-
Step 1
Get painting experience any way you can, even by painting your own house, or helping friends and family with their painting projects. Employers are more willing to take you on as a trainee if you have a little experience.
-
Step 2
Contact the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT) about training courses and union membership. They may be able to put you in touch with a union company that offers apprenticeships.
-
Step 3
Start your job search in late spring or during the summer. Painting is seasonal work in most parts of the country and this is when most paint companies do their hiring.
-
Step 4
Look in the classified ads on-line, in the newspaper or at paint store bulletin boards. Be proactive by calling painting companies and asking if they need someone and posting your experience and phone number in paint stores.
-
Step 5
Be willing to work for a general contractor or builder learning related trades, just to get your foot in the door. Try other related trades such as plaster and drywall, wallpaper hanging, deck refinishing and even working in a retail paint store.
-
Step 6
Show up for work on time and be cheerful and dependable. Keep yourself well groomed--having a messy job doesn't mean you you shouldn't look and act professionally.
-
Step 7
Be prepared to do a lot of the "dirty work" when you get a job. The only way to train for house painting is to learn every phase on the job. Be ready and willing to spend hours scraping paint, sanding and caulking, and taping and masking.
