Furniture remover

Furniture removers pack and move the contents of homes and offices from one location to another.

Also known as:

Removals worker

Work activities

Furniture removers move the contents of houses/offices from one place to another. The duties of a furniture remover start with the packing of the contents of houses or offices, including fragile objects such as china and glassware. They are then responsible for loading furniture, carpets and other items into a van. Furniture and household goods are secured with very strong belts. Furniture removers usually work in teams of two or three people who work closely together. One person, the foreman, takes charge – usually the driver.

Overnight stopovers are common and furniture removers with experience may have the opportunity to do overseas removals work. Trips overseas can involve long periods away from home.

Personal qualities and skills

To do this job well, you’ll need:

To work well as part of a team as you will spend a lot of time with your colleagues.
To be friendly and polite with customers.
To be trustworthy and treat other people’s property with care and respect.
Good practical skills.
To be fit and strong, as there is a lot of bending and lifting involved in this job.
Basic maths skills for any measuring you have to do.

You’ll need a full driving licence. A heavy goods vehicle licence may be required. The DVLA (Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency) provides more information on licences. If you have back problems, you may find this line of work difficult to do.

Pay and opportunities

The pay rates given are approximate. Furniture removers earn in the range of £14,000 - £25,000 with experience. Foremen might earn more.

Furniture removers usually work a 43-45-hour week. However, long hours, including early starts, late finishes, weekends and work on public holidays may be required.

Demand for furniture removers is steady.

Employers are removal companies, the largest of which have regional depots. The majority of removal firms are, however, local companies with a small fleet of vans that employ a few staff. Opportunities for furniture removers occur in depots in towns and cities throughout the UK. Opportunities occur for furniture removers to transport furniture to destinations throughout Europe. These trips generally last a few days.

Where are vacancies advertised?

Vacancies are advertised on all the major job boards, on the Government’s Find a Job service.

Entry routes and training

The best way to enter this career is through direct application to the company you’d like to work for.

Newly recruited furniture removers learn packing, lifting, loading and other removal techniques. They usually train alongside more experienced furniture removers. Some firms may encourage people to take short courses such as those run by the British Association of Removers. These range from basic skills courses to advanced removals and can lead to certificates of competence.

Drivers are sometimes recruited from outside the furniture removal business. In other cases, furniture removers are given training to become drivers.

Some removers move into team leader roles. This is a popular career for people who want to be self-employed.

Qualifications

Typically you don’t need any qualifications to do this job, although GCSEs in maths and English are always a bonus.

Adult opportunities

Age limits: It is illegal for any organisation to set age limits for entry to employment, education or training, unless they can show there is a real need to have these limits.

Previous practical work experience, for example, as a van delivery assistant or warehouse worker is an advantage. Removers who drive furniture removal vehicles require a clean, current driving licence and must comply with vehicle driver licensing entry requirements.

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