How long does it take to become a Porter?

It takes 2 years of professional experience to become a porter. That is the time it takes to learn specific porter skills, but does not account for time spent in formal education.

How To Become A Porter: What It Is and Career Path

What is a porter and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

A porter supports services in various settings, such as hotels, hospitals, and transportation facilities. The main duties of a porter include transporting luggage or equipment, running errands, maintaining cleanliness, and assisting customers or patients as needed. They also perform maintenance tasks, such as changing light bulbs or fixing minor issues. Porters typically work in teams and must have strong communication and customer service skills to ensure a positive experience for those they serve.

ScorePorterUS Average

Salary

2.3

Avg. Salary $29,861

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

5.7

Growth Rate 4%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

4.9

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 1.33%

Asian 4.88%

Black or African American 12.09%

Hispanic or Latino 24.70%

Unknown 4.13%

White 52.87%

Gender

female 13.76%

male 86.24%

Age - 51

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 - 51

Stress Level

5.7

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

7.0

Complexity Level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

9.1

Work Life balance is excellent

6.4 - fair

What are the pros and cons of being a Porter?

Pros

Opportunity to work in various settings such as hospitals, hotels, and schools
On-the-job training provided by employers
Opportunities for career advancement within the hospitality industry
Learning how to use various cleaning equipment and supplies
Satisfaction of seeing the result of a clean and organized space

Cons

Exposure to hazardous materials and chemicals
Risk of injury from heavy lifting or slip-and-fall accidents
Long hours on your feet can cause foot pain and other health problems
Dealing with difficult or unruly customers or guests
Working in unpleasant or unsanitary conditions at times

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Key steps to become a porter

Explore porter education requirements

Most common porter degrees

High School Diploma

50.9 %

Bachelor's

15.4 %

Associate

13.7 %

Start to develop specific porter skills

Skills	Percentages
Excellent Guest	23.89%
Dexterity	10.63%
Customer Service	8.32%
Cleanliness	7.77%
Good Communication	5.22%

Complete relevant porter training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New porters 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 porter based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real porter resumes.

Research porter duties and responsibilities

Wash down all kitchen walls, and cleaning stoves, fryers and also ovens.
Operate vehicles and power equipment, such as movers, tractors, twin-axle vehicles, snow blowers, and pruning saws.
Operate cardboard compactor to recycle boxes.
Put tenant's dishes away in the office.

Prepare your porter resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your porter 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 porter resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Porter Resume templates

Build a professional Porter resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Porter resume.