Yahoo Finance Apprentice tradie reveals 'ridiculous' $150,000 a year salary and explains why it's so high
The second-year electrician said he's very 'lucky' to be where he's at.
A second-year apprentice tradie has revealed he's earning $150,000 a year. Plenty of tradespeople have broken taboo by opening up about their six-figure salaries, but many of them have spent years of hard grafting to get to that point.
This apprentice electrician, however, said he was very "lucky" to be in the situation he's in. He got into the trade with apprentice-training organisation Electro Group and was placed at the Queen's Wharf in Brisbane, which is the largest construction project in Queensland.
The construction site operates for 12 hours a day, six days a week with some overnight work.
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"It's lucky that I'm there," he explained to recruitment app GetAhead. "It's pretty awesome."
When asked how this job compares to others, he said it was "way better" because of the pay.
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People couldn't believe a trainee could earn that amount of money, with one describing it as "ridiculous".
"The amount of money tradies are making at the Queen's Wharf is ridiculous," they said. "Pretty much all of them are making six figures."
"Apprenticeship 150k? I am in the wrong job," wrote another.
"I wish someone had told me when I was at school to do a trade," said a third.
But the bloke explained that the job can be "dangerous" and that "anything can go wrong" at any time.
"It's your life on the line," he said.
Other apprentice tradies are struggling
This salary is on the higher end of the scale compared to other electrician apprentices.
Second-year sparkies earn between $17-25 per hour, depending on their level of high school education and age, according to the Electrical Trades Union (ESU).
Sam Barker is a third-year sparkie apprentice and he said the majority of his colleagues are struggling with the wages they're on.
“Between apprentices, you definitely discuss how hard it is,” Barker explained to Yahoo Finance. “No one can just afford to save really. Every time you get that little bit ahead, you have to pay for more tools, bills come in, car problems, etc.”
He said he’d only been able to get by because he was living at home with his parents.
“I would barely have any money to myself after a week's wage really [if I paid rent],” he said.
Apprenticeships might be a struggle, but it can pay off if you stick with it.
As many Aussies struggle with the cost of living and the desire to have a liveable wage, recruitment expert Graham Wynn said trades are a strong path to becoming your own boss.
“I tell any parents, ‘Get your kids into a trade’. That's where the money is,” Wynn said to Yahoo Finance.
"A lot of these guys start their own businesses further down the track and, by the time they are 50, they are retired."
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