Building Maintenance Jobs

When there is a problem with your building, either at home or at work, the first person on the scene is often someone with a building maintenance job. As well as looking after the upkeep of the buildings they are employed in, building maintenance workers are problem solvers who can turn their talents to a variety of tasks.

The work suits flexible people with technical ability, prepared to master the basics of the variety of skills needed to maintain a building. In most buildings, especially older ones, there is usually a job to be done, from repairing a leaky roof to unblocking drains. Good building maintenance technicians need to know a little about a lot of trades, including electrics, plumbing, carpentry, heating and air-conditioning and decorating.

If you’re fit and healthy, with a flexible approach to work and some technical ability, you can look for a building maintenance job wherever there is a building. Factories, schools, offices, hospitals and apartment blocks are just some of the places where there are job openings. Prospects are good, as the building industry is predicted to be a growth area. Most people learn on the job, shadowing an experienced maintenance technician in order to build up their own skills. It’s also possible to take an apprenticeship in building maintenance, learning the variety of skills you will need.

Another building maintenance job is that of the building facility coordinator, whose role is to organize and oversee the long-term as well as the day-to-day maintenance of a building. To become a facility coordinator you will need good organizational skills and good communication skills, written and verbal, as a coordinator is the main point of contact between the inhabitants of a building and repair workers.

Salaries for a building maintenance job vary according to the size of the concern and the responsibilities involved – the average pay is between $25,000 and $50,000.