Career profile for Brickmason Assistant

What does a Brickmason Assistant do?

Brickmason Assistants help brickmasons, blockmasons, stonemasons, or tile and marble setters by performing duties requiring less skill.

In addition, Brickmason Assistants duties include using, supplying, or holding materials or tools, and cleaning work area and equipment.

What kind of tasks does a Brickmason Assistant perform regularly?

Brickmason Assistants are often responsible for overseeing or executing some or all of the following tasks:

Mix mortar, plaster, and grout, manually or using machines, according to standard formulas.
Erect scaffolding or other installation structures.
Cut materials to specified sizes for installation, using power saws or tile cutters.
Modify material moving, mixing, grouting, grinding, polishing, or cleaning procedures, according to installation or material requirements.
Transport materials, tools, or machines to installation sites, manually or using conveyance equipment.
Provide assistance in the preparation, installation, repair, or rebuilding of tile, brick, or stone surfaces.
Locate and supply materials to masons for installation, following drawings or numbered sequences.
Arrange or store materials, machines, tools, or equipment.
Clean installation surfaces, equipment, tools, work sites, or storage areas, using water, chemical solutions, oxygen lances, or polishing machines.
Move or position materials such as marble slabs, using cranes, hoists, or dollies.
Remove excess grout or residue from tile or brick joints, using sponges or trowels.
Apply grout between joints of bricks or tiles, using grouting trowels.
Apply caulk, sealants, or other agents to installed surfaces.
Remove damaged tile, brick, or mortar, and clean or prepare surfaces, using pliers, hammers, chisels, drills, wire brushes, or metal wire anchors.
Correct surface imperfections or fill chipped, cracked, or broken bricks or tiles, using fillers, adhesives, or grouting materials.

The above responsibilities are specific to Brickmason Assistants. More generally, Brickmason Assistants are involved in several broader types of activities:

Activities	Importance	Details
Handling and Moving Objects		Using hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, and moving materials, and manipulating things.
Getting Information		Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials		Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials to identify the cause of errors or other problems or defects.
Making Decisions and Solving Problems		Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
Performing General Physical Activities		Performing physical activities that require considerable use of your arms and legs and moving your whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, and handling materials.

Handling and Moving Objects

Using hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, and moving materials, and manipulating things.

Getting Information

Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.

Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials

Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials to identify the cause of errors or other problems or defects.

Making Decisions and Solving Problems

Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.

Performing General Physical Activities

Performing physical activities that require considerable use of your arms and legs and moving your whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, and handling materials.

What is a Brickmason Assistant salary?

The median salary for a Brickmason Assistant is $36,990, and the average salary is $40,190. Both the median and average roughly describe the middle of the Brickmason Assistant salary range, but the average is more easily affected by extremely high or low salaries.

Many Brickmason Assistants earn significantly more or less than the average, due to several factors. About 10% of Brickmason Assistants earn less than $26,530 per year, 25% earn less than $30,990, 75% earn less than $46,450, and 90% earn less than $61,550.

Between the years of 2020 and 2030, the number of Brickmason Assistants is expected to change by -3.8%, and there should be roughly 2,300 open positions for Brickmason Assistants every year.

Median annual salary: $36,990
Typical salary range: $26,530 - $61,550
Projected growth (2020 - 2030): -3.8%

What personality traits are common among Brickmason Assistants?

Interests

Career interests describe a person's preferences for different types of working environments and activities. When a person's interest match the demands of an occupation, people are usually more engaged and satisfied in that role.

Compared to most occupations, those who work as a Brickmason Assistant are usually higher in their Realistic interests.

Brickmason Assistants typically have very strong Realistic interests. Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.

Values

People differ in their values, or what is most important to them for building job satisfaction and fulfillment.

Compared to most people, those working as a Brickmason Assistant tend to value Relationships, Support, and Working Conditions.

Most importantly, Brickmason Assistants moderately value Relationships. Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to provide service to others and work with co-workers in a friendly non-competitive environment.

Second, Brickmason Assistants moderately value Support. Occupations that satisfy this work value offer supportive management that stands behind employees.

Lastly, Brickmason Assistants somewhat value Working Conditions. Occupations that satisfy this work value offer job security and good working conditions.

Psychological Demands

Each occupation brings its own set of psychological demands, which describe the characteristics necessary to perform the job well.

In order to perform their job successfully, people who work as Brickmason Assistants must consistently demonstrate qualities such as dependability, attention to detail, and self-control.

Below, you'll find a list of qualities typically required of Brickmason Assistants, ranked by importance:

Demands	Importance	Details
Dependability		Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.
Attention to Detail		Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.
Self-Control		Job requires maintaining composure, keeping emotions in check, controlling anger, and avoiding aggressive behavior, even in very difficult situations.
Cooperation		Job requires being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude.
Initiative		Job requires a willingness to take on responsibilities and challenges.

Dependability

Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.

Attention to Detail

Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.

Self-Control

Job requires maintaining composure, keeping emotions in check, controlling anger, and avoiding aggressive behavior, even in very difficult situations.

Cooperation

Job requires being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude.

Initiative

Job requires a willingness to take on responsibilities and challenges.

What education and training do Brickmason Assistants need?

Working as a Brickmason Assistant usually requires a high school diploma.

Brickmason Assistants need anywhere from a few months to one year of working with experienced employees. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with this occupation.

Educational degrees among Brickmason Assistants

34.3% did not complete high school or secondary school
38.8% completed high school or secondary school
16.6% completed some college coursework
4.1% earned a Associate's degree
5.0% earned a Bachelor's degree
1.0% earned a Master's degree
0.1% earned a doctorate or professional degree

Knowledge and expertise required by Brickmason Assistants

Brickmason Assistants may benefit from understanding of specialized subject areas, such as building and construction, mechanical, or design knowledge.

The list below shows several areas in which most Brickmason Assistants might want to build proficiency, ranked by importance.

Knowledge areas	Importance	Details
Building and Construction		Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
Mechanical		Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
Design		Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
Mathematics		Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
Public Safety and Security		Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.

Building and Construction

Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.

Mechanical

Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.

Design

Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.

Mathematics

Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.

Public Safety and Security

Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.

Important Abilities needed by Brickmason Assistants

Brickmason Assistants must develop a particular set of abilities to perform their job well. Abilities are individual capacities that influence a person's information processing, sensory perception, motor coordination, and physical strength or endurance. Individuals may naturally have certain abilities without explicit training, but most abilities can be sharpened somewhat through practice.

For example, Brickmason Assistants need abilities such as trunk strength, multilimb coordination, and static strength in order to perform their job at a high level. The list below shows several important abilities for Brickmason Assistants, ranked by their relative importance.

Abilities	Importance	Details
Trunk Strength		The ability to use your abdominal and lower back muscles to support part of the body repeatedly or continuously over time without "giving out" or fatiguing.
Multilimb Coordination		The ability to coordinate two or more limbs (for example, two arms, two legs, or one leg and one arm) while sitting, standing, or lying down. It does not involve performing the activities while the whole body is in motion.
Static Strength		The ability to exert maximum muscle force to lift, push, pull, or carry objects.
Arm-Hand Steadiness		The ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.
Near Vision		The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).

Trunk Strength

The ability to use your abdominal and lower back muscles to support part of the body repeatedly or continuously over time without "giving out" or fatiguing.

Multilimb Coordination

The ability to coordinate two or more limbs (for example, two arms, two legs, or one leg and one arm) while sitting, standing, or lying down. It does not involve performing the activities while the whole body is in motion.

Static Strength

The ability to exert maximum muscle force to lift, push, pull, or carry objects.

Arm-Hand Steadiness

The ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.

Near Vision

The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).

Critical Skills needed by Brickmason Assistants

Skills are developed capacities that enable people to function effectively in real-world settings. Unlike abilities, skills are typically easier to build through practice and experience. Skills influence effectiveness in areas such as learning, working with others, design, troubleshooting, and more.

Brickmason Assistants frequently use skills like critical thinking, monitoring, and coordination to perform their job effectively. The list below shows several critical skills for Brickmason Assistants, ranked by their relative importance.

Skills	Importance	Details
Critical Thinking		Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
Monitoring		Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Coordination		Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
Operation and Control		Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
Time Management		Managing one's own time and the time of others.

Critical Thinking

Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.

Monitoring

Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.

Coordination

Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.

Operation and Control

Controlling operations of equipment or systems.

Time Management

Managing one's own time and the time of others.

What is the source of this information?

The information provided on this page is adapted from data and descriptions published by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration under the CC BY 4.0 license. TraitLab has modified some information for ease of use and reading, and the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment, and Training Administration has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.

If you have any questions or suggestions about this information, please send a message.

Career profile Brickmason Assistant

Brickmason Assistant

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