Furniture Remover

Also known as:

Remover, Furniture

Introduction

Furniture removers pack and move the contents of homes and offices from one place to another. Hours of work may be irregular, especially if furniture has to be moved over long distances.

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Work Activities

Furniture removers move the contents of houses or business premises from one place to another.

A furniture remover's work starts with packing house or office contents, including fragile items such as china, glassware and IT equipment. Sometimes removal firms have specialist packers who go in a day or two before the removal to wrap and pack these items for the customer.

On the day of the removal they are responsible for loading furniture, carpets and other items into a van. Furniture and household goods are secured in the van with webbing (very strong belts).

Furniture removers may also have to take apart furniture that is too big or heavy to move in one piece. They may have to carry heavy objects such as pianos or wardrobes up or down several flights of stairs in a tenement.

Office removals is often a specialist field - the remover has to know how to detach, pack and reinstall all the separate parts of IT hardware and other office equipment.

Removers travel with the furniture in the van and unload all the contents when they arrive at their destination, placing them in the right rooms or putting them into storage.

If furniture is being sent abroad, the furniture remover must wrap it carefully using special materials, make up wooden crates and cases, and draw up a list of all items.

Furniture removers usually work in teams of two or three working closely together. The driver is usually the team leader. In larger firms, furniture removers are specialist drivers or packers/porters.

The driver usually takes charge of organising the furniture into the van and drives the contents to its destination. The rest of the team (packers or porters) pack and load the van and unload and unpack it at the destination.

Furniture removers must know the correct way to pack items such as china, books and delicate furniture, and how to load and secure it onto the van. Knowing the correct way to lift heavy items is very important for health and safety reasons.

Overnight stopovers are common and furniture removers with experience may have the opportunity to do overseas removals work. Trips overseas can involve periods of two or three weeks away from home.

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Personal Qualities and Skills

You must be able to work as part of a team. You will spend a lot of time with your colleagues. It is important that you are practical and able to use your hands. You should be friendly and polite to customers, who are often under stress during a removal.

You must treat other people's property with care and respect, and be trustworthy. It is helpful if you can read a map and follow directions.

You must be physically fit and strong as there is a lot of bending and lifting involved. If you suffer from back problems, you may find this line of work difficult to do. Drivers must have a full driving licence, and in some cases, a Large Goods Vehicle (LGV) licence may be required.

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Pay and Opportunities

The pay rates given below are approximate.

Pay rates for furniture removers are in the range of £230 - £260 a week, rising to £320 - £380. Higher earners can make around £440 a week. Furniture removers usually work a basic 40-hour week. However, long hours, including early starts, late finishes, weekend and work on public holidays may be required.

Employers throughout the UK are removal companies, the largest of which have regional depots. The majority of removal firms are, however, local companies with a small fleet of vans that employ a few staff.

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Adult Opportunities

It is illegal for any organisation to set age limits for entry to employment, education or training, unless they can show there is a real need to have these limits.

Previous practical work experience, for example, as a van delivery assistant or warehouse worker is an advantage.

Removers who drive furniture removal vehicles require a clean current driving licence and must comply with vehicle driver licensing entry requirements.

• 11% of people in occupations such as furniture remover work part-time.
• 11% have flexible hours.
• 5% of employees work on a temporary basis.

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