Lineman
Last updated · Confirm dates, fees and eligibility on the official website before you apply.
Works on overhead and underground distribution lines - connections, faults and maintenance - often at height and on live networks. Safety discipline is not optional, and the work continues in bad weather.
- Route in
- Earliest entry: ITI. Direct entry. 2 courses lead here
- Entry pay
- ₹12,000 – ₹22,000 / monthly Any experience
- Where you work
- Manufacturing plants, Power utilities (state DISCOMs), Indian Railways, Construction firms
How people get in
Getting in
Earliest entry point. ITI level.
Licence or registration. Not required for employment. A state Electrical Supervisor / Contractor licence is required to take up electrical contracting work independently.
Where people work
Outlook
Manufacturing plants, Power utilities (state DISCOMs), Indian Railways, Construction firms.
Indicative starting salary
Understand the role
12,000 - 22,000 per month at entry level.
This is an indicative range, not a quote. Actual pay varies with employer, city, sector and the specific role.
The route in, step by step
6 steps from where you are now.
Class 10 Required
Entry for the ITI Electrician trade. Physical fitness is genuinely part of the job requirement here.
ITI in Electrician Required
Two years. Line work is not a separate ITI trade - Electrician is the route, and the overhead line skills are learned in training on the job.
Apprenticeship, ideally with a distribution utility Required
One year. An apprenticeship with a state discom is worth chasing specifically, because it puts you in the recruitment pool and teaches you live-line safety properly.
Apply to a distribution utility Required
State discoms recruit linemen and technicians through advertised examinations, and there are contractor routes too. The utility post carries a pension and safety training the contractor route often does not.
Complete safety and live-line training Required
Permit-to-work, isolation and earthing discipline, pole and tower climbing, and rescue. This is the most dangerous trade on this list and the training is not a formality.
Senior lineman, then junior technician grades Optional
Progression inside the utility runs on seniority and departmental examinations. A Wireman's Permit alongside lets you take private work legally.
Courses that lead here
2 mapped routes into this career.
What it pays
Indicative bands.
| Stage | Pay band | What changes |
|---|---|---|
| Any experience | ₹12,000 – ₹22,000 / monthly | Varies by employer |
These are ranges, not offers. Pay varies by city, employer size, sector and your own skill more than by job title. Treat the band as the shape of the market, not as a number you can hold anyone to.
Common questions
The ones people actually ask about this work.
What qualification do you need to become a Lineman?
The earliest entry point is iti level.
Where does a Lineman usually work?
Manufacturing plants, Power utilities (state DISCOMs), Indian Railways, Construction firms.
What does a Lineman earn to start?
12,000 - 22,000 per month is a typical entry-level range. Pay varies with employer, city and sector.
Does a Lineman need a licence or registration?
Not required for employment. A state Electrical Supervisor / Contractor licence is required to take up electrical contracting work independently.
Test this against your own priorities
Pay, hours and entry route matter differently to different people. Compare this against the alternative you are actually weighing, rather than against the average.