How to become a Shoe Repairer

Shoe repairers repair shoes and leather goods according to customer requirements.

Personal requirements for a Shoe Repairer

  • Enjoy practical and manual activities
  • Good hand-eye coordination
  • Good interpersonal and communication skills
  • Money handling skills
  • Safety-conscious
  • Able to work quickly and accurately
  • Free from allergies to glue and polish.

Duties & Tasks of a Shoe Repairer

Shoe repairers may perform the following tasks:

  • Choose ready-made new soles or cut them from pieces of leather, rubber or nylon, and then cement them to the shoe
  • Use a power-operated sole stitcher, a manually operated sewing machine or a glue solution to attach soles to shoes
  • Replace heels by cutting replacement heels into shape and cementing or nailing them into place by machine or by hand
  • Stain and polish repaired shoes to match the original colour
  • Replace insoles and toecaps, re-stitch loose seams, replace bows, buckles, zippers and ribbons, patch uppers and re-colour and polish shoes
  • Carry out repairs such as replacing zips on handbags and luggage
  • Cut keys, change watch batteries and do engraving
  • Interact with and respond to customers
  • Handle money and process sales
  • Manage other staff and accounts
  • If highly skilled, make surgical adjustments such as building up soles and heels or adapting footwear according to doctors' prescriptions.

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