Bill posters or advertising installers fix adverts or posters on to billboards, hoardings and mounted display units as well as digital displays and smaller adverts in public places.

The Work

You could be:

• removing old posters and cleaning the surface
• preparing posters in sections and putting them up individually to form the full advertisement
• using a brush to put fresh paste on the boards and smooth new posters into place
• removing wrinkles and air bubbles and washing down the board to get rid of extra paste
• maintaining the panels and sites by removing graffiti, cleaning, painting and repairing the frames
• fixing a one-piece polythene poster to an adjustable metal frame, tightening the tension of the frame to flatten out the poster
• unscrewing glass display units on escalators, bus shelters and trains to remove and replace posters
• fixing metal faces in rotating units to display different adverts
• using ropes, harnesses and access gear to climb high structures.

Increasingly, electronic signs are replacing traditional hoardings and displays.

Pay

The figures below are only a guide. Actual pay rates may vary, depending on:

• where you work
• the size of the company or organisation you work for
• the demand for the job.

The starting salary for a trainee advertising installer is about £11,000 a year. With experience, an advertising installer may earn up to £16,000 a year. With promotion to supervisor or team leader earnings can be £25,000 or more.

Conditions

• You often have to work at heights on a ladder or from a suspension cradle and in all weathers.
• You may have to start early in the morning and finish late at night, travelling to different sites.
• You will be bending and stretching a lot.
• You have to wear protective overalls, a safety helmet and warm clothing if you are working high up.
• If you work at heights you must use ropes, harnesses and access gear. These must comply with Industrial Rope Access Trade Association (IRATA) guidelines and be checked regularly.

Getting In

• You do not need qualifications for entry but you should be physically fit.
• Advertising installers working at heights using ropes, harnesses and access gear must hold an IRATA qualification to at least Level 1.
• A full driving licence is usually essential to drive to sites.
• You need stamina, a good sense of balance and a good head for heights.
• For installing and maintaining digital displays, you would need electrical experience.
• You apply direct to bill posting and outdoor advertising companies for trainee posts.

Job Outlook Scotland

Job Outlook Scotland and UK

  Scotland

2019

1948

0.6 %

RISE

2024

1959

  United Kingdom

2019

31174

2 %

RISE

2024

31800

LMI data powered by EMSI UK

What Does it Take?

You should be:

• physically fit
• attentive to detail
• able to work alone or in a team
• comfortable working at heights
• aware of health and safety including the needs of your team
• practical and good at working with your hands.

Training

• Training is on the job.
• Some employers also run short induction courses of 1-2 weeks to cover the basic skills.
• The IRATA runs Technician level courses. These are for installers who work at heights with rope, harness and access gear.
• HSS Training Solutions runs an accredited course for advertising installers. The OMC Passport course consists of both a theory and practical course for installers working at heights.

Getting On

• With experience, you might become a supervisor or project manager.
• You could set up your own business but you would have to travel a lot to make a living.

Contacts

The following organisations may be able to provide further information.