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Original poster

Girls going into trades.....

34 replies

debbs77 · 04/02/2024 22:38

I realised today that Trades such as electrican, plumber, gas fitter, painter and decorator would be amazing jobs for women who need to consider jobs are their children.

I know two RP Dads.....both has fitters. They work entirely around drop off, pick up etc, make a GOOD daily rate.

Surely this should be also encouraged for girls with their future families one day?

OP posts:
Dotchange · 04/02/2024 22:41

Well, yes.

Do men not have to pick up children? Perhaps we can work on men parenting equally?

mycatismyworld · 04/02/2024 22:44

Would love to see more young people regardless of gender follow trades. Well paid,why this obsession of getting a university degree. It baffles me.

Tel12 · 04/02/2024 22:44

It's amazing that there are not more girls in the trades. The only one I've come across is a painter and decorator. Seems incredible in 2024.

Original poster
debbs77 · 04/02/2024 22:45

I know plenty that do. But often trades people can get paid more per day than their partner. So financially makes more sense for the higher earner to work more

OP posts:
Original poster
debbs77 · 04/02/2024 22:46

@Tel12 I've looked into training tonight. Would love to offer female services to women for odd jobs etc. Especially then elderly. But training I saw was £6k plus VAT

OP posts:
pasteloblong · 04/02/2024 22:46

It would be great to have more women in trades. They'd make a fortune. Customers would love it because there'd be no sexual harassment, dirty toilets after a visit, not answering queries from new customers, no monosyllabic grunting, less moaning and whining, less not turning up for a job, more efficient communication and more tidying up after a job.

Original poster
debbs77 · 04/02/2024 22:47

@mycatismyworld totally agree re university.

OP posts:
Original poster
debbs77 · 04/02/2024 22:48

@pasteloblong and so easy to work around kids some day, for decent money

OP posts:
WinterDeWinter · 04/02/2024 22:50

debbs77 · 04/02/2024 22:45

I know plenty that do. But often trades people can get paid more per day than their partner. So financially makes more sense for the higher earner to work more

The problem is that men are still paid more, so it's always 'common sense' for the woman to go part-time, but that's one of the reasons that men continue to be paid more, and so on and so forth. It's a vicious circle.

crackofdoom · 04/02/2024 22:51

I think that men try to gatekeep the trades because they are good, decently paid, flexible careers. Don't want the women getting their hands on their lovely jobs, they should stick to being carers and cleaners instead 🙄

I think women and girls often get a tough ride as apprentices in small companies/ on site - large companies are often better because they have to stick to the rules, and then once you're trained up there's a massive demand for female sole traders working in people's homes.

pasteloblong · 04/02/2024 22:51

debbs77 · 04/02/2024 22:48

@pasteloblong and so easy to work around kids some day, for decent money

Definitely.

I think women might be put off training by the culture though. I wouldn't imagine it's very female friendly and the apprenticeships might be tricky depending on who you find yourself working with.

Original poster
debbs77 · 04/02/2024 22:55

Seems crazy doesn't it. My daughter is doing a hairdressing apprenticeship. Going forward if she was self employed she could possibly earn max £100 per day (for basic hair cuts etc).

Nails doing acrylics, £40 for 3 hours work.

Could work a trade around school runs etc. If I could afford to then I would seriously retrain

OP posts:
crackofdoom · 04/02/2024 22:57

Also (there is a large building site behind my house)- wtf is it with site hours?! The diggers are going at 7.45 (yes I know they shouldn't start til 8 and so do they, I'm sure 🙄), then they're all knocking off between 3 and 4. The cynic in me wonders if this is so that they can get out of any childcare/school run duties. (I have never seen a single woman working on that site).

LadyLolaRuben · 04/02/2024 22:58

I was saying to friends recently that if I had my time again, I'd go into a trade. Spend a few years on building sites and then set up my own building firm. As a woman providing reliable service it would make a fortune

FiveFoxes · 04/02/2024 23:01

I had thought about this for myself. I would love to learn a trade BUT... as a woman I would not feel safe turning up at people's houses by myself. The potential for someone to book you because you're a woman is too much. I also wouldn't be an estate agent...

Vofgeese · 04/02/2024 23:02

I know a few people, including females in a trade
Their jobs pays well
I do not wish to "out my contacts"

Their jobs included lots of travel to different locations

Their jobs have included working on call on a rota system

Their jobs have included working nights & weekends

However, not very family friendly

They could taylor their skills to a more local market & reduce the hours that they offer to have more friendly working hours

There is no reason at all that females cannot enter a trade. I expect this to increase in the future. It takes a strong determined personality, who takes no XXXX. Plus good communication, willingness to learn, adaptabilit. Need a driving licence too.

I have considered it myself !

whyamiawakestill · 04/02/2024 23:02

It's something I've considered, and I think we can also encourage all generations of women to train, not just younger women.

I had a female decorator she was great, I'm tempted to learn tiling, I'm yet to find the attention to detail for my trades.

Vofgeese · 04/02/2024 23:04

Trades are not just for residential property, but for small, medium, huge businesses too

Plus Government, NHS, schools, prisons, armed forces etc

BigGapMum · 04/02/2024 23:06

I had a tiler recently to do some work in my house. He was a single dad and did the work between school runs. He has a great reputation and turned up exactly when he said he would and did a professional job. He had retrained from his previous job, and I thought at the time how suitable that concept would be for a working mum.

FiveFoxes · 04/02/2024 23:11

Vofgeese · 04/02/2024 23:04

Trades are not just for residential property, but for small, medium, huge businesses too

Plus Government, NHS, schools, prisons, armed forces etc

But for (larger) business work and public sector I would assume they'd be less flexible?

Cherryana · 04/02/2024 23:13

My husband is a builder.

I think electrician, painter, tiler, setting out kitchens- I could do or train for. Power tools are there for a reason. A lot of my husbands job is organising, project management and customer relationships.

I would not want to be a plasterer because it’s such hard work.

If I lived alone, I would prefer a woman trades person. I think there is a demand for this.

Moier · 04/02/2024 23:16

I wanted to be a carpenter like my Dad but back then l couldn't get an apprenticeship.. ( wasn't for girls).. my Dad did teach me loads.. how to decorate and paint and lay flooring and tiles.
I've just had a female plumber out and my daughter has a female decorator..

Vofgeese · 04/02/2024 23:35

Old Boys, recruit old boys network

Needs more females

simplyredfan · 04/02/2024 23:36

My daughter is 16 and started college in September, she is training to be electrician or electrical engineer. It's a 4 year course, at the end of the course she will be fully qualified. Predictably she is the only girl on the course. We are super proud of her.

Haggisfish3 · 04/02/2024 23:38

My get out of teaching back up plan is to be a plasterer, specialising in small jobs like patching walls, reskinning small sections, repairing holes etc.

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