Tyre Fitter (Tire Technician)
🔩Changes and repairs tyres, balances wheels and straightens rims. Spring and autumn bring queues and rush jobs; the rest of the year is quieter.
Prospects & pay
What the work is like
💼 Job market
🇺🇸 $43.2k a year on average
Miscellaneous vehicle & mobile equipment mechanics, installers, & repairers — US: Census ACS 2020–24 (full-time), BLS projections 2025–35
🇬🇧 £30.5k median a year · 13,000 jobs
Tyre, exhaust and windscreen fitters — UK: ONS ASHE 2025 (full-time)
🤖 AI & automation
Automatic machines make the work easier, but quickly and carefully taking a wheel off someone's car will be a human job for a long time.
Who it suits
Interests: 🔧 Making things by hand, ✈️ Transport, flying, sea.
Key strengths: strength and stamina, manual dexterity.
Where to study
- Course On-the-job training; NTDA tyre fitting courses (UK)
- Apprenticeship Light vehicle maintenance apprenticeship (a route to becoming a mechanic)
Key school subjects (A-level / IB / AP): Maths.
🧗 No experience needed: you learn on the job in a few weeks (the UK has NTDA courses). To earn more, move on to a vehicle mechanic apprenticeship.
Things to know
🛢️ Dirt, noise, smells
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