Painter's Assistant (Renovations)

Hard outdoor work on a low-cost housing development in Durban Central, 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.

You'll report in Durban Central. Relocation is not covered for this one. The first two weeks are spent shadowing someone experienced.

• Clear rubble and load it into skips
• Clean tools, mixers and wheelbarrows at the end of each day
• Mix concrete and mortar by hand or with a small mixer
• Dig trenches and foundations to the depth the foreman marks
• Carry bricks, blocks and cement bags to where the bricklayers work
• Set up barriers, cones and signs around open trenches
• Help offload deliveries of steel, timber and pipes

• A clean record is preferred for some government sites
• Grade 8 or higher
• Physically strong and fit for outdoor work in all weather
• Able to follow instructions from a foreman or artisan
• Willing to start early, often at 06:30

• Previous site work you can show with a reference
• Registered on your ward or municipal job-seeker database

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

• If a foreman can vouch for you, put their number on your CV. Site hiring runs on word of mouth.
• 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.