SHOW US YOUR TOOL: MEET A TILER APPRENTICE

If you’ve been on our Facebook  this year you’ll know we’ve been interviewing  plenty of tradies for our ‘Show Us Your Tool’ series. We realise that not everyone’s on the old Zuckerbook, though. So we thought we’d better start posting the interviews here too. The idea is to collect first-hand stories about work life across a range of trades. If you’re thinking of skilling up or switching careers in building and construction, we hope this series is helpful!

For this week’s edition we dropped in on a Simonds Homes project in Melbourne to interview Josh, a third-year tiler apprentice. See below for his take on Hytile elevators, doubles vs singles and finding the right person to help him with the bookwork.

 

 

​”I finished year 12, and from 18 to 21 I did nothing. I needed a job and this was available so I went for it. It grew on me and now I really like it. I couldn’t see myself doing anything else. If you’re going to do a trade, start as early as you can. If you’re serious about it, you won’t regret it.”

 

​”Most people find tiling hard but I reckon it’s easy. I look at it like a jigsaw puzzle; it’s just a matter of getting all the pieces in the right place.”

 

 

​”We work in a crew of four. Usually we work with two in front and two behind them picking up where they left off. First we set up the batons and then we put down the tiles. All the jobs are pretty similar, but they vary in how many pitches, valleys and drop-downs they have.”

 

​”The elevator is the tool I use the most. We’ve got two; one for the double-storeys and one for houses like this: the singles. You get it off the truck, fold it out and it’s good to go.”

 

​”This one’s pretty new; the boss picked it up a few months ago. It cost about ten grand. The last one lasted him about 25 years. You lift the tiles on the trolley, the trolley sends them up, and then the arms at the top grab them. You’ve got to have someone up top waiting to pick them up from the top and load them onto the roof.”

 

​”I’m actually scared of heights but I’ve started to get used to it. I’m still a bit shaky on the doubles.”

 

​”I might copy my boss, the way he does his business. I’ll get my missus to do all the pays and the bookwork while I do all the hands-on stuff. I just have to find someone to fill that position first.” Thanks, Josh!

Are you a tiler or have a mate who is?  Waterproofing specialists are currently in demand with plenty of career opportunities.  Upskill now with the Certificate III in Construction Waterproofing (CPC31420).  The course covers common skills needed for the construction industry as well as the specialist skills required for waterproofing in the residential and commercial construction industries.

Drop us a course enquiry here or give the guys a call on 1300 LEGEND.