Anyone got experience with painting, plastering, bricklaying etc.?

[Lanky Wanker]

I'm looking for an apprenticeship and I joined a construction apprenticeship website that has spaces in all sorts of stuff from masonry to scaffolding, plus the usuals mentioned in the title (and lots more). I was wondering if anyone with experience in any of these sort of areas of work could tell me what it's like? Someone always needs a wall plastered or painted, plus I'd rather use my hands than my brain (duh) so it seems quite interesting to me. Also, how did you get into this line of work?

And on the side, does anyone have any idea why an apprenticeship application would ask me for my sexuality? Is this just for statistical purposes?

[ellipsis]

Painting involves lots of work on ladders, i know that.

I am not sure why they would ask about your sexuality, i feel like that would be illegal in the US.

[Deicide]

Physically demanding work, boredom, cold weather, getting wet, at least you'll look the part, proper prole n all. I worked for 2 years doing painting, bricklaying, etc. it depended on the job we were on. I'd never do it as a 'career'. The pay is good depending on what you do.

This just may be stereotyping and it's based of my experience in Manchester, but the majority of the guys I worked with were beer guzzling 'proper ard' 'real men' football head and EDL types. It gets seriously tedious being around people like that all day for 5 days a week.

I forgot to mention that they will probably make you do all the shit jobs nobody else wants to do.

[Lynx]

Being an electrician may be a bit easier physically.

[Manic Impressive]

Deicide is right about the boredom, there's a lot of sitting around waiting for other people to do their work so you can do yours which can be frustrating. On the other hand you get to move around a lot. Your workplace changes all the time, the complete opposite of working in an office where you stare at the same 4 walls all day long, now that's boring.

One question though isn't apprenticeship just code for paying you less than minimum wage?

[Lynx]

One question though isn't apprenticeship just code for paying you less than minimum wage?
Getting paid while you learn is a better deal than paying for it. Apprentices enjoy lower debt than college graduates and have proven themselves to employers by the time they reach journey status. In Canada, minimum wage laws apply to apprentices, and apprentices typically earn more than that. Many trades are provincially regulated, with wage rates specified as a percentage.

[Lanky Wanker]

@Deicide:
Yeah with bricklaying and stuff I was worried about the beer n football type guys, that's actually why I'm not following through with my plans to go to college for something like that. Painting and decorating people don't seem to be that bad though. They're trying to encourage girls to take up career paths like this now on all of the college/apprenticeship websites I come to, so either the girls will become beer-guzzling football hooligan cockneys or it might make said jobs more enjoyable being in the presence of people who are a bit more... not unbearable, for lack of a better term.

@Manic Impressive:
Lynx said it all. Most of the apprenticeships in things like construction are about £100-150 a week (minimum wage for apprentices is like £80) whereas minimum wage is about £200 a week if you count up regular working hours/days. Anyway, you don't need to be fooled into an apprenticeship to be paid shit money; people on benefits are forced to do free work, then *****ed at for being lazy. According to David caMORON the whole "we can't find jobs because there are no jobs" situation creates a something-for-nothing culture amongst young people. His solution to this is perfect – cut benefits, then jobs will grow on trees! What does the government have to say about this? "Uh yes well this is why we are creating apprenticeships for young unemployed people."

Anyway, I have to be at this college next friday at 10am for a spatial awareness and numeracy test to be put on the list and have a chat about my options or something. The college is in the area where my dad grew up which is pretty rough now (wasn't when he lived there) so wish me luck and hopefully I won't get stabbed.