Elevator repairmen work for elevator manufacturer companies, performing maintenance and repair services on machines owned or installed by the company. An elevator repairman is called when an elevator malfunctions and becomes stuck, or threatens the lives of its passengers in any other way. Additionally, elevator repairmen must regularly inspect elevators the company has installed, to determine whether a repair needs to be performed or the elevator needs to be completely upgraded to a newer, safer model. Elevator repairmen rarely work alone, and are commonly found teamed up with electricians.
Becoming an elevator repairman requires a high school diploma and passing an apprenticeship – the length of the apprenticeship can vary greatly, but is usually no longer than four years, and even that’s considered long by most standards. Many of the specific skills and techniques related to a company’s own designs are taught directly on the job, and it can be a bit problematic for an elevator repairman to find employment in another company, at least not without spending some time to familiarize themselves with that company’s specific designs.
As opposed to elevator installers, elevator repairmen earn slightly less on average. The median salary for 2009 was $46,000, and in general an elevator repairman working for a company is going to be compensated less than that company’s installers. Still, it’s not difficult to progress to an elevator installer from this position, and this is actually the preferred course of action for most people practicing the job.