jad n rich

Ok what could be worse than a UK winter??, well 6 - 8 months of above 30 (often closer to 40), humid in the east but beats your body crawling with 100 odd flies in the west or victoria, they go for the sweat.

You do get a break in summer, most sites close down from about 20 dec - early mid jan, no pay of course, most brickies work contract and casual if your a subbie your jobs are shut anyway. You might also get a lot of time off in summer in the east and north as it the wet season, nothing like laying bricks in a foot of mud with steam coming off it.

So either side of the shut down all hell breaks out getting jobs ahead of schedule for the shut down or working break neck speed to catch up after the shut down. Not the best time to swan off if you want to keep your job.

Most sites were on now are working 7 - 4 with one 35 min break, so that well and truly incorporates the hottest part of the day. You cant start early, noise regs. For the young and fit with about 2 litres of water a hour to replace the sweat its OK for those with a burning desire to work like a convict. Dont shoot me you did ask

ohippy

Let's be honest, being a brickie is a tough job whatever the weather. Sites here shut for Christmas and hubby would rather the weather outside was hot than cold if he was forced to down tools.

It's tough in the heat and tough in the freezing cold. Hubby's done the cold for 20 years and now wants to try the heat before his joints seize.

wombat

We have been here (Brisbane) for two years and my hubby's a brickie and he hates working here the wages are crap compared to the UK, its all day rates not by the brick unless you are the subbie who gets between between 80-90 cents a brick and also has to pay for sand, cement, ties and damp plus being the main subbie you would have to pay yearly frees for supervisors license and a bricklayer license, work cover and super for employees by the time all cost are taken out your better off being employed on a daily rate which is around $250. They work you like dogs with one half hour break if your lucky, a normal working day is 6.30 start and 3'0clock finish. Dont think life as a brickie will be better here because its not, working in 30+ degrees for an aussie w*nker that thinks hes the best trowel in the world is sh*t ! things have got so bad my husbands thinking about going back and working in England. Dont get me wrong we love Australia and dont want to live in England, but there's no money to made being a brickie in Australia, we have never been so bad off and struggled so much with money in our lives i just wanted to warn all you lot out there dreaming about $1 a brick and enjoying working in the sunshine cos its not like that at all its bloody hard work !

BRICKY ADE

Oh bugger !!!.....anyone wanna buy 2 adults and two kids Visa's ???

aston man

to be honest its the same here,i have worked for a few subbys over the years and they all think that everyone who works for them is a crap trowel.

but if you are a decent trowel and work hard it doesn't take time to gain a little respect and a bit more money,everybody in australia cannot be a fantastic trowel,it would be like here,

top trowels
average
asreolhe creepers
grassess
crap
2 day a weekers

if a little respect doesn't come then its time to move on,but i'm sure there are some nice blokes to work for in oz.

Izzy

No matter how good you are on the trowel, in Victoria at least you will be on rung one of the ladder. The methods in Vic are out of the ark - unless you are working on city centre industrial building sites, then you are going to need a huge ute, your own mixer (ready made compo - what's that then ?!!), your own scaffold..... are you getting my drift ?

You will also need a mate. Generally if you get work with an aussie, he will only pay you a minimal daily rate and despite UK standards being drastically higher than over here, he will criticise your methods and demand that you shape up to his shoddy levels !!!

Unfortunately without the mate, many companies will not give you any work . You also need to find your own labourer (approx every 2 days as well ).

Take a picture of that forklift truck on site - you won't be seeing any of those again and practice carrying all those bricks up ladders. Oh and throw away your safety hat too..............

that said, if you can get a foot in the door, you start to get your name known. But you will work physically harder than in UK if you want to earn a decent crust.

But hey, it's mid winter and it's been the same temp here in Victoria as in Birmingham today !!!!!

Also bear in mind that it works a lot differently over here to in UK as in most people buy a block of land and then choose a house to put on it from any builder they like - therefore if you got in with one particular company, they will only build what has been ordered and it could be anywhere. Also, the carpenter is the main tradie in VIC as after the slab has been laid, the entire frame is constructed, windows put in and roof is generally put on before the brickies are invited to the party. Roof means, shade and shelter too.

butch&shell

things don't sound good ,iwas there 10 years ago and it was ok worked for a big subbie doing merriton apartments ,shit materials slapped up but the lads were ok and wern't killed the money was ok but nokids and we were backpacking . was kind of hoping for a better lifestyle no weekends decent house bit of fishing in the boat dont want 7days thats what i've already got isthis possible or am i in for anasty shock

wombat

Bricklaying here is nothing like it is there, you will find out for yourself soon enough
my husband works really hard, is a decent trowel and has the respect of all the people hes been employed for, in 2 years hes never been out of a job, but you just cant make money on day work no matter what respect you have or how good you are !

thebears

Hi Wombat

With respect to you and your husband (I know nothing about bricklaying) but why is it you cannot quote for a fixed price job?

I would have thought that knowing a set price at a given quality would be more advantageous to the customer? Putting the risk/opportunity with the craftsmen?

Your thoughts please?

Kiwi

wombat

he works for a subbie, the average pay for working for a subbie is around $30 an hour.

jad n rich

Exactly, was going to point out the other day brickies here dont get paid by the brick , only the subcontractor who charges by the thousand, and has ALL of his costs, wages, transport, insurances etc out of that. Gave up tho, its like banging your head on a brick wall

Izzy

I guess it varies, state to state as my hubby is getting paid by the brick, but he doesn't employ anyone. He is partnered up with another guy and they sub-contract to the main building company.

Also have a feeling that in Perth, the houses may not be timber framed due to a lack of timber out there ? Maybe that would make things better in Perth. Also in Victoria, bricklayers do not have to be licensed.

Still, have to say that before we came, we used to look at threads like this and think that it would be different for us when we got here !!!!

jad n rich

So hes formed a partnership and works as a subcontractor, so one of them (usually both) have the liability and costs and insurances mentioned before.

pogsy

Can,t see the building trade is any different in Oz to the UK. Your either an employer or an employee. The employer will always see it differnt to the employee and the employee will always see it different to the employer. Its horses for courses

aston man

hi wombat is that abot $300 a day then,i thought the average days pay was about £350


with thanks marcus