Tile Setting, Pre-Apprentice

Tile Setting, Pre-Apprentice

Potential earnings range:
$34,465-$77,937*
Per year after graduation

Do you enjoy working and creating with your hands? Enjoy working with a team and problem-solving? Have an attention to detail and great organization skills? 

Then you may be a good fit for Job Corps’ Tile Setting, Pre-Apprentice training program. Pre-apprenticeships are focused on preparing students for a successful experience in a Registered Apprenticeship Program (RAP). That means your hands-on training will be based on industry standards in order to prepare you for high-skill, quality employment. 

On the job, you will ...

  • Install pieces of ceramic, marble, granite and glass  
  • Use wet saws, tile scribes or hand-held tile cutters to cut tiles 
  • Use trowels to spread mortar or mastic evenly on a work surface and place the tiles  
  • Apply grout between tiles as a finisher 

Some of the career options you will have ...

Most Tile Setting, Pre-Apprentice graduates work for construction contractors or tile-setting unions. Tile setters usually work full-time hours during normal day shifts, but many may work weekends depending on the deadlines of construction projects. 

The credentials you will earn ...

In the Tile-Setting, Pre-Apprentice training program, you can earn industry-recognized credentials organizations such as the International Masonry Institute (IMI) and construction safety and health certifications from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). 

Students should also earn a state-issued learner’s permit and driver’s license upon completion of the program. 

What you’ll need to start training ...

  • Have a high school diploma or equivalent (can be earned at all Job Corps centers) 
  • Completion of all introductory and career preparation courses 
  • Passing scores on all written and performance tests 
  • Meet academic (math and reading) requirements
* Salary information comes from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics Program and is provided for planning purposes only. Actual salary will depend on student skill level, credentials earned, experience level and location.
Meet your instructors

Meet your instructors

Rob Guenthner
Rob Guenthner
Rob Guenthner has been an IMI Tile Setting instructor for nearly 15 years, with over 24 years of experience in masonry and general construction. While working in the field, he was the foreman on several major projects in the surrounding area, including schools and hospitals. Rob now enjoys passing his skills on to the next generations to keep the trade alive. 
Rob Guenthner
Rob Guenthner
Rob Guenthner is an OSHA-certified Tile Setting Instructor at the Earle C. Clements Job Corps Center. He has been a member of the Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers Local 4 IN/KY for over a decade and a Job Corps instructor since 2009.