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Job Description

Overview

Tradesmen International is hiring experienced Structural Steel Welders for projects in the San Antonio, TX area. This first shift opportunity offers a pay rate of $28-$30/hour based on experience and skill level, providing a chance to work alongside skilled craftsmen who prioritize safety and quality.

Responsibilities

  • Perform FCAW, FCAW-G, SMAW, and SAW welding on structural steel components
  • Weld bridge girders, beams, plates, and other heavy structural steel components
  • Read and interpret blueprints, shop drawings, weld symbols, and Welding Procedure Specifications
  • Perform multi-pass groove welds, fillet welds, and full-penetration welds
  • Execute carbon arc gouging, weld preparation, and shear stud welding
  • Inspect completed welds to ensure compliance with AWS D1.5 bridge welding standards
  • Maintain quality workmanship while meeting production requirements and safety standards

Requirements

  • Minimum of 3 years of heavy structural steel or bridge welding experience
  • Proficiency in FCAW welding processes
  • Ability to read and interpret weld symbols, blueprints, and shop drawings
  • FCAW and/or FCAW-G certifications required
  • 1G–3G welding certifications preferred
  • Ability to lift materials and work around heavy machinery
  • Experience operating around overhead cranes preferred

Benefits

  • Tradesmen+ Rewards Program
  • Vacation Pay
  • Health Insurance
  • 401k

Benefits

Tradesmen+ Rewards Program
Vacation Pay
Health Insurance
401k
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How this job compares in Shavano Park, TX

Pay in context

At roughly $29/hr, this posting comes in about 28% below the $40/hr median for structural welder jobs across Texas, where the middle half runs $30–$45/hr across 13 postings with published pay. Put another way, it pays more than about 23% of the comparable postings we have wage data for. That gap is worth raising directly — in a market this size there is normally room to negotiate toward the median, particularly if you already hold the certifications the posting asks for.

The local market in Shavano Park, TX

This is the only active welding job we're currently tracking in Shavano Park, TX, which makes it worth moving on quickly — there is no local competing offer to weigh it against. Across Texas as a whole we're tracking 1,092 other active welding openings from 492 employers. Browse welding jobs across Texas.

Tradesmen International, LLC currently has 1 other opening live in Texas, which is usually a sign of either steady growth or steady turnover — worth asking which in the interview.

The most active employers in Texas at the moment, by number of open welding reqs, are Zachry Group (33), Austin Industries (29), and Welding Shop in Austin, TX (21). Volume like that usually means either a genuine expansion or a staffing agency working several client sites — worth knowing which before you apply.

Within Texas, the best-paying metros we track by median hourly rate are Arlington at $40/hr, Dallas at $39/hr, and Pasadena at $36/hr. If you can relocate or commute, that spread is worth factoring in.

What you'll be running

This posting calls for Stick and Flux-Core work. Stick (SMAW) burns a flux-coated consumable rod and needs no shielding gas, so it works in wind, rain, and on dirty or rusted steel. That tolerance for bad conditions keeps it the default for field, structural, and repair work. Flux-cored (FCAW) runs a hollow wire filled with flux, combining MIG-like deposition rates with the outdoor tolerance of stick. It is the workhorse on heavy structural steel and shipbuilding, where thick sections and long welds reward speed.

See all structural welder openings if you want to compare this against similar roles.

Certifications this posting mentions

  • AWS D1.5 — the Bridge Welding Code, jointly published by AWS and AASHTO. It is stricter than D1.1 on fracture toughness and inspection, and is required on most state and federal bridge work.
  • 3G / 4G — plate position tests — 3G is welded vertically, 4G overhead. Together they demonstrate you can hold a puddle against gravity, and they are the common entry qualifications for structural and production shops.

Read straight from this posting's text. Confirm the exact qualification the employer wants before you test — requirements vary by shop even under the same code.

Similar openings near Shavano Park, TX

Pay figures are medians computed from live postings in the Welding Pros index, not from survey data, and they move as employers post. Structural Steel Welder figures were last recalculated when this page was built.