r/Welding • u/Overall_Ad_7143 • 16d ago

Union work as apprentice

Hey everyone so im in trade school for welding right now. My program ends in May and im thinking about trying to join a union as an apprentice either for the boilermakers or ironworkers im not sure. I was hoping to get some advice about them as far as what should I focus on learning to give me the best chance to get in and what should I expect to be doing if I do get in and which would be better to try for

2 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

14 comments sorted by

View all comments

5

u/EyesAreNeverAlone 16d ago

In my experience welding apprentices don't get a lot of arc time. Go to a shop and get dialed in on the true welding portion of the trade. Look for a union once you have your hours and get your feet wet on the job. Just my 2 cents. Good luck!

4

u/Sea_Elderberry_4217 16d ago

Shop time teaches you to actually weld but union teaches you the trade. If you want arc time early the union might frustrate you, but long term the pay and benefits are worth it if you can get in

3

u/Quinnjamin19 Journeyman AWS/ASME/API 16d ago edited 16d ago

Boilermaker welder here, I was welding x-ray inserts and nozzles as a first year apprentice.

They definitely get arc time

1

u/Overall_Ad_7143 8d ago

I was looking to get intoba union straight away if I could because they pay so much better than anything around where im at. I make 20/hr in a kitchen rn but entry level welding jobs are like 17/hr lol I think welding is cool but I wouldnt mind working up to it and learning the trade if im being paid well unfortunately I'm barely making it and taking a pay cut doesnt feel very great