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The differences between painter helpers and painter apprentices can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes More than 10 years to become both a painter helper and a painter apprentice. Additionally, a painter apprentice has an average salary of $37,030, which is higher than the $32,449 average annual salary of a painter helper.
The top three skills for a painter helper include safety rules, OSHA and painting equipment. The most important skills for a painter apprentice are work ethic, coats, and scaffolding.
| Painter Helper | Painter Apprentice | |
| Yearly salary | $32,449 | $37,030 |
| Hourly rate | $15.60 | $17.80 |
| Growth rate | 1% | 1% |
| Number of jobs | 17,183 | 9,612 |
| Job satisfaction | 4.25 | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 55% | High School Diploma, 51% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
A painter helper is a specialist who assists the principal painter with the preparation of a room, building, car, or other objects. You will be responsible for the preliminary work before the actual painting, such as preparing the work area, scraping off old paint, buffing and sanding surfaces, and applying filler and taping. Paint helpers are essential for the efficient and timely completion of a painting project. They are primarily in the automotive, home, or construction industries, where most painting work is done.
Painter Apprentices work for an organization either full time or part-time while undertaking formal training on the job. Their duties include working out needed materials quantity through job specifications, drawings, or surface measurements, and erecting structures to protect the area from paint such as ladders, scaffoldings, and drop sheets. Painter Apprentices are responsible for removing old paint, preparing surfaces, selecting paints, rolling, brushing, and spraying paint, wallpapering, and putting on decorative finishes such as marbling, color glaze, and stencils.
Painter helpers and painter apprentices have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Painter Helper | Painter Apprentice | |
| Average salary | $32,449 | $37,030 |
| Salary range | Between $21,000 And $48,000 | Between $28,000 And $47,000 |
| Highest paying City | Southampton, NY | Santa Rosa, CA |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | California |
| Best paying company | Cenergy International Services | Comtech Telecommunications |
| Best paying industry | Energy | Construction |
There are a few differences between a painter helper and a painter apprentice in terms of educational background:
| Painter Helper | Painter Apprentice | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 55% | High School Diploma, 51% |
| Most common major | Automotive Technology | Fine Arts |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between painter helpers' and painter apprentices' demographics:
| Painter Helper | Painter Apprentice | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 84.1% Female, 15.9% | Male, 87.3% Female, 12.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.9% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 35.4% Asian, 2.2% White, 47.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% | Black or African American, 8.5% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 32.1% Asian, 2.5% White, 51.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |