How To Become A Certified Welding Inspector: What It Is and Career Path

What is a certified welding inspector and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

As the name implies, a welder inspector job is connected in one way or the other to welding and metals. Welding inspectors examine the bonds and connections between metals. These people rely on electrical and visual tools to analyze welds and ensure they are done safely and correctly.

A certified welding inspector ensures that each weld they inspect is expertly done, has a high-quality finish, and is up to date with safety regulations. Some welding inspectors work in the pipeline inspection industry to oversee pipeline creation and all related processes. They work on the field for inspection and in the office to compile reports together.

A certified welding inspector earns an average salary of $52,417 per annum. They often possess some or all of these skills: communications skills, welding vocabulary skills, paperwork skills, detail-oriented, organization skills. They also have at least a high school diploma, and a minimum of five years of welding experience.

ScoreCertified Welding InspectorUS Average

Salary

3.7

Avg. Salary $47,494

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

8.2

Growth rate -3%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

8.2

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.80%

Asian 8.09%

Black or African American 11.72%

Hispanic or Latino 17.19%

Unknown 4.59%

White 57.61%

Gender

female 10.96%

male 89.04%

Age - 46

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 46

Stress level

8.2

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

5.3

Complexity level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work life balance

5.4

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a certified welding inspector

Explore certified welding inspector education requirements

Most common certified welding inspector degrees

Associate

31.3 %

Bachelor's

30.0 %

High School Diploma

19.9 %

Start to develop specific certified welding inspector skills

Skills	Percentages
CWI	10.45%
PT	9.59%
Structural Steel	9.32%
NDT	7.62%
Inspection Reports	6.37%

Complete relevant certified welding inspector training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New certified welding inspectors learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a certified welding inspector based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real certified welding inspector resumes.

Research certified welding inspector duties and responsibilities

Verify all welders are within approve WPS parameters using the GTAW, FCAW, SMAW and GMAW welding processes.
Inspect construction projects to ensure adherence to AISC requirements for clients of 3rd party NDT visual and ultrasonic testing company.
Experience welder in FCAW, TIG, SMAW with AWS D1.1 Certification.
Log all welds, schedule all NDE, develop weld procedures, test welders, perform all visual inspections on welds.

Prepare your certified welding inspector resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your certified welding inspector resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a certified welding inspector resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable certified welding inspector resume templates

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