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Next cohort 9 Nov · £1,000

Painting and decorating · London · First cohort 9 Nov

Be your own boss in a trade the UK can't get enough of.

The UK needs more decorators than it has, and a self-employed decorator on the average day rate makes £70,000+ a year. Renzo trains career changers from London and its suburbs to work for themselves, in weeks. Find out in two minutes whether you qualify.

Check if I qualify

Two minutes. Twelve questions. An honest answer.

  • £74,750 a year working for yourself, at the average day rate (Checkatrade)
  • 239,300 extra construction workers needed by 2029 (CITB)
  • First London cohort Monday 9 November · £1,000, rising to £2,000
A painter and decorator cutting in along a cornice in a Victorian hallway
Launch offer£2,000£1,000

Pay and demand

Work for yourself, and the money is yours.

These are not our numbers. They come from the biggest trade marketplace in the country, the construction industry's own training board and the Treasury. The point of this programme is to get you working for yourself, so the pay figures show what that looks like.

£74,750

a year, working for yourself

£325 a day, 5 days a week, 46 weeks a year, at the average self-employed day rate. Before tax and expenses. You set the price and keep what you earn, and rates run higher in London and the South East.

Source: Checkatrade, 2025

£325

average day rate, self-employed

What painters and decorators working for themselves charge per day on average across the UK. London and the South East sit above it.

Source: Checkatrade, 2025

239,300

extra construction workers needed by 2029

The industry's own training board forecasts 47,860 additional workers a year for five years, across every trade including decorating.

Source: CITB, June 2025

35,000+

construction vacancies right now

Over half can't be filled because applicants lack the skills, the highest rate of any sector. Government has put £600m into training 60,000 more workers by 2029.

Source: HM Treasury, 23 March 2025

The yearly figure is the average self-employed day rate times 5 days a week and 46 weeks a year, before tax, materials and other costs. It is what the average rate adds up to, not a promise. Day rates in London and the South East run above the national average.

In their words

What the industry is saying

Painters and decorators out-earn nurses and the average graduate.

Federation of Master Builders research put decorators on £34,587 a year, more than nurses (£31,867) and above the average graduate salary in England (£32,000).

Source: Federation of Master Builders, March 2018
61% of decorating firms can't find people with the right skills.

Six in ten painters and decorators say they struggle to hire skilled tradespeople, and 55% are worried the shortage will get worse.

Source: Dulux Decorator Centre, 2024
One in three UK homeowners plans to pay for painting and decorating.

34% of homeowners intend to invest in decorating, making it one of the most requested home-improvement jobs in the country.

Source: Rated People, 2023

Why this trade

Why painting and decorating, and why now

It is the fastest skilled trade to get into, the cheapest to set up in on your own, and the one every home, office, school and hospital in London and its suburbs needs on a cycle.

Check if I qualify
  1. 01

    Weeks, not years

    You don't need a three-year apprenticeship to be useful on site. The core of the trade is preparation, application and finishing, and it can be taught in weeks to adults who turn up and work.

  2. 02

    Work that can't be sent offshore

    Nobody can decorate a flat in Croydon from another country, and no software can. Demand follows people and buildings, and London is short of both decorators and homes.

  3. 03

    Cheap to set up on your own

    Brushes, rollers, dust sheets, a set of steps and a way to get to site. Compared with almost any other trade, the kit is inexpensive and the route to self-employment is short.

  4. 04

    You're the boss

    Working for yourself, you price the job, pick the work and keep what you earn: at the average day rate that is £74,750 a year. It carries more risk than a salary, and it pays for it. If you'd rather start employed, the trade has that too.

Decorators who made the switch

Tim tried driving, labouring and advertising. Then a friend asked him to paint a room.

Renzo asked working decorators what they did before, what a week looks like now, and what they would say to someone thinking about it. This is Tim, word for word.

Tim, brush in hand, standing on dust sheets in front of a freshly painted sage green wall
“I haven't had the Sunday blues for 25 years.”

TimRuns his own decorating business. Tried driving, labouring and advertising before he picked up a brush at 34.

Before
“I thought I'd finally found my career, but I just couldn't stand office life. Eventually I found myself out of work and feeling pretty desperate. Then a friend asked me to do some painting at his house. I did a good job and, more importantly, I really enjoyed it. I put an advert in the local paper and suddenly I was inundated with work.”
The end of a working day
“And when you finish a job, show the customer around, they're happy and you get paid, there's a real sense of completion. You close the door and go home. You don't take the job home with you.”
What it changed
“I've been able to be there for my children while they were growing up, and that's something I'm genuinely proud of. I've had a career that has given me both a good living and control over my time.”
To someone thinking about it
“If you're sitting there wondering whether you could make the switch, I'd say give it serious thought. Finding decorating completely changed my working life.”

Tim is a working decorator who answered Renzo's questions in writing. He is not a Renzo student, and nothing he says is a promise about what you would earn.

Check if I qualify

Launch offer · London

November cohorts are discounted. From £1,000 a place, rising to £2,000.

Cohorts start weekly in Maidenhead, for people from London and its suburbs, and there are only 4 places on each. Every cohort in November is priced below the standard £2,000, and the earlier you start, the less you pay. The programme is the same on every date. The price is not.

Places at the launch price are only offered to people who pass the eligibility check and the admissions interview.

Check if I qualify
£1,000£2,000

Cohort starting Monday 9 November

Then £1,500 from Monday 23 November.

Every cohort, every price

  1. Monday 9 NovemberOnly 4 places£1,000
  2. Monday 16 November£1,000
  3. Monday 23 NovemberPrice rises£1,500
  4. Monday 30 November£1,500
  5. Monday 7 DecemberPrice rises£2,000
  • Online and on-site training, in a weekly cohort in Maidenhead
  • Preparation, application, finishing and specialist techniques
  • Support into your own business, or into a job if you'd rather
  • Your own branded website to win you business
  • Lifetime membership of the Renzo network

Who we take

This is a physical job. We check that first.

Decorating is a good living for people who can do it and a miserable one for people who can't. This cohort is for people from London and its suburbs, and before anyone talks to you about dates and prices, we check the basics.

If you can't meet these, the check will tell you straight away. We would rather say no in two minutes than after you've paid.

Start the eligibility check
  • Living in London and its suburbs, and able to get to the training site in Maidenhead
  • On your feet for seven to eight hours a day, five days a week
  • Able to carry 20 kg of paint or a set of ladders up a flight of stairs
  • Comfortable enough on ladders and platforms to work on ceilings and stairwells
  • Able to get yourself and your kit to site for an early start
  • Eighteen or over, with the right to work in the UK
  • Able to fund the programme, in full or on a plan

How it works

  1. 1. The eligibility check

    Twelve questions, about two minutes. It tells you whether you meet the physical and practical requirements, and which side of the trade you'd fit.

  2. 2. The admissions interview

    If you pass, you watch a short walkthrough of the programme and book a twenty-minute interview. It is a two-way assessment, not a sales call. Not everyone is offered a place.

  3. 3. Train, qualify, work for yourself

    Online and on-site training in a weekly cohort in Maidenhead, then support into your own business, or into a job if you'd rather. You keep access to the Renzo network afterwards.

Questions people ask

Do I need any experience?

No. The programme is built for career changers starting from scratch. What we do need is that you can do the physical side, which is what the eligibility check is for.

What does it cost?

It depends on the cohort. The first cohort, starting Monday 9 November, is £1,000 a place. Later cohorts cost more, up to the standard price of £2,000. The dates and prices are listed next to the booking calendar. People pay in full or on a monthly plan; the admissions interview goes through both.

Where is the training, and who is it for?

The on-site training is in Maidenhead, and these cohorts are for people from London and its suburbs. You need to be able to get yourself there for an early start, and to get to sites across the city once you're working.

What can I actually earn?

Self-employed decorators charge around £325 a day on average (Checkatrade), more in London and the South East. Five days a week for 46 weeks is £74,750 a year before tax and costs, and that is at the average rate, not the top. Working for yourself carries more risk than a wage, which is part of why it pays more. If you'd rather be employed, the official median for employed painters and decorators is £32,136 a year (ONS, 2025). What you earn depends on how much work you take on and what you charge.

What happens if I don't pass the check?

You'll be told which requirement you don't meet and why it matters. Some things change, like a start date or a vehicle, and you can come back. Some don't, and it's better to know now.

Is the interview a sales call?

No. It's with an admissions advisor, it takes about twenty minutes, and it goes both ways: they check your answers and your commitment, you check the programme. If it isn't right for you, they'll say so.

Am I too old to retrain?

People come to the trade at every age. What matters is whether you can be on your feet, up and down ladders, and carrying kit, and the check asks you exactly that.

How long does the training take?

Cohorts start weekly, the first on Monday 9 November, and mix online learning with on-site practical training in Maidenhead over a matter of weeks, not years. Your advisor will confirm your cohort's dates at the interview.

Next cohort 9 Nov · £1,000

Find out if you qualify

Two minutes, twelve questions, and a straight answer about whether you meet the requirements and what happens next. The first London cohort starts Monday 9 November.

Start the eligibility check