Getting Paid in the Trades
It’s important to choose a career based on your passion. You’re at work for the majority of your day, five days a week (or more!) so when it’s time to pick your life’s work, the first question to ask yourself is ‘Will this give me job satisfaction?’
Once you’ve decided construction is definitely the career for you, what’s next? Well, money, obviously! Everyone wants to know what their career prospects will be in a particular industry and how they will be able to move and grow within a company, role or trade – and construction is no different.
The good news is that, in all the skilled trades, there are great opportunities to earn. Many trades are family-oriented, too, meaning additional Rostered Days Off (or RDOs), parental leave and even special family days for companies are all common things. Trades like construction are geared towards keeping employees for life – and that means giving individual tradesmen flexibility to move as their lives change.
Additionally, every trade has its own Award wages, which are the minimum rates of pay per hour, and these rates increase with each year’s experience or additional qualification a tradie gets. You can read about the Award wages for Construction here.
Pretty much, acquiring a trade means you have skills for life and a reliable income that is regulated by Award rates, but if you want to increase your job opportunities and earning power, the way to do it is to upskill.
Someone who is qualified to lead jobs or manage projects will earn more than someone who works exclusively on the tools. Owning your own business can also make you more money than working for someone else, but it is important to make sure you know how to keep up with job planning, book keeping and other elements of business management.
If you’ve decided to take building on as a trade, or if you are keen to move your career in construction to the next level, a course is absolutely the way forward. Take a look at our options for pre-apprenticeships, construction sales, health and safety and frontline management and see what options are available for you – you could find it’s easier to move to the next level than you think!