Furniture Remover

Also known as:

Remover, Furniture

Introduction

Furniture removers pack and move the contents of homes and offices from one location 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/offices from one place to another.

The duties of a furniture remover start with the packing of the contents of houses or offices, including fragile objects such as china and glassware. They are then responsible for loading furniture, carpets and other items into a van. Furniture and household goods are secured with very strong belts.

Furniture removers may also have to take apart furniture, such as beds and wardrobes, that are too big to move in one piece. They may have to carry heavy objects such as pianos 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.

The 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 according to the wishes of the householder.

If furniture is being sent overseas, 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 people who work closely together. One person takes charge, usually the driver. In larger firms, furniture removers are specialist drivers or packers/porters. Drivers take charge of the organisation of furniture into the van and drive the contents to its destination. Packers/porters carry out the rest of the work such as packing/unpacking and loading/unloading.

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 able to deal with customers in a pleasant and polite way. You must treat other people's property with care and respect, and be trustworthy.

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 too difficult. Drivers must have a 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 £220 - £250 a week, rising to £300 - £370. 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. For example in the case of some driving jobs the employer might want someone over 21 or even 25 because of cheaper insurance.

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.

• 12% of people in occupations such as furniture remover work part-time.
• 2% have flexible hours.
• 5% of employees work on a temporary basis.

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