Body Repair

Senior paint technicians supervise the preparation of vehicles for painting, mix paints to match colour requirements, and carry out complete refinishing operations.
Duties may include:

• Supporting paint technicians in their work
• Ensuring all parts have been stripped from the vehicle in preparation for painting
• Sanding down relevant areas and adjoining areas for blending
• Ensuring that areas to be treated are properly masked out
• Etching and priming area to be treated
• Matching and selecting colour chips and mixing colours
• Ensuring that all work is finished to an acceptable standard

As a senior paint technician you will need to demonstrate:

• A professional and enthusiastic attitude
• The ability to work well under pressure
• The ability to work well in a team and to lead and guide others when needed
• Strong communication skills
• Good manual skills
• A good eye for detail and colour matching

You must have a good knowledge of automotive paint systems and it would be advantageous if you were qualified at level 3 in vehicle body and paint operations.

You can also complete an Automotive Technician Accreditation (ATA) at Senior Paint level, to find out more please click ATA Paint.

Qualifications

IMI Awards

Level 3 Diploma in Vehicle Accident Repair Paint Principles (VRQ)

City & Guilds

Vehicle Accident Repair (VRQs) (4291)

Work environment, salary & benefits

Please note: These figures are meant as a guide only and may vary from employer to employer and may be dependent on the geographical area.

You will normally work from 8am to 5pm Monday to Friday; however, you may be able to work overtime in the evenings and at weekends. You will usually work indoors in workshops or bodyshops and you will be expected to wear safety clothing when using specialised equipment and carrying out tasks such as painting.

Salary:

• As a trainee paint technician you may earn between £7,000-£13,000 per year
• Once you are qualified you may expect to earn £19,000 or more
  Experienced motor vehicle professionals can earn up to £30,000

There may be opportunities for shift and overtime pay depending on your employer. You may also be eligible for holiday entitlement, company pension and private healthcare schemes.

You would normally progress to this role after experience as a paint technician.

It may be possible to train at this level via an advanced/modern apprenticeship in vehicle body and paint operations through your employer. For further information on apprentice/traineeships in England please visit www.apprenticeships.org.uk, for Wales please visit www.careerswales.com for Northern Ireland please visit www.nidirect.gov.uk/careers and for Scotland please visit www.skillsdevelopmentscotland.co.uk

Apprenticeships

Vehicle Body and Paint (Advanced- Senior Body Building Technician / Senior Panel Technician / Senior Paint Technician)  This Apprenticeship is about patching up damaged vehicles. From a scratched door to a dented bumper, accidents can affect a car’s bodywork, mechanical parts and paint job.

As an apprentice, you’ll have the choice to focus on either mechanical, electrical and trim body fitting; body repair; or body finishing. Mechanical, electrical and trim technicians repair moving parts and electronics. They assess the damage and then get at the broken parts inside by removing the bodywork (trim), fix the internal parts, and then replace the bodywork.  Body repair technicians fix the outside body of the car – they remove, repair and replace damaged panels, ensuring that the car is still sturdy and safe. They may fix the vehicle’s alignment and quality-check all body repairs.  Body refinishing technicians add the final surface touch by applying primers and paint so everything looks as good as new. This may involve the use of hand and power sanding tools, chemical cleaning agents, spray booths and drying equipment.

Apprentices will need a good eye to assess damage. Each bump and scrape will present a new challenge, but you’ll feel satisfied after transforming the damaged vehicle into something that works again and looks as good as new.

Sorry, there are no relevant jobs on the system at this time