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The differences between tig welders and welder apprentices can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a tig welder and a welder apprentice. Additionally, a tig welder has an average salary of $38,192, which is higher than the $34,266 average annual salary of a welder apprentice.
The top three skills for a tig welder include tig welding, carbon steel and GTAW. The most important skills for a welder apprentice are MIG, hand tools, and arc welding.
| TIG Welder | Welder Apprentice | |
| Yearly salary | $38,192 | $34,266 |
| Hourly rate | $18.36 | $16.47 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 7,053 | 14,044 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 42% | High School Diploma, 53% |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A tungsten inert gas (TIG) welder is someone who assembles and welds metal parts for use in manufacturing or construction projects. The duties and responsibilities of a TIG welder include ensuring the quality of metal parts before assembling them, reading and interpreting blueprints, and observing safety procedures. The requirements to qualify for the position include knowledge of metallurgy, good hand-eye coordination, and good mathematical skills. A high school diploma or General Education Development (GED) certification is the minimum education requirement for the job.
A welder apprentice analyzes engineering specifications and engineering drawings to plan layout and assembly welding operations. Besides using rulers, calipers, combination squares, and straight edges to secure, position, and layout parts and assemblies as per the assignment specifications, welder apprentices also perform their duties based on established safety procedures and quality standards. They use arc welding, gas welding, electric welding, and other welding forms to weld and track-weld assemblies and different components. Moreover, a welder apprentice uses precision measuring instruments, calipers, and micrometers to find gap variance.
Tig welders and welder apprentices have different pay scales, as shown below.
| TIG Welder | Welder Apprentice | |
| Average salary | $38,192 | $34,266 |
| Salary range | Between $29,000 And $49,000 | Between $26,000 And $43,000 |
| Highest paying City | Tualatin, OR | - |
| Highest paying state | Wyoming | - |
| Best paying company | Alfa Laval | - |
| Best paying industry | Retail | - |
There are a few differences between a tig welder and a welder apprentice in terms of educational background:
| TIG Welder | Welder Apprentice | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 42% | High School Diploma, 53% |
| Most common major | Precision Metal Working | Precision Metal Working |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between tig welders' and welder apprentices' demographics:
| TIG Welder | Welder Apprentice | |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 92.3% Female, 7.7% | Male, 92.0% Female, 8.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.7% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 18.3% Asian, 2.9% White, 63.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.7% | Black or African American, 10.4% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 19.9% Asian, 2.7% White, 61.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.6% |
| LGBT Percentage | 3% | 3% |