Tradies get a fair bit of flack for being late, eating junk food and lazing around, but we know that you actually work your asses off all day every day so we’re here to bust some of the myths about tradies!

Tradies get afternoons off

Even if this is the case for you, because you start so damn early in the morning, you’ve likely done a full day’s work by the time everyone else is having lunch! And although tradies might not be on site in the afternoons necessarily, there’s likely still a lot of paperwork and admin sh*t to be done before they can clock out for the day, so we reckon this one is busted.

Tradies love junk food

This one might be true, but it’s probably more about convenience than anything else. When you’ve only got small breaks and you’re working on a site in the middle of nowhere, a dairy or fast food place could be the only option. And in actual fact, quite a few tradies actually bring their own lunches because it’s cheaper and healthier. Everyone is entitled to a splurge every now and then and we personally think that the hard physical labour tradies do earns them a juicy pie!

Tradies can work when they like

Unless you own your own business and make your own hours, this one is definitely busted. Although some worksites might be flexible in terms of finishing when the work is done, most of the time tradies don’t run on a specific schedule and are often working overtime. A tradie’s hours also might not be a case of working when they like, but working when they have to because they need the job – they might have a morning free but a client might need to meet them in the evening outside of normal working hours.

Tradies are paid really well

This is a tricky one because it depends on what stage you’re at. Apprentice tradies may not get much for the hours and type of work they do, but once you’re up there and working towards your own business, you could be earning more than your mates with uni degrees!

Tradies are often late, rude and lazy

This one really isn’t as true as people think – if this were the case, how would any of them make money?! As with any job, there are always a couple of people who slack off and don’t work as hard as the rest, but most tradies are professional and do their job right because they know they need the business and they’re good at what they do. Busted.