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Clothing alteration hand

  • Hours

    35-40 per week

  • Starting salary

    £12,000 + per year

In this job you will change and repair items of clothing. You can work in dedicated clothing alteration shops or for clothing retailers. Many also work in specialist shops, such as bridalwear retailers or tailors. Getting the best fit out of ready-to-wear clothing requires the skill of people who do this job.

To do this job you should have good sewing skills. You will need to be able to work quickly and accurately. You will also need good communication skills when dealing with customers.

You may not need any academic qualifications to start work, but employers will normally expect you to have sewing experience. You could start out by working as an assistant to a dressmaker or a tailor, or as a sewing machinist in a clothing factory.



The work

As a clothing alteration hand, your work would involve:

  • fitting the customer with a garment and deciding where to make adjustments
  • agreeing alterations and marking them out, using chalk or pins
  • deciding which kind of stitching would suit different types of fabric
  • taking up or letting down hemlines
  • adjusting seams, darts or waistbands
  • repairing zips and other fastenings.

You may also stitch by hand or use an industrial-type sewing machine, such as an overlocker.

You could combine this work with other roles, such as dressmaking or tailoring, which would involve estimating the cost of a repair and managing accounts.


Hours

You would usually work between 35 and 40 hours a week, which may include evenings and weekends.

You would be based in a shop, workshop, or at a dry cleaners. If you are self employed, you may work from home. Most of your time will be spent sitting at a sewing machine.


Income

Clothing alteration hands can earn between around £12,000 and £16,600 a year, depending on experience.

They may earn more by working on a piecework basis.

Figures are intended as a guideline only.


Entry requirements

You may not need any academic qualifications to start work, but employers will normally expect you to have sewing experience. You could start out by working as an assistant to a dressmaker or a tailor, or as a sewing machinist in a clothing factory.

You will need good eyesight, and normal colour vision for matching threads to fabrics.

Larger companies, particularly department stores and clothing retailers, will often prefer you to have a recognised qualification. There is a range of courses available to cover some of the skills needed for this job, such as:

  • City & Guilds Awards, Certificates and Diplomas at levels 1 to 3 in Creative Techniques (Fashion)
  • BTEC Awards, Certificates and Diplomas at levels 1 and 2 in Fashion and Clothing
  • NOCN Certificate at Level 2 in Skills for the Fashion Industries
  • NCFE Awards and Certificates at levels 1 to 3 in Creative Craft (Pattern Cutting, or Dressmaking).

Training and development

You will usually be trained on the job, working alongside experienced colleagues, and learning a variety of sewing techniques.

You could develop your skills further by working towards an ABC Level 2 Certificate in Manufacturing Sewn Products and an ABC Level 3 Certificate in Apparel Manufacturing Technology.

Achieving a Level 3 qualification may help you move into areas such as pattern grading, pattern cutting, tailoring and design.


Skills and knowledge

To become a clothing alteration hand, you should have:

  • an interest in textiles, colour, fashion, design and trends
  • good sewing skills – both by hand and on a machine
  • an appreciation for detail
  • an understanding of garment construction
  • good communication skills and tact when dealing with customers
  • the ability to work quickly and accurately
  • the ability to work on your own initiative.

More information

Creative Skillset (Opens new window)
Focus Point
21 Caledonian Road
London
N1 9GB
www.creativeskillset.org

Creative Skillset Careers (Opens new window)
Tel: 08080 300 900 (England and Northern Ireland)
Tel: 0845 850 2502(Scotland)
Tel: 08000 121 815 (Wales)
www.creativeskillset.org/careers


Opportunities

You will find most jobs in shops specialising in fast alteration and repair services, clothing retail and dry cleaning. You could also work with industrial laundry companies.

If you are a highly skilled alteration hand, you may be able to work for a theatre wardrobe department or theatrical costume supplier.

With the right skills and experience, you could move into a supervisory position or set up your own business.

Jobs may be advertised in the local press, in industry publications (such as Drapers, Textile Month and Textile Horizons), and on Directgov (Jobseekers page).

Job profiles are based on the latest information supplied to us by industry bodies, such as Sector Skills Councils. Please be aware that with the introduction of the Qualifications and Credit Framework (Opens in a new window) there has been, and will continue to be, changes to vocational qualifications. For more information, please check with industry bodies directly.

We do not accept responsibility for the content of external sites.


Related industry information

Industry summary

The laundry and dry‐cleaning industry is part of the fashion and textiles sector, represented by Creative Skillset, which also includes: apparel; textiles; and footwear and leather; advertising; animation; computer games; facilities; film; interactive media; photo imaging; publishing; radio; and television. The fashion and textiles sector as a whole employs an estimated 340,000 people across 79,000 enterprises, which are predominately small and medium sized employers. The sector contributes around £10 billion to the UK economy each year, but due to the current economic downturn, product exports have fallen. However, employment in the sector has remained relatively stable level.

The laundry industry includes: dry‐cleaning services; laundry services; textile rental; and clothing repair and alteration. In the current economic climate, commercial laundries are reporting their best year ever, while customer‐facing, high‐street laundries are not doing so well.

Key facts:

  • The industry contributes £1.1 billion to the UK economy each year.
  • There are around 13,000 enterprises in the textile services industry, of which 11,000 are sole traders.
  • Most of these businesses are small, employing 250 people or fewer.
  • There are around 50,000 people employed in this industry in the UK.

Jobs in the industry include: laundry operative, dry‐cleaning operative, presser, branch assistant, repair/alteration hand, machine maintenance technician, laundry engineer and production manager.


National and regional data

This industry is fairly evenly spread across the UK. The greatest concentrations of activity are in urban areas, including parts of London and major cities such as Leeds, Birmingham and Liverpool.

East Midlands – There are more than 5,000 people employed within the industry in the East Midlands. The majority of the workforce is based in Leicester.

East of England – There are almost 7,000 people employed within the industry, making it the third largest region. Tendring in Essex and South Cambridgeshire have the largest workforces.

London – There are almost 8,000 people employed within the industry, making it the second largest region for laundry and dry cleaning in the UK. Merton has the largest workforce, followed by Lambeth and Ealing. Employment is fairly evenly distributed throughout the remaining districts in London.

North East – There are almost 2,000 people employed within the industry, which represents the smallest proportion of the total UK employment in this industry. County Durham and Newcastle have the largest number of people employed in the industry. Employment is fairly evenly distributed throughout the remaining districts.

North West – There are over 5,000 people employed within the industry in the North West. Tameside has the largest workforce, followed by Lancaster and Chorley.

South East – There are over 9,000 people employed within the industry. The workforce is fairly evenly distributed across the sector, but Medway (Kent) and Reading have slightly higher numbers.

South West – There are almost 4,000 people employed within the industry, with almost half working in North Dorset.

West Midlands – There are more than 3,000 people employed within the industry, who are mainly located in Sandwell and Birmingham.

Yorkshire and the Humber – There are over 3,000 people employed within the industry. The workforce is concentrated in Calderdale, Leeds, Sheffield and Wakefield.

[N.B. Data derived from Annual Business Inquiry, 2007.]


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