How to become a Shoe Repairer

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

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.