Bricklayer's Assistant

Hard outdoor work on a low-cost housing development in Epping, with a chance to learn a trade while you earn. It's a practical job: you'll see what you got done before you go home.

This post is Epping-based, with most of your time spent at a low-cost housing development. Most weeks are 45 hours, in line with the BCEA.

• Clear rubble and load it into skips
• Help offload deliveries of steel, timber and pipes
• Dig trenches and foundations to the depth the foreman marks
• Compact soil and layer bedding sand with a plate compactor
• Set up barriers, cones and signs around open trenches
• Carry bricks, blocks and cement bags to where the bricklayers work
• Mix concrete and mortar by hand or with a small mixer

• A clean record is preferred for some government sites
• Willing to start early, often at 06:30
• You take safety rules seriously and wear full PPE
• Able to follow instructions from a foreman or artisan
• Prepared to travel between sites in the area

• Living near the site (many projects hire local labour)
• Previous site work you can show with a reference
• Some experience with a jackhammer, grinder or plate compactor

• Boots, hard hat and overalls issued on site
• Learn from artisans with a chance to move up to assistant
• Overtime on weekend pours and deadline days
• Paid weekly or fortnightly

• Government-funded projects often reserve jobs for people from the local ward. Bring proof of address and ask the site office about the local labour desk.
• If a foreman can vouch for you, put their number on your CV. Site hiring runs on word of mouth.