Questions from and for electrical lineworker apprentices.
I'm a second-year sparky apprentice and I reckon linework looks better. Can I switch, or do I have to start from scratch?
You can switch, but think it through. Linework is a separate apprenticeship with a separate employer, usually a network business, so you would apply in their yearly intake like everyone else and sign a new training contract. Some of the electrical theory units are shared between the two qualifications, so ask the training provider about credit for what you have already done, but you will still have the overhead line units, the climbing and EWP work and the network safety training ahead of you. My honest advice: if you are halfway through and your boss is decent, finish your electrical ticket first. Some networks run accelerated programs for qualified electricians, SA Power Networks has one, and others value dual-trade people in regional depots. You end up with two trades and more options. If you genuinely hate the work you are doing now, then go for it, just apply in the window and tell them why in your cover letter.
Answered by a qualified tradieQualified lineworker
How hard are the aptitude tests and the climbing test for a lineworker apprenticeship? I failed one last year.
Plenty of us did not get in first go, so do not take it personally. The online tests are usually numerical reasoning and mechanical reasoning: ratios, simple algebra, reading tables, and questions about gears, pulleys and levers. They are timed, so speed matters as much as getting it right. Practise with free sample tests until you are bored of them. Some employers make you re-sit the tests later in the process to check it was really you, so you cannot fluke it. The practical day is about whether you can follow instructions, use tools safely and work at height. Expect to assemble some gear, handle tools and climb a pole on a ladder in a harness. They are not looking for a hero. They want someone who listens, asks when unsure, stays calm and does not cut corners. Get fit, get your maths up, and if you missed out, ring the recruitment team and ask for feedback before next year's round.
Answered by a qualified tradieQualified lineworker
Do apprentice lineworkers work on live lines? My mum is freaking out.
Tell your mum to breathe. In first year you will not go near anything live. You are on the ground digging, rigging, passing gear up and learning the rules. Most planned work is done with the line isolated, tested and earthed under an access permit, so it is dead when you touch it. As you get further through the apprenticeship you will be trained and assessed to work on energised low voltage lines under strict procedures, because that is part of the qualification. High voltage live line work, glove and barrier or stick work, is a specialist job for experienced, separately trained crews, not apprentices. The danger in this trade is real, and nobody should pretend otherwise. But the industry is built around it: approach distances, permits, test before touch, tested gloves, rescue drills and a culture where anyone can stop a job. The people who get hurt are usually the ones who got complacent, so stay switched on.
Answered by a qualified tradieQualified lineworker
Is it true lineworkers get sent away for storms? How much travel is there really?
Yes, and it is one of the best and worst parts of the job. When a big storm, flood or bushfire knocks out power, crews get pulled in from other depots, and for major disasters networks send mutual aid crews interstate. That can mean long shifts, nights in a motel or a camp, and missing things at home. You will see some wild stuff and you will feel like you actually helped people, because you did. How much travel you do depends on where you work. A metro depot might only send you away a few times a year. A regional depot covers huge areas, so long drives are just normal. Transmission and project work is often fly in fly out or weeks away. As an apprentice you will usually go out with your crew on faults and storms once you are trained enough to be useful. Your award or agreement covers call-out pay, meals and travel, so check your payslip.
Answered by a qualified tradieQualified lineworker
I'm 27 with a mortgage. Is a lineworker apprenticeship even doable on apprentice wages?
More doable than most trades, honestly. Under the award, adult apprentices, meaning 21 or older when they sign the training contract, get a higher percentage than juniors, and most network businesses pay under enterprise agreements that are well above the award. A few even publish their apprentice rates on their careers pages, so look before you decide. Add the overtime and call-outs you will pick up later in the apprenticeship and it can be livable. The catch is getting in. The intakes are yearly and competitive, and you might have to move to a regional depot to get a spot. Be ready for early starts, on-call work and being away for storms, which is harder with a family. Talk it through at home first. On the plus side, mature applicants often do well in interviews because they have work history and turn up reliably. Practise for the aptitude tests, make your cover letter about safety and reliability, and apply to every network within reach.
Answered by a qualified tradieQualified lineworker
