From Charcoal Chicken to $35ph in 2 Months

Two months ago he was spinning charcoal chickens after school. Today he is on a big commercial site, pulling $35 an hour as a waterproofing apprentice. Same bloke. Same boots. Totally different pay packet. Stories like that make people stop and listen. So what is really going on with waterproofing, and is it actually worth chasing?

We recently spoke to a young bloke who swapped a takeaway job for a waterproofing crew. Eight weeks later, he is already earning more per hour than most first year apprentices in big name trades. No long apprenticeship behind him. No family business. Just a niche job most people do not even think about.

That kind of jump makes people ask the same thing:

Is waterproofing some kind of hidden goldmine?

Is waterproofing even a real trade?

Waterproofing does not always come with the same badge as plumbing or electrical. In some states it is licensed, in others it is not. But calling it not a real trade misses the point.

Waterproofing is specialised. Get it wrong and you do not just have a dodgy finish. You get leaks, rot, mould and structural damage that costs serious money to fix. That is why builders, insurers and developers do not mess around with it.

According to industry bodies, waterproofing failures sit among the top causes of building defects in Australia. That alone explains why good waterproofers stay busy, especially on big commercial and government jobs where mistakes are not tolerated.

The money that makes people look twice

This is where the noise comes from. Entry level waterproofers on commercial sites are already landing rates around $30 to $38 an hour. With a few years of experience, many push into the $40 to $55 range. The top end, blokes who specialise or run their own crews, can hit $60 to $80 an hour on the right jobs.

That puts waterproofing ahead of a lot of more famous trades, especially early on. For someone starting out or switching careers, it can mean skipping years of low apprentice wages and getting into decent money fast.

It is not magic. It is just supply and demand doing what it always does.

Why waterproofers get paid like this

There are a few simple reasons. First, the risk is high. If waterproofing fails, the damage is massive. Second, it is specialised. You need the right materials, prep and technique, not guesswork. Third, not many people aim for it, which keeps competition low.

And on big jobs, waterproofing sits right on the critical path. If it is late, everything is late. That pressure is built into the pay.

That is why crews who can deliver clean, compliant work do not stay cheap for long.

So should you chase it?

Waterproofing is not for everyone. It is messy, physical, and if you are careless, you will hear about it fast. But if you are young, switching careers, or just tired of scraping by while learning, it is one of the faster ways into serious site money.

That bloke who went from charcoal chicken to $35 an hour did not find a cheat code. He found a niche that most people ignore and stepped into the gap.

With Australia still building hard and compliance getting tighter, waterproofing is not going anywhere. The only real question is whether you want to be the one doing it, or the one fixing it when someone else gets it wrong.

And if you are still not sure, scroll down. Below this story are more yarns from blokes who jumped into waterproofing and found their own way to make it work.