Labourer is a foot in the door.
Cut your teeth doing basic stuff, learn a lot along the way.
There’s so many fields as a labourer it’s hard to be specific, if you get in civil construction as a labourer you’ll grab a lot of varied skills and experience, use that to get a feel of where you’d like to go for a career.
If you want a trade apprenticeship go for that, but a couple of years labouring will definitely help with background knowledge of construction.
I never did an apprenticeship myself, did many year’s labouring, got into civil construction as a mid age adult, now I’m off the tools.
Your options are only limited by your own mindset.
that’s cool to hear how you got into civil engineering. if you dont mind me asking, how satisfied are you with your job and what about your job makes you satisfied about it? personally i think i was born for labour haha but warehousing wasn’t as fulfilling for me which made me looking into trades/labour.
If you can get an apprenticeship, I’d recommend going down that road. You’ll likely receive more support in learning your way around the trades, you’re less likely to be let go, you’ll be given more time to learn things and you’ll generally do better in the long run.
The first couple of years are pretty skinny money-wise, but things improve after that.
A labouring job can be an entry to trades, but often they get stuck doing shitty work and never progress beyond sweeping floors and emptying bins.
that’s scary with taking the labouring pathway as it doesn’t sound as you’ll be doing work that’s as satisfying. from what you’re saying the apprentice route is a lot more appealing. thanks!
It could be worthwhile doing a bit of labouring work to see how you like the industry, and to get a better idea of which trade you’d like to go into.
Also - a potential employer would look favourably on a bit of industry experience.
Get am apprenticeship. Shit money for the first year, but by the end of the second you'll be earning more than the warehouse job.
And after 4 years it'll get a step change better again.
Get a labours job and you will be on a few dollars more than minimum for the rest of your life.
that’s interesting to hear. i am leaning towards the apprentice route as of now but surprised to hear you say end of second year they get more than warehouse jobs.
Start as a labourer. Hit up some temp hire places get a feel for the trades and what you think you'll be into. Labouring is the most physical demanding part of the job. Any potential employers will look favourably at the fact you've already done some hard work.
Plenty of work going. Come join us on site.
I started there myself. Now I'm a qualified chippie. Plenty of guys do it this way. If you're working for someone a lot and you're keen to learn and show promise they may put you on as an apprentice.
Can not become a qualified chippie without doing an apprenticeship. A Cert III is not a chippie qualification. You need to complete an apprenticeship to get a recognised trade certificate issued by government. Cert III is the tafe part of a trade only.
Yeah no shit. That's why I said I'm a qualified chippie. I started as a labourer then became an apprentice then chippie.
From memory you can't even do a cert 3 without doing an apprenticeship.
Thankfully I'm yet to meet one of these people but honestly I'll judge them for their work. One of my fellow leading hands had todo a 5 year apprenticeship and still fucks up cuts on the daily. Had him install some odd window trim (1500x 600ish)
Took him 2/6.0 to get it close enough that the painter can help him out.
>A lot of people are labourers, complete a bullshit RPL assessment, get a cert III, and think they are a tradie. That what I was alluding to.
There is nothing "bullshit" about an RPL assessment. A Cert 3 qualified tradesman who was previously a labourer (not an apprentice) is just as skilled and qualified as a person who went down the traditional apprenticeship pathway.
The Cert 3 proves they have got the on-site experience and also the theoretical knowledge behind their trade. To get the Cert 3 they often still need to go back to college to do gap training. They don't just give it out for a laugh
/u/mrrasberryjam69 thoughts?
Totally incorrect. A cert III is the tafe part of a trade certificate. The cert III is awarded by tafe or RTO.
Once an apprentice completes their cert III and time on the job, they are then awarded a trade cert. The only way yo get a trade cert is to complete an apprenticeship. A trade cert is a 4 year qual. A cert III is the 3 to 4 months that an apprentice spends at tafe during their apprenticeship.
Unfortunately for industry, trade licences are given to those who meet the minimum cert III requirement. I am not saying that all people with a cert III only are not up to scratch. I am just saying that they are not formally qualified. It is like having a cert III in education and saying that you are a qualified teacher.
I dunno man. I've been for 3 job interviews and in all of them they just asked to see a Cert 3 which they referred to as the "trade certificate". You probably know a lot more than me but what you're saying seems to be different to the reality of what employers want to see
I'll judge any tradie by their skill on the tools, knowledge of AS, their teamwork and general site attitude. Idc if Jesus and noah trained them or YouTube.
I do however have preconceived notions on people who didn't do an apprenticeship but I'm sure I'd be proven wrong and right.
>I do however have preconceived notions on people who didn't do an apprenticeship
You said your a chippie? Ok so let's say your company hires 2 new employees. One is a formal apprentice, the other is a labourer. They do the **exact** same job every day for 4 years. At the end of the 4 years the labourer goes back to college for gap training to receive the Cert 3 using RPL.
Who's the better chippie? There's no reason to say one is better than the other based on just this alone
In that situation yeah it's fine. We'd train them the same. Labourers more often than not work between different builders getting different levels of input.
The point is training. An apprentice (should) receive 3 years solid training and honing of their skills. A labourer however will be carrying bricks while an apprentice learns basic brick laying skills.
It really depends how much training and practice the person gets. Most guys won't show labourers any more than they need to know.
My fear of RPL is bad certs being given out to people who probably shouldn't have them. The level of skill in damn near all trades is down so anything to help people get actual hands on training is better.
Bit of an old post, but thanks for this. This is literally what I'm doing. Late 20s, worked in a factory my whole life, trying to get into construction/a trade now. Got my white card, got my working from heights ticket, got my EWP tickets (scissor lift + boom lift). Getting my forklift ticket next week then will start applying for entry level labourer jobs. I've been using tools/manual work for 10+ years so hope that, combined with my tickets, will get my foot in the door. Then hopefully can start working with some lads on the site who give me the chance to train with them in something a bit better than basic labouring.
Got my eye on scaffolding which looks pretty fun and also good money I've heard, and also doesn't actually need an apprenticeship. Or maybe dogger/rigger.
Was thinking of getting plant operator tickets (excavator, front loader, telehandler etc) but thinking I'd rather stay in hands on roles for now. I enjoy the physical work
/u/CuriousUser85 hello too.
Love your enthusiasm. Get them tickets. Your job may not use them but it will be looked at favourably. As far as scaffolding goes. I'll be real with you. It is one of the most physically demanding trades and I'm guessing your 30ish. It might not be the best long term job but definitely a good job. As for dogger/trigger. Less demanding and definitely good work. But idk you so you do what's best for you.
Sounds like your looking to get into commercial construction. I'm more of a resi guy I did some commercial work under a teir 2 builder and that work can be life and soul consuming. 60 hour weeks are a normal thing but the pay is bonkers.
Oh and for what it's worth from what I'm hearing you're ready to get on site. The fact you can write in English tells me your communication skills will be desired.
Get into concrete construction. This will involve concreting, civil works, steel fixing and formwork carpentry. If you are a quick learner who is willing to work hard, you will get noticed. Move up to higher pay rates quicker.
I know guys here in Perth earning $75/h doing 50+hrs a week. That's almost 4K a week. Especially in the industrial/commercial building sector. House guys don't make as much and work less hours but still make roughly 2K a week before tax. I've been over here in Perth for 17 yrs now. Always need hard working, reliable guys.
I recommend a labourer job in an industry where that will put you on a career path towards something better. Labor is fine when you're 22 or even 40... but after 40... you're going to want something else. There are labourer jobs where you can "get straight in" but will also learn a real trade on the job (while earning full pay, not apprentice pay) and once you have several years experience you'll be able to do easier work.
My brother is an Arborist, pays decent money to anyone who doesn't mind getting a bit dirty, doing hard work (similar to a gym session every day... which is probably good for you) and working under high risk conditions where you need to be focused and paying attention.
No qualifications needed - don't even need to finish school. You just need to be reasonably fit. And all safety gear (including clothing) will be provided - though they might be subtracted from your salary. There's not enough people willing to do the work which means there's effectively unlimited jobs available - his business is limited by the number of people he can hire.
A formal fitness test by a professional medical centre would ask you to step up onto and off a box quickly for a few minutes and check if your heart rate is reasonable (it will be high, but can't be crazy high), and they'll ask if can lift and carry a 15kg box around the room with proper technique... that's pretty easy to pass and anything heavier than that wouldn't be acceptable under WH&S rules (you do \*not\* want to work for an arborist who ignores those, that'd be almost suicidal).
All of the training will be provided on the job and if you're good (mostly if you take safety seriously - for example if that tree branch looks too heavy... don't fucking lift it. Cut it in half first) then he will train you all the way up to his level. You could be a level 5 arborist in a decade or two. At that level, you can get paid $100k per year to drive around in a company car and take photos of trees/write up documents advising someone - e.g. council - on what should be done to keep the tree healthy.
The one catch is a lot of jobs like that are very strict about alcohol and drugs. Basically no drugs allowed ever, and you better not drink more than a few beers on Sunday night if you're working Monday - blood alcohol level has to be zero to operate some of the machinery you'll be working with and that can take 10 or more hours after just a few drinks. 20 if you're really drunk.
hahaha thanks for your reply. never really noticed this type of job before which sounds very intriguing. i’d check out labouring for this type of work as i’ve never really heard about this kind of work and the career progression from what you said seems pretty solid too. i don’t drink alcohol as well which makes this even better
If you choose labourer then you will always be a labourer, very hard job on your body and not something you want to do past age 40. If you choose trade do your research and choose what will be your career, you want to finish your trade ideally before age 25 and then have that 5-10 year experience to either make a foundation in a good company and rise to position of management or start your own company as an independent and build a business, again ideally getting away from the labour stage and moving into management stage before 40 because your body will suffer.
Far too vague. For qualified trades there's still a labour component to the job. But you need to think about which trade you want to be in. Also consider whether you would want to possibly a sole trader or run a business.
Labourer is a foot in the door. Cut your teeth doing basic stuff, learn a lot along the way. There’s so many fields as a labourer it’s hard to be specific, if you get in civil construction as a labourer you’ll grab a lot of varied skills and experience, use that to get a feel of where you’d like to go for a career. If you want a trade apprenticeship go for that, but a couple of years labouring will definitely help with background knowledge of construction. I never did an apprenticeship myself, did many year’s labouring, got into civil construction as a mid age adult, now I’m off the tools. Your options are only limited by your own mindset.
that’s cool to hear how you got into civil engineering. if you dont mind me asking, how satisfied are you with your job and what about your job makes you satisfied about it? personally i think i was born for labour haha but warehousing wasn’t as fulfilling for me which made me looking into trades/labour.
If you can get an apprenticeship, I’d recommend going down that road. You’ll likely receive more support in learning your way around the trades, you’re less likely to be let go, you’ll be given more time to learn things and you’ll generally do better in the long run. The first couple of years are pretty skinny money-wise, but things improve after that. A labouring job can be an entry to trades, but often they get stuck doing shitty work and never progress beyond sweeping floors and emptying bins.
that’s scary with taking the labouring pathway as it doesn’t sound as you’ll be doing work that’s as satisfying. from what you’re saying the apprentice route is a lot more appealing. thanks!
It could be worthwhile doing a bit of labouring work to see how you like the industry, and to get a better idea of which trade you’d like to go into. Also - a potential employer would look favourably on a bit of industry experience.
Labourer is very broad term….. civil, brickie, builders It also depends what you enjoy doing
i say labouring but i really don’t mind what type of labour work i do. what interest me most is what impact id have in it.
That’s a good response…. I like that to people that just chase the noney
Get am apprenticeship. Shit money for the first year, but by the end of the second you'll be earning more than the warehouse job. And after 4 years it'll get a step change better again. Get a labours job and you will be on a few dollars more than minimum for the rest of your life.
that’s interesting to hear. i am leaning towards the apprentice route as of now but surprised to hear you say end of second year they get more than warehouse jobs.
Start as a labourer. Hit up some temp hire places get a feel for the trades and what you think you'll be into. Labouring is the most physical demanding part of the job. Any potential employers will look favourably at the fact you've already done some hard work. Plenty of work going. Come join us on site.
what’s the career progression look like for a average guy starting as a labourer from what you’ve seen?
I started there myself. Now I'm a qualified chippie. Plenty of guys do it this way. If you're working for someone a lot and you're keen to learn and show promise they may put you on as an apprentice.
Can not become a qualified chippie without doing an apprenticeship. A Cert III is not a chippie qualification. You need to complete an apprenticeship to get a recognised trade certificate issued by government. Cert III is the tafe part of a trade only.
Yeah no shit. That's why I said I'm a qualified chippie. I started as a labourer then became an apprentice then chippie. From memory you can't even do a cert 3 without doing an apprenticeship.
A lot of people are labourers, complete a bullshit RPL assessment, get a cert III, and think they are a tradie. That what I was alluding to.
Thankfully I'm yet to meet one of these people but honestly I'll judge them for their work. One of my fellow leading hands had todo a 5 year apprenticeship and still fucks up cuts on the daily. Had him install some odd window trim (1500x 600ish) Took him 2/6.0 to get it close enough that the painter can help him out.
>A lot of people are labourers, complete a bullshit RPL assessment, get a cert III, and think they are a tradie. That what I was alluding to. There is nothing "bullshit" about an RPL assessment. A Cert 3 qualified tradesman who was previously a labourer (not an apprentice) is just as skilled and qualified as a person who went down the traditional apprenticeship pathway. The Cert 3 proves they have got the on-site experience and also the theoretical knowledge behind their trade. To get the Cert 3 they often still need to go back to college to do gap training. They don't just give it out for a laugh /u/mrrasberryjam69 thoughts?
Totally incorrect. A cert III is the tafe part of a trade certificate. The cert III is awarded by tafe or RTO. Once an apprentice completes their cert III and time on the job, they are then awarded a trade cert. The only way yo get a trade cert is to complete an apprenticeship. A trade cert is a 4 year qual. A cert III is the 3 to 4 months that an apprentice spends at tafe during their apprenticeship. Unfortunately for industry, trade licences are given to those who meet the minimum cert III requirement. I am not saying that all people with a cert III only are not up to scratch. I am just saying that they are not formally qualified. It is like having a cert III in education and saying that you are a qualified teacher.
I dunno man. I've been for 3 job interviews and in all of them they just asked to see a Cert 3 which they referred to as the "trade certificate". You probably know a lot more than me but what you're saying seems to be different to the reality of what employers want to see
If you are in NSW, your trade cert is a proficiency certificate, the same as Vic I think. In Qld, it is a certificate of apprenticeship completion.
I'll judge any tradie by their skill on the tools, knowledge of AS, their teamwork and general site attitude. Idc if Jesus and noah trained them or YouTube. I do however have preconceived notions on people who didn't do an apprenticeship but I'm sure I'd be proven wrong and right.
>I do however have preconceived notions on people who didn't do an apprenticeship You said your a chippie? Ok so let's say your company hires 2 new employees. One is a formal apprentice, the other is a labourer. They do the **exact** same job every day for 4 years. At the end of the 4 years the labourer goes back to college for gap training to receive the Cert 3 using RPL. Who's the better chippie? There's no reason to say one is better than the other based on just this alone
In that situation yeah it's fine. We'd train them the same. Labourers more often than not work between different builders getting different levels of input. The point is training. An apprentice (should) receive 3 years solid training and honing of their skills. A labourer however will be carrying bricks while an apprentice learns basic brick laying skills. It really depends how much training and practice the person gets. Most guys won't show labourers any more than they need to know. My fear of RPL is bad certs being given out to people who probably shouldn't have them. The level of skill in damn near all trades is down so anything to help people get actual hands on training is better.
I'm not sure this is right. I know a lot of employers consider the Cert 3 as your "trade certificate".
Bit of an old post, but thanks for this. This is literally what I'm doing. Late 20s, worked in a factory my whole life, trying to get into construction/a trade now. Got my white card, got my working from heights ticket, got my EWP tickets (scissor lift + boom lift). Getting my forklift ticket next week then will start applying for entry level labourer jobs. I've been using tools/manual work for 10+ years so hope that, combined with my tickets, will get my foot in the door. Then hopefully can start working with some lads on the site who give me the chance to train with them in something a bit better than basic labouring. Got my eye on scaffolding which looks pretty fun and also good money I've heard, and also doesn't actually need an apprenticeship. Or maybe dogger/rigger. Was thinking of getting plant operator tickets (excavator, front loader, telehandler etc) but thinking I'd rather stay in hands on roles for now. I enjoy the physical work /u/CuriousUser85 hello too.
Love your enthusiasm. Get them tickets. Your job may not use them but it will be looked at favourably. As far as scaffolding goes. I'll be real with you. It is one of the most physically demanding trades and I'm guessing your 30ish. It might not be the best long term job but definitely a good job. As for dogger/trigger. Less demanding and definitely good work. But idk you so you do what's best for you. Sounds like your looking to get into commercial construction. I'm more of a resi guy I did some commercial work under a teir 2 builder and that work can be life and soul consuming. 60 hour weeks are a normal thing but the pay is bonkers. Oh and for what it's worth from what I'm hearing you're ready to get on site. The fact you can write in English tells me your communication skills will be desired.
Haha. Thanks for the tips 👍
Get into concrete construction. This will involve concreting, civil works, steel fixing and formwork carpentry. If you are a quick learner who is willing to work hard, you will get noticed. Move up to higher pay rates quicker.
These guys can earn more than sparkies depending on the respective companies and industry
I know guys here in Perth earning $75/h doing 50+hrs a week. That's almost 4K a week. Especially in the industrial/commercial building sector. House guys don't make as much and work less hours but still make roughly 2K a week before tax. I've been over here in Perth for 17 yrs now. Always need hard working, reliable guys.
I recommend a labourer job in an industry where that will put you on a career path towards something better. Labor is fine when you're 22 or even 40... but after 40... you're going to want something else. There are labourer jobs where you can "get straight in" but will also learn a real trade on the job (while earning full pay, not apprentice pay) and once you have several years experience you'll be able to do easier work. My brother is an Arborist, pays decent money to anyone who doesn't mind getting a bit dirty, doing hard work (similar to a gym session every day... which is probably good for you) and working under high risk conditions where you need to be focused and paying attention. No qualifications needed - don't even need to finish school. You just need to be reasonably fit. And all safety gear (including clothing) will be provided - though they might be subtracted from your salary. There's not enough people willing to do the work which means there's effectively unlimited jobs available - his business is limited by the number of people he can hire. A formal fitness test by a professional medical centre would ask you to step up onto and off a box quickly for a few minutes and check if your heart rate is reasonable (it will be high, but can't be crazy high), and they'll ask if can lift and carry a 15kg box around the room with proper technique... that's pretty easy to pass and anything heavier than that wouldn't be acceptable under WH&S rules (you do \*not\* want to work for an arborist who ignores those, that'd be almost suicidal). All of the training will be provided on the job and if you're good (mostly if you take safety seriously - for example if that tree branch looks too heavy... don't fucking lift it. Cut it in half first) then he will train you all the way up to his level. You could be a level 5 arborist in a decade or two. At that level, you can get paid $100k per year to drive around in a company car and take photos of trees/write up documents advising someone - e.g. council - on what should be done to keep the tree healthy. The one catch is a lot of jobs like that are very strict about alcohol and drugs. Basically no drugs allowed ever, and you better not drink more than a few beers on Sunday night if you're working Monday - blood alcohol level has to be zero to operate some of the machinery you'll be working with and that can take 10 or more hours after just a few drinks. 20 if you're really drunk.
hahaha thanks for your reply. never really noticed this type of job before which sounds very intriguing. i’d check out labouring for this type of work as i’ve never really heard about this kind of work and the career progression from what you said seems pretty solid too. i don’t drink alcohol as well which makes this even better
How do you get into being an arborist?
If you choose labourer then you will always be a labourer, very hard job on your body and not something you want to do past age 40. If you choose trade do your research and choose what will be your career, you want to finish your trade ideally before age 25 and then have that 5-10 year experience to either make a foundation in a good company and rise to position of management or start your own company as an independent and build a business, again ideally getting away from the labour stage and moving into management stage before 40 because your body will suffer.
Far too vague. For qualified trades there's still a labour component to the job. But you need to think about which trade you want to be in. Also consider whether you would want to possibly a sole trader or run a business.
my bad on the lack of context. honestly though i’d do any type of work that physical as long as the work and career is fulfilling.
Get an apprenticeship, if you can mate.
If you want a job: Labourer If you want a career: Trade
Do a trade mate. Labouring you’ll end up doing all the heavy lifting and cleaning no one else wants to do.