What Is a Window Glazier?

Job Description

• Residential glazing encompasses doors and windows as well as interior fitting of glass panels in shower doors, furniture and any other fixtures and fittings. These jobs are often manageable by just one person. Commercial glazing, however, can mean working on massive pieces of toughened glass for office windows or front foyers, sometimes working at high altitudes to fit windows in upper stories. Glazing work also involves making detailed calculations, planning, sizing and cutting as well as installing frames to hold the panes of glass. Attention to detail is a must.

Qualifications and Training

• The Bureau of Labor and Statistics (BLS), suggests that trainee glaziers will often be formally apprenticed to an experienced craftsman and seconded out to college or extra training to consolidate their learning over a period of three years, which is the best route for gaining recognized professional qualifications. For an apprenticeship, a high school diploma or its equivalent is usually required.

Specializations

• Once you are qualified, you can apply for membership to a professional body, whether you want to work independently or in a team. You might want to investigate tailoring your career to commercial glazing for office buildings or learn the specific skills needed to become a conservator, which involves mastering the craft of stained glass restoration and which will make you a valuable craftsman anywhere in the world.

Physical and Personal Qualities

• Given that much of a glazier's work is performed outside, often in inclement weather, you need to be physically fit and able to lift and carry heavy glass as well as deal with heights. Good eyesight, even if aided by optical correction, is important, and math skills are essential for on-site calculations of measurements. According to the BLS, when you apply for an apprenticeship, employers will tend to look for a good work record, and possibly military service, to show that you are reliable and self disciplined.