with experience and performance.
Performance-based bonuses available upon meeting key project milestones.
Health, Dental, and Vision coverage provided.
401k plan available with company matching contributions where applicable.
10. Company Culture and Overview
We foster a collaborative and inclusive culture that values learning and professional growth.
Our team is dedicated to excellence in every project, ensuring high standards in service delivery.
Employees are encouraged to take initiative and contribute innovative ideas for process improvements.
We invest in training and career development to help team members succeed and advance their careers.
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 low-slope roof is a big open deck with edges, skylights and rooftop units, and the building under it is often open for business. The apprentice learns where it is safe to walk before learning to weld a seam.
Fall training covers warning lines and monitors
OSHA's fall training rule lists low-slope topics by name. A competent person teaches how warning lines and safety monitoring work, what the apprentice does while a monitor watches the crew, and the limits on wheeled roofing machines on these roofs. Then the employer writes a record with the apprentice's name, the training dates, and the trainer's or employer's signature. Source: 29 CFR 1926.503: Fall protection training requirements (Cornell LII).
A skylight is a hole in the roof
OSHA treats skylights as holes. Where a fall through one would be more than 6 feet, workers need a cover, a guardrail around it or a harness and lifeline system. A cover must hold at least twice the weight that could be put on it, be fastened so wind or a boot can't move it, and carry a color code or the word HOLE or COVER. Teach apprentices never to sit on, step on or lean against a skylight. Source: 29 CFR 1926.501: Duty to have fall protection (Cornell LII).
The first summer on the roof
A national heat standard is still only a proposal: OSHA published it in August 2024, took testimony at hearings in mid-2025, and has issued no final rule as of October 2026. Some states have their own. California's covers construction: shade once it is hotter than 80 degrees Fahrenheit, high-heat steps at 95, and close watch on anyone new to working in high heat during their first 14 days. Give every new apprentice that kind of watch in their first hot weeks, wherever you work. Source: California Code of Regulations, Title 8, Section 3395: Heat illness prevention in outdoor places of employment.
Federal jobs: the apprentice rate needs registration
On federal and federally funded jobs under Davis-Bacon, a roofing apprentice may earn less than the roofer rate only if they're individually registered in a program that federal apprenticeship officials, or a state agency they recognize, have registered. Someone in their first 90 days on probation can also qualify, if those officials have certified them. Apprentices over the program's ratio of apprentices to roofers also get the roofer rate. State prevailing wage laws have their own rules. Source: 29 CFR 5.5: Davis-Bacon contract clauses (Cornell LII).
Teach field seams before details
Build the skills list in the order single-ply work allows. Start with laying board in a staggered pattern, setting fasteners to the spec and keeping seam areas clean. Next comes a hand welder on scrap, with every seam probed once it cools. Save curbs, drains, pipe boots and inside corners until the lead has signed off a run of straight seams that pass.
How much commercial roofing apprentices make
The closest BLS group for commercial roofing apprentices is Helpers--Roofers. Helpers--Roofers who work for roofing contractors earned a median of $21.37 an hour ($44,440 a year) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s about the same as the $44,160 median for Helpers--Roofers in all industries. About 5,680 of the 6,030 Helpers--Roofers in that survey work for roofing contractors.
Pay shown here is for roofer helpers. Federal job codes put apprentices in with fully trained roofers, which would overstate what a first-year single-ply learner earns. Expect hourly pay with overtime, plus the template's milestone bonus; a registered program adds raises at fixed points.
Roofing contractors
$44,440$44,440 median Middle half $37,140–$48,900 10th–90th $29,870–$64,000
All industries
$44,160$44,160 median Middle half $37,030–$48,970 10th–90th $30,140–$62,400
$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
Roofing contractors
$29,870
$37,140
$44,440
$48,900
$64,000
All industries
$30,140
$37,030
$44,160
$48,970
$62,400
BLS reports residential and commercial roofing contractors together. 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
Stays inside the warning lines and speaks up about an uncovered opening
Shows up for 7 a.m. starts and the odd Saturday shutdown
Ready for hatch ladders, carrying board and kneeling along seams
Checks with the lead instead of guessing at a detail
Polite to building staff and tenants met on the way up
Teach these on the job
Laying insulation and cover board in a staggered pattern
Setting plates and fasteners to the pattern on the spec
Hand welding TPO and PVC seams and probing them
Flashing pipe boots, curbs and roof drains
Setting warning line stanchions and working the hoist area
Apprentices carry a seam probe, a silicone hand roller, a hook-blade knife and a chalk line, then graduate to a hand-held hot-air welder. The company supplies the robotic welder, fastening tools, hoist and warning line stanchions. Tell applicants whether you teach welding on scrap first and whether training time is paid.
Commercial roofing 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 · Staying inside the warning line
You're carrying insulation boards across a flat roof and realize you're about to step past the warning line flags near the edge. Nobody is watching. What do you do?
A strong answer: Stays inside the warning line and only goes past it with the fall protection the plan calls for. Asks the foreman if the work needs them near the edge.
Behavioral · Learning a new tool or process
Commercial roofers learn tools like hot-air welders and seam probes on the job. Tell me about a time at work, school or volunteering when you had to learn a new tool or process. How did you make sure you were doing it right?
A strong answer: Asked to be shown, practiced with someone watching, asked questions and checked results before working alone.
Use the template's targets for your first class of apprentices. Once a few have finished the skills list, rebuild the targets from your own sign-off sheets.
Safety Compliance Rate
Corrections for stepping past a warning line, working near an uncovered opening or skipping gear, against shifts worked. The lead logs them each day, and near misses the apprentice reports count in their favor.
Task Completion Rate
Tasks the lead assigns for the day, such as staging board by the hoist or fastening a section, finished by the time on the job plan. Go over the plan together weekly.
Learning Milestone Achievement
A short hands-on test each quarter, such as a test weld cut open to check it or a flashed pipe boot, scored by the lead against your written standard.
Quality Assurance
Star ratings from owners and general contractors on finished jobs, as the template says. For an apprentice, also count punch list items traced to their seams or fasteners.
Career path
Roofing laborerRuns the hoist area and dumpster and learns how a commercial crew works.
Apprentice rooferLearns single-ply, modified bitumen and flashing under a lead roofer.
Journeyman rooferWelds seams and flashes rooftop units with no one checking each step.
Lead rooferRuns the roof crew and the walk with the manufacturer's inspector.
What does a commercial roofing apprentice do in the first week?
Mostly carrying and learning the roof. They sign in at the building, get fall training, and learn where the warning lines, hoist area and covered openings are. Then they carry board and rolls from the hoist to wherever the crew is working, pick up tear-off, and keep seam areas clean for the welders. By the end of the week many are setting fasteners with a lead watching.
How much does a commercial roofing apprentice make?
Helpers--Roofers who work for roofing contractors earned a median of $21.37 an hour ($44,440 a year) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned between $37,140 and $48,900 a year. Pay also depends on your local market, experience and overtime.
When can an apprentice start welding seams?
When the lead says so, after practice on scrap. A good order is test welds on a table, probing them and cutting one open, then straight field seams on the roof with the lead checking each one. Details like curbs and drains wait until their field seams pass the probe day after day.
How should an apprentice act inside an occupied building?
Like a guest with a badge. Use only the route the building manager approved, keep tools off carpets and out of hallways, and never prop open a door that should stay locked. If a tenant asks about noise or a smell from the roof, the apprentice should stay polite and pass the question to the foreman rather than guess.
Does a commercial roofing apprentice need any certificate to start?
Not usually. Fall protection training comes from your company before they work at height. Keep them off torch work until they've passed torch training such as NRCA's CERTA. On federal jobs, registration in an approved program changes what you may pay them.
The template lists tolerance for repetitive tasks. What should the ad say?
Describe the roof instead of the person. The template ships word for word, but that line is about the worker's body. In your ad, list what an apprentice actually does: carrying insulation board and adhesive buckets weighing up to the template's 50 pounds, climbing hatch ladders, kneeling along seams and working outside in July sun and January wind. EEOC guidance lets you put one question to every applicant: can they do that work, with or without an accommodation?
