Construction - Where can the most money be made?
 

Hi Everyone,

I am heading out on the working holiday (IEC 2013) visa - should be in Canada by April 2013.

In brief, I am 25, single and have over 5 years experience installing drywall/metal framing (to use some Canadian phrasing) - basically I would like to spend at least the 1st 6 months working my ass off.

I am willing to work in any part of Canada, regardless how remote and would actually prefer to work at a camp to help me save money. I am used working big hours so not an issue. For 6 months, I don't want a social life (as sad as that may sound!).

I would appreciate any advice to help me with my plan of attack, particularly from people with direct experience of construction in Canada and any specific company leads would be more than welcome.

Thanks

Re: Construction - Where can the most money be made?
 

Forget the construction and work as a labourer in a Northern Alberta mining/oil field camp. I think they call them roughnecks or something like that.

Re: Construction - Where can the most money be made?
 

Hi Danny,

It is definitely something I am actively considering, though 2 reasons are making me think I should stick with construction;
a) it doesn't seem quite so easy as people imagine to get a mining labouring job with no previous experience - if I'm wrong, please let me know...
b) with the prior construction experience I should be getting $25/$30 anyway, which is around the same as what I might get for mining labourer..?

If my assertions are off, please let me know and I'd appreciate first hand knowledge particularly. Ultimately I'm a hard grafter and it doesn't bother me what work I do or where

Re: Construction - Where can the most money be made?
 

Have a read of this thread about roughnecks, it is from 2011 so if anything wages may have gone up since then.

http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=705571

Re: Construction - Where can the most money be made?
 

Wages haven't changed much but he would have to sit himself through his tickets.

I reckon in construction as a drywaller his best bet is to go to to the edges of a city where they are building cookie cutter houses as fast as they can muster, and speak to the contractors. They should be able to put him in touch with crews that need workers.

Re: Construction - Where can the most money be made?
 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6jYLai3vB8


Thats where the moneys at. i no where i will be next winter:)

Re: Construction - Where can the most money be made?
 

Count your fingers before and AFTER each day's work. You may be able to pick up a bonus! ;)

Re: Construction - Where can the most money be made?
 

Sounds like you work in residential construction, I would say Calgary, Vancouver or St John's (Newfoundland). Other places with a lot of residential construction at the moment are Fort McMurray and Estevan, Sask., but they're both much smaller and rent is really high.

Re: Construction - Where can the most money be made?
 

If he is a metal framer than he is probably a commercial guy - do you have acoustical ceiling etc experience as well?

In reality you are likely to earn more or less the same across the country and there is always work for commercial drywallers/steel stud framers. It really depends on what you want to get out of the year?

I would look at Toronto, Ottawa, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton - all the big cities where you can have fun as well as earn the better money.

Re: Construction - Where can the most money be made?
 

Thanks for all the responses guys.

I enjoyed reading up on the roughnecks stuff, sounds a lot like an Irish construction crew!! Haha. (I'm from Northern Ireland)

Yeah I'm more into the metal partitions (framing, steel studs, whatever you want to call it). I have done all kinds of everything to borrow a phrase from a terrible song. Mainly commercial/industrial and I've worked with all plasterboard, acoustic, fire protection and heavy gauge metal, all sorts.

I have some contacts in general contracting, I'd prefer not to be doing residential drywall if I can help it, frankly, it's shit work.

I'm keeping my options open, just trying to see what possibilities are out there. Would prefer to be working somewhere that accommodation is provided/living allowance (Irish visa will be 2 years, I want to spend the 1st working, 2nd working less or at least a more normal job in one of the cities).

Re: Construction - Where can the most money be made?
 

Good luck whatever you chose, I've never heard of them providing acomodation for drywallers but I could be wrong.

Accomodation is provided for the mining workers and associated trades in Fort Mac and then that only for thr 2 week shift you are there, you fly in and out from wherever and dependng on how important you are depends on whether the company pays for the flights too :) I would suspect plenty of drywallers already live in Fort Mac anyway and they would then get bussed in to the camps if they are building there, and bussed out at the end of the day?

Jings would know better as i've never been to the place

Re: Construction - Where can the most money be made?
 

You will need to take a course in drywall... its 12 week long, then join the union... you should bring any qualifications you have aswell.. the higher you come out of the course , the higher percentage of wage you get... unless you work in the private sector...

Re: Construction - Where can the most money be made?
 

:o I was going to answer the thread but ,you answered much better than i could ..12wk might sound a lot but ...join the union!!

Re: Construction - Where can the most money be made?
 

Some provinces are not unionised. If he moved to NS he wouldn't need to do this for the drywall part - in NS only you scaffs need to take this course - there isn't much damage a drywaller could do to himself or someone else - cept maybe slice his finger off or fall off something ;0). Once you confirm your journeyman status to the union and pay some extortionate amount, you are in.

Re: Construction - Where can the most money be made?
 

not so... the drywall course is 12 weeks... they were running one when I was at the college... very much doubt he will get journeyman status without the course.. union rate for us is $40/hour.. non union scaffs are getting around $26.
Thats in NS..
Its a bit crap if you have UK qualifications, I had 30 yrs scaffolding and every card available, still had to do the course tho...
Most of the work is union run, so your a bit stuck without the course...