Questions from and for roofing apprentices.
I'm 17 and keen on roofing. Is tiling or roof plumbing the better apprenticeship?
Depends what you want long term. Tiling is mostly houses, new builds and re-roofs, and it is usually about a 3 year apprenticeship. You get good fast and you will be fit as a mallee bull, but it is heavy, repetitive work and most of it is residential. Roof plumbing is metal: sheeting, gutters, downpipes, flashings and box gutters, on houses right through to factories and mine buildings. It is usually 3 to 4 years and it is a licensed trade in most states, which sits in the plumbing family. That licence is worth something. It opens commercial jobs, EBA sites and the option of doing a full plumbing ticket later. More new houses are going metal too. If you are not sure, ask to spend a few days with each type of crew before you sign. Whatever you pick, get your White Card and your driver's licence sorted, because nobody wants to pick up an apprentice at 5.45 every morning.
Answered by a qualified tradieQualified roofer
My boss wants me up on the roof without a harness because 'it's only a single storey'. Is that legal?
No. Your employer has to protect you from falling from one level to another, no matter the height, and a single storey roof can absolutely kill you if you land wrong on concrete. The order of controls is: work from the ground if you can, then edge protection or scaffold, then a harness system as a lesser option, and harnesses need proper anchors, training and a rescue plan. Anything over 2 metres needs a Safe Work Method Statement too. Plenty of old-school roofers still say 'she'll be right'. Some of them are in wheelchairs. Raise it calmly with your boss first. If nothing changes, talk to your GTO field officer or Apprenticeship Connect provider, or ring your state safety regulator. You cannot be sacked for raising a genuine safety issue. You are an apprentice, not a stuntman, and no roof is worth your spine.
Answered by a qualified tradieQualified roofer
It's been raining for two weeks and I've barely worked. Do I still get paid?
Wet weather is the worst part of roofing, and how you get paid depends on your award, any enterprise agreement, and your contract. Both main roofing awards have rules about inclement weather and what happens when work stops, but they are not a guarantee of full pay forever. Some employers keep apprentices busy in wet weather with yard work, flashings in the shed, cleaning gear or TAFE work. Others send you home. Do not guess. Look up your award clause on the Fair Work website or use the Pay Calculator, and if your payslip looks short, ask your boss to explain it, then call Fair Work if it still does not add up. If you are with a GTO, your field officer can sort it. Long term, keep a buffer of savings for winter and storm season. Every roofer learns that one the hard way.
Answered by a qualified tradieQualified roofer
I'm 26 and want to switch from retail to roofing. Will anyone hire an adult apprentice?
Yes, and more than you would think, because roofing is short of workers everywhere. Both roofing awards have adult apprentice rates, which are higher than junior rates, so you will not be on teenager money. The flip side is some small operators baulk at the cost, so pitch what you bring: you turn up, you are reliable, you can talk to customers, and you have a licence and a car. Get your White Card before you start ringing around. Try GTOs, because they employ the apprentice and place you with host businesses, which takes some risk off the employer. Commercial roof plumbing firms tend to be more open to adults than tiny tiling crews. Be honest about your fitness. It is hard on the body at first, but most people adapt within a couple of months. Check your rate on the Fair Work Pay Calculator so you know what you are signing up for.
Answered by a qualified tradieQualified roofer
My tradie keeps telling me not to step on certain parts of old roofs. What am I actually watching for?
Listen to him, he is keeping you alive. On old roofs the big killers are fragile surfaces. Skylights and clear plastic sheets look solid and are not. Old fibro or corrugated asbestos cement sheeting goes brittle and can snap under your weight, and you must never cut, drill or break it. Rusted metal can be thin as paper near gutters and around old penetrations. Tile roofs have their own traps: cracked tiles, rotten battens, and tiles that slide when you step on the wrong spot. The rule is walk where the structure is, on the line of the battens or purlins, and use crawl boards and skylight covers where they are needed. Ask your tradie to show you how to read a roof before you walk it. It is one of the most useful skills you will learn in your first year, and it will not be on any TAFE test.
Answered by a qualified tradieQualified roofer
