Today's Electrician - Issue One

CONTENTS 6 8 10

10 Simple Finance Tips For Small Businesses

12

Famous People You Didn’t Know Were Electricians

16

4 Things To Know Before Becoming An Electrical Contractor

A Day In The Life Of An Inspector An Electrician’s Health Is Their #1 Tool

18 20 22 26 30

World’s Biggest Solar Farm Projects Things To Consider Before Retiring Lunch Ideas For Electricians

Sparky Marketing Tips How You Know You Are Married To A Tradie

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A message from the Editors-in-Chief Hey mate, Welcome to the first issue of Today’s Electrician magazine! We’ve started up the magazine just for you, as a tool and a resource to help you out on the job, as an employer and in your life in general. We have real stories of real guys, on the tools just like you, and as much helpful info as we can pack into each issue for you.

Whether you are starting out, an experienced electrician or running your own electrical contracting business, we have great info for you, to help you along the road that we’re all on, as highly skilled professionals with a complete focus on safety, getting the job done right and complying with the regulations.

It can feel like you’re the only electrician out there when you’re working your butt off all day every day. Keep in mind that help is out there when you need it, even if it’s just a phone call to get you back on track and moving along again. Join our Fail Electrical Facebook page to have a laugh, and join our Electrical Training Online page and group to get technical advice and be part of a group of electricians who want to work at the highest standards and keep the standards of the whole industry raised to a whole new level of safety. And get your workers trained up and thinking of safety as well, so they go out and make the industry a safer and better place to be in.

We have a great range of articles for you in our first edition and a fantastic Competition - when you subscribe for Free to our magazine, you’ll go in the draw to win a Cabac Tester worth over $300, as well as being the first to receive every issue!

We’re also holding our Annual Conference in Dandenong, with a Door Prize (another

Cabac Tester!), worksheets and handouts, and a guest inspector from ESV at an Ask the Inspector session, and I’ll be training on top-level technical info that will help you get better paying jobs and more money in your pocket! We have a Free session covering the 12 Main Changes to the New AS 3000 on the Saturday morning, so come along and hang out with a great group of guys!

With our articles for young and old, working in different areas of our industry and all across Australia and New Zealand, info about all sorts of jobs, finance and marketing for your contracting business, your health and thinking about the future, and some things just for a laugh, we really hope you enjoy what we’ve put in.

This is really a magazine for electricians, by electricians. Send us your photos and stories and let us know what else you would like to see in our magazine. Go to todayselectricianmagazine.com.au/ shareyourstory and send it all in! We’ll have a new issue every quarter so let’s jam pack it with stories and articles that are completely relevant to you and to all electricians around Australia and NZ. Remember, you can win a Cabac Tester worth over $300 by subscribing for FREE to our magazine - go to todayselectricianmagazine. com.au and our Facebook pages and group to subscribe and join us (@FailElectrical and @7electricalservices).

Have a great day mate, we look forward to hearing from you and we hope you enjoy reading our magazine!

Alan and Tanya

Alan Meet

OUR EDITOR- IN- CHIEF

AND LEADING ELECTRICAL INSPECTOR

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN AN ELECTRICIAN ?

35 years, but blowing things up for almost 45 years now :) I did my apprenticeship in brisbane at a transformer factory, winding large transformers for the Navy ships to supply high current flow through the hull of a ship to disguise its seismic signature.

inverters for 290 strings of approx 2,600 panels, each panel being 250w.

WHY DO YOU GET CALLED ONTO A SITE? For site advice, to do an inspection so the installation can be connected to the grid.

I also carry out shock investigations for the distributors.

Got my air con and solar accreditations and have installed over 600 solar installations as a contractor, and inspected over 6,000 solar installations.

WHAT IS THE MOST COMMON PROBLEM YOU COME ACROSS? Lack of understanding of the rules, trying to take shortcuts and just not caring about the quality of their work.

WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO GO DOWN THE INSPECTOR ROUTE? I’ve always been interested in the details of how things are done and wanted to do a good job on everything I do.

WHAT IS THE MOST BIZARRE PROBLEM YOU HAVE FOUND? Car Jacks used on solar system and a sparky breaking into an old lady’s house to fix a defect, but that’s a story for our next issue :)

Wanted to upskill and further my skills, had already done air con & solar accreditation, always looking for something new to do.

WHAT IS THE QUIRKY THING MOST PEOPLE DON’T KNOW ABOUT YOU? I actually used my electrical skills for 6 months when I worked for a small airline, where I assisted an aircraft maintenance engineer to service small single and twin engine light aircraft, including Beechcraft Baron and Cessna 172 and 182 aircraft.

I thought it would be a good way to help other guys since I have first hand knowledge of being an electrician, right through from being an apprentice to working as a qualified sparky, to running our own contracting business in 2 states, with a wide range of experience.

WHAT SORT OF SITES DO YOU VISIT? COMMERCIAL, RESIDENTIAL, ETC Everything from a single builder’s pole to 40 storey highrises in the city.

Solar installations - biggest ones I’ve inspected are at Ikea, Melbourne Airport, Melbourne Army Barracks - all well over 300KW systems.

Ikea’s system is around 650KW. It has 60

WHAT IS THE ONE TIP YOU WOULD GIVE ELECTRICIANS ON THE TOOLS THAT WOULD HELP BOTH THEM AND YOU? Don’t be afraid to ask for help, Don’t assume.

Always get the advice you need in order to do your job.

Ask your boss, call your state regulator for advice on your situation, call an inspector.

Always get the right info so you know that your work is always safe and compliant To hear more from Alan please visit @failelectrical

An Electrician’s

Health is as Important as the Right Tools for the job

It’s no secret that tradies have a very labour intensive job and that their health can be compromised as a result. As an electrician much of your day is spent climbing roofs, in confined spaces and managing dangerous, electrical wires, so it’s very important to be vigilant about your health and make sure it’s in top condition. Here’s some healthcare tips that even the busiest of tradies can fit into their daily schedule.

WEAR SUNSCREEN

With two of three Australian’s being diagnosed with skin cancer by the time they’re 70, the importance of wearing sunscreen is a no-brainer. Remember, it’s not just hot, sunny summers days that you’re prone to the dangers of skin cancer, cloudy and overcast days can provide a serious UV dose too, resulting in a sun burn and eventually, potential cancer.

STAY HYDRATED

When you’re climbing into hot, confined spaces as an electrician, it’s common for hydration levels to drop drastically. When you’re super busy it can also be easy to forget to drink water, but it’s something that as a tradie, you must be proactive about. Dehydration can lead to headaches, dizziness and sleepiness, meaning that your full attention won’t be on the job at hand and could easily lead to a dangerous mistake.

REMEMBER IT’S OK TO NOT BE OK

Unfortunately, the stigma of it being weak to talk about your feelings all too often goes hand in hand with being a tradie. Often men feel that they will be judged by their male friends/colleagues and feel embarrassed to speak about mental health troubles. However, this couldn’t be further from the truth. Thankfully, more and more men are speaking out about their struggles with depression, anxiety and other health problems and it’s becoming more acceptable by society. Remember, organisations such as Beyond Blue, Mates in Construction and Lifeline are just a phone call away.

EAT HEALTHILY

As a tradie it can be so easy and time effective to swing past a petrol station for a pie for lunch, or through a fast food drive through. However, these options are laden with calories and don’t’ have the nutritional elements that your body requires to be healthy and function at it’s best. By consuming calorie, sodium and sugar heavy meals it’s likely you’ll hit an after lunch slump where you’ll feel tired and lethargic, which could lead to a slip up at work and put you in a dangerous situation. Try and pack a lunch before you go to work, like a healthy sandwich, fruit and a muesli bar, this way you’ll still have easy access to food but it’s a much healthier option.

To talk to someone please call: Beyond Blue: 1300 22 4636, Lifeline: 13 11 14 Mates in Construction: 1300 642 111

10 Simple Finance

Tips

for Small Businesses When it comes to starting a small business, there’s a wealth of knowledge out there, both on and offline. With so much advice around it’s easy to find yourself in an information overload situation. Therefore, we’ve broken down ten simple - but effective - finance tips for keeping a small business going along well..

1 Clear bad debts When a new financial year starts

roll over. Devising a successful debt repayment strategy is very effective at managing this.

2 Go paperless Not only will going paperless help the planet and save you money on paper, it will also give you more easily accessible data come tax time too.

3 Always compare three

it’s of utmost importance to make

different quotes

sure you clear debts and they don’t

When it comes to regular bills or big

purchases comparing quotes from three different companies can help you save a lot of money, and also help you figure out what the average cost is.

4 Keep up to date on

finance news

The business pages will often have articles about updated tax and business regulations which affect small businesses, so it’s important to keep up to date.

5 Make future financial plans Having a clear financial plan for the future is important for any business.

Calculations must be done about how much can be spent and how much will be earnt so that successful strategies can be implemented.

7 Research your market Having a clear idea about what your competitors are doing and how successful they are will help you when making future business decisions.

8 Spend as you go Don’t go overboard investing on things like business cards, sign writing and marketing until you really need to and are sure you can afford it - start small and build as you go.

9 Keep your business and

personal accounts seperate For entrepreneurs this can be very tricky, but it’s so important. Keeping your finances seperate will save you from a headache during tax time, removes personal liability and gives

6 Keep invoicing as a top priority your business more credibility and legitimacy.

Without an accounts team, paperwork often gets put aside or procrastinated on. However, when too much builds up, things can easily be missed and you might be missing out on money that’s owed to you, so don’t get slack on invoicing and make sure they’re sent and followed up on - promptly.

10 Prepare for the offseason A lot of businesses will have higher profits depending on the time of year.

If this is applicable for your business, make sure you take this into account when making financial projections and set aside extra money to accomodate.

Famous People you didn’t know were

ELECTRICIANS! We would all be lost without electricians. Let’s be honest, electricity runs everything in our life and they’re our heroes when it isn’t running. But, some sparkies decided to follow a different career path. Here are some famous electricians that you may not have known learnt the trade.

1 Rowan Atkinson

He’s a legend when it comes to comedy, best known for his roles in Black Adder and Mr Bean, Atkinson studied electrical engineering at Oxford before turning his career 180 degrees to comedy and acting.

2 George Harrison

Rowan Atkinson The lead guitarist for the Beatles was an apprentice electrician after he left school at 16. The musician then took a turn in his career when he became apart of one of the biggest bands in history.

3 Elvis Presley

Although he may not have been an actual electrician, Presley would have picked up a few tricks of the trade after working as an electrician’s helper in 1954. He delivered supplies to worksites and had eventually hoped to have trained to be an electrician. Little did he know he was destined to be a heartthrob.

4 Todd Murphy

Brisbane Broncos halfback worked as an electrician whilst playing at various clubs before getting the tap on the shoulder for the Brisbane Broncos. “I have worked as an electrician, so I know what it’s like to work” Murphy told NRL News.

Todd Murphy photo courtesy of Brisbane Broncos

5 Alfred Hitchcock

His films have stood the test of time and remain some of the most beloved movies, but little do many know he was once an apprentice electrician.

Hitchcock worked as an electrician before becoming a film director, and clearly his early electrifying career translated across to his hair-raising films.

6 Albert Einstein

We all know him as a genius, which may have become apparent in his early days when being an electrician wasn’t challenging enough for him, given the brain power necessary for the job. Einstein’s first job was laying cables and hanging lights for the first ever Oktoberfest with his uncle and father.

7 Sir Bobby Charlton

One of the UK’s most famous footballers originally began in a career as an apprentice electrical engineer. Although he was well known within the football world, he would often take up the trade once again in the off season as back then football didn’t pay as well as it does now.

8 Liam Cunningham

Best known for his roles on Game of Thrones and Clash of the Titans, Cunningham worked as an electrician when he left school and continued to work in Africa repairing lighting in a safari park. He also trained other electrical apprentices in Zimbabwe after his stint in the safari park.

CHECK OUT THESE

EPIC FAILS EPIC FAIL 1 No blow fuse.

This is the fuse that never blows.

EPIC FAIL 2 Chinese take away PowerPoint. A new take ‘away’ on IP rating of equipment.

EPIC FAIL 3 BW honestly shared how he made a mistake that could have cost him his life. “Totally my fault. Was flipping the little plastic insulators off to fit a couple of new breakers. Screw driver slipped and shorted across two phases.

Shouldnt have been working live.

Eyes good. Took a while to stop seeing the flash, but cleared up just in time to see the fire brigade arrive. There’s a smoke detector just above. Bigger problem is ears. Still ringing from the bang.

Evacuated the local theatre.

Fortunately no production on, just staff. 38 years in trade. Must be slipping.” WOW....

EPIC FAIL 4 Circuit breaker with bent conduit. Part of the worst solar installs I have ever laid eyes on!

Join Us On Facebook @failelectrical

4 Things to Know Before Becoming an

ELECTRICAL

CONTRACTOR As an apprentice you’ll be under a wing of a mentor, learning essential trade skills as well as vital business lessons. However, once graduating an apprenticeship, it’s very common for employees to want to take a step in their own direction and start their own business, making them an electrical contractor. When you’re an electrical contractor, you may still be employed by a company, however there are big business differences.

An electrical contractor is essentially a freelancer; someone the business pays to come in and undertake work and that isn’t directly hired as an employee for the company. Because of this, if you’re thinking of becoming an electrical contractor, there’s some legal and business information that’s vital to know otherwise you could find yourself in some legal hot water! Check out our tips below on how to successfully make the crossover into an electrical contractor.

YOU’RE IN CHARGE OF TAX

This is by far and above, one of the most important part of becoming a contractor.

Formerly, it’s likely your employer paid your taxes and you were paid a certain amount into your bank account. Come tax time, all you needed to do was lodge your tax summary/s and any applicable claims and everything was completed. Well, being an electrical contractor is a completely different ball game when it comes to tax. The amount you’ll be receiving will be paid pre-tax, so you’re in charge of figuring out how much tax you need to pay and putting it aside each week or month. Come end of the financial year you’ll have to pay all the tax you owe in a lump sum. Whatever you do, don’t neglect this tip or you’ll end up owing a huge sum at tax time with no money put aside to prepare. If you find it hard to manage this side of the business, you can always talk to an accountant or bookkeeper who will help you out for a fee.

INSURANCE IS ESSENTIAL

Another hugely important part of becoming a electrical contractor is making sure you have the appropriate insurance. If something was to happen to you, or to someone else as a result of a job you’ve done, then you can be held liable. It’s essential that you get your personal accident and illness, professional indemnity and public liability insurance prior to starting any job.

DEVISE A BUSINESS PLAN

Do you plan on eventually hiring employees to work for you or do you plan to just work for yourself? This question is vital when considering future prospects. If you plan to eventually grow your company it’s advisable to get professional advice from an accountant. They can help you correctly calculate potential future growth, help align your future goals and maximise your tax returns.

DON’T FORGET ABOUT SUPER

Like taking out your tax, you must take out your own super too. Unlike when you worked as an employee and your employer would automatically put money into your super and deduct tax before your cash payment, you must budget for money to be put aside into your super fund too. While it can be tempting to ignore super and spend or invest all the money now, it’s something you will regret in the future.

As a general rule of thumb a good amount of money to put into a super account is 10% of your earnings.

THE

WORLD’S

BIGGEST

SOLAR ENERGY FARMS

I

n an effort to produce clean energy and meet national targets, companies world wide have been investing in huge solar farms with the hope to reduce global carbon emissions by 2020. For a long time, America led the way when it came to solar energy,

however, India and China have both taken over as major solar power players. Here’s some of the world’s biggest solar plants and a breakdown of how much energy they actually supply.

Kamuthi, Tamil Nadu, India.

The planet’s largest completed single location solar power farm is based in Kamuthi in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Spanning ten square kilometres sit hundreds of solar panels stretching further that they eyes cane see.

Costing over 700 million dollars to build the farm, it’s estimated to make enough power for 750,000 people and was built in just nine months.

The plant consists of 2.5 million solar panels which each generate 310 watts of energy. Perhaps the most interesting part about this plant is that it is cleaned daily by a robotic system… which is generated by the solar power itself.

The Rancho Cielo Solar Farm, Belen, New Mexico, America.

The largest planned solar farm for the United States will be found in Belen, New Mexico and be named The Rancho Cielo Solar Farm.

Covering an area of 700 acres it’s aiming to provide 600 MWp of energy and estimated to cost about 840 million dollars.

Longyangxia Dam Solar Park. China.

A relatively new - but significantly large - power plant is the Longyangxia Dam Solar Park which is found in China and had some mind-blowing images released by NASA. Sitting on the Tibetan Plateau in China it Kurnool Ultra Mega Solar Park, has the capacity to power 200,0000 Andhra Pradesh, India. households. Costing around 925 India is also home to another huge million US dollars it held the title of power plant called the Kurnool Ultra the world’s largest solar farm in 2017, Mega Solar Park which covers a however it’s since been taken over massive 5.9 acres in Andhra Pradesh.

by Kamuthi in India and the yet to Generating more than 8 million kWh be completed, Noor Complex Solar of energy on sunny days, it consists Power Plant in Morrico. of over four million solar panels and can virtually meet the entire electricity demand for the Kurnool district, where it is based.

Arnedo Solar Plant, La Rioja, Spain.

One of Europe’s largest solar plants is the Arnedo Solar Plant which is found in Spain. Sitting on seventy hectares it has 172,000 panels and produces in impressive 34 GwH every year, enough to power 12,000 households and presents 375,000 tones of carbon dioxide. The region in which is in based, La Rioja, already covers 62% of it’s electricity with renewable resources.

Things to Consider

BEFORE

Retiring

Retirement: it’s the golden age that most of us look forward to; a time when work is no longer necessary and we can spend our days sleeping in and doing, well, whatever we like. However, while retirement sounds relaxing, it can also be a scary prospect once the time comes closer. How do you know when you have enough to confidently retire and not be worried about running out of money? If you keep the following tips in mind it will help you be more confident about your decision and more knowledgable about when the right time is.

Consider salary sacrificing

By enlisting in salary sacrificing at your current job you can add extra money into your super from each payday. A small contribution each week when younger in life, can make a massive difference later in life, especially when you take interest into account.

Although, not all companies offer salary sacrificing, so if it’s something you’re considering, be sure to talk to your employer about whether it’s an option.

Think about how you want to spend your retirement

If you’re dreaming of heading off on a long, international trip, or moving to a different country when you retire, you may need to work a little longer to be able to afford a lifestyle like

this. Whatever you want to do, it’s important that you plan ahead so that you can budget correctly for it.

Sort out your super

The Australian Taxation Office released data that shows that more than 14 billion dollars of super has been lost in Australia. Electricians often end up opening a new super account with each new employer, and then forget about it or don’t use their Super Choice when they start a new job. If you’re not keeping track of your super, and using the same company and account - or at least keeping track of your different super accounts then you’re literally losing money out of your pocket. Plus, this could add years of work on to the age that you’ll be financially ready to retire.

Make a budget

Though it may seem like an overwhelming task, it’s really important to sit down and make a rough plan about how much you spend in general on things like bills, general expenditure, mortgage/rent, petrol etc. By working this out you can gather a rough idea of your yearly spendings, and how much you require to see you through your retirement. If this seems like too big of a task, enlist the help of a financial planner, they’ll have a great idea of how much you’ll need and will be able to talk you through the entire process.

Practical

Lunch Ideas

for the Electrician

That Don’t Skimp on Taste When your start time is 5:30am or earlier, it’s easy to hit the snooze button on your alarm and decide to buy lunch rather than make it before work. However, this often leads to calorie laden and sugar heavy choices, often in the form of pulling into a fast-food drive through or grabbing the typical ‘tradie’ lunch of a meat pie and choc-milk. Plus, when you’re working on site - like most electricians do - you often don’t have the luxury of a microwave to heat up your food. Thankfully, we’ve put together some lunch ideas that work on practicality and don’t skimp on taste either! Plus, these little gems can be made the night before, so you can still get that extra seven minutes of sleep.

Greek Pork Pita Wrap

Grab yourself an insulated lunch bag to keep the wrap fresh up until lunch time, and you’ll be in food heaven by the time 12pm rolls around. Basically a pork and salad pile on top of soft pita bread, the wrap’s are packed with pulled pork, feta, tzatziki, red onion and sun-dried tomatoes, making them not only seriously tasty but healthy too.

Ingredients:

1 serving of Pulled Pork 1 Pita Bread Tub of Store bought Tzatziki 50g Danish Feta 100g Lettuce

100g Tomato 1 Red Onion Tbsp Lemon Juice.

Method: Simply place your Pita Bread on a piece of aluminium foil, then pile it high with your ingredients of choice! Once done roll into a wrap and close off the aluminium foil.

Vegetable Soup and Fresh Baguette

While soup may not sound like the most filling meal in the world, it can be really filling and tasty if you make a batch of this delicious soup packed with flavours and vegetables.

Store it in a thermos to keep it warm and pack a few fresh baguettes in with it and you’ll make all your work mates jealous!

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil 8 medium carrots, sliced 2 large onions, chopped 4 celery ribs, chopped 1 large green pepper, seeded and chopped 1 garlic clove, minced 2 cups chopped cabbage 2 cups frozen cut green beans 2 cups frozen peas 1 cup frozen corn 1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained 1/2 teaspoon dried basil 1/4 teaspoon pepper 4 cups water 1 can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained 2 cups V8 juice Store bought baguettes

Method: 1. Heat oil over medium high heat and the sautĂŠ carrots, onion, celery and green pepper until crisp.

2. Add garlic and cook for one minute 3. add remaining ingredients and bring to boil.

4. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered until vegetables are tender; about 1-1.5 hours.

Sun Dried Tomato Pasta

Because this one is meat free (though far from flavour free!) keeping it cool is not vital, but it can be preferable to store the meal in an insulated bag for flavour reasons. The recipe is so simple to make, absolutely delicious and can be made in bulk so that lunch is sorted all week!

Ingredients:

12 sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained and cut up 6 tbsp of olive oil 1 teaspoon minced garlic 250g of pasta a punnet of cherry tomatoes half 1 cup of grated parmesan 3/4 cup of kalamata olives pitted and diced.

Method: 1. Blend the sun-dried tomatoes, olive oil and garlic until smooth.

2. Cook the pasta and drain, then combine with the above dressing.

3. Mince the remaining sundered tomatoes 4. Add the rest of the remaining ingredients and toss to distribute evenly.

Sparky Marketing: The Top 3 ways to engage and set up loyal and recurring customers Electricians are an integral part of our trade industry, and the ways customers find our services are forever changing. Marketing ideas that can be taken into consideration to improve customer service and leave clients satisfied can be so simple and only need limited changes to your business.

Many of these marketing tricks can be beneficial to your customers and have them calling you back every time.

an entertaining way. You don’t have to be an award-winning film maker to make a simple two minute short about your business. Outsourcing to small local freelance videographers can also be beneficial for both you and them. Not only are you creating quality content but you are assisting in someone else’s portfolio.

1. Email Marketing and Newsletters

If you aren’t necessarily the social media type, email marketing is a simple and effective way to get in touch with your clients. Databases such as MailChimp and Streamsend can send bulk emails to databases and track conversation minutes. Sending out weekly or fortnightly newsletters to your clients and suppliers can also help with keeping your customers up to date and for you to manage what has been going on in your business.

2. Video Marketing

Hopping in front of the camera or getting someone else to on behalf of your business is a much easier way to convey complex messages than it is over text. They are a quick and direct message to your customers and give information simply and sometimes in

3. Digital advertising

Digital advertising can have less of an effect on your wallet. Its more cost effective than print advertising due to the smaller cost in the services required to create the advertisement.

It’s much easier to track your advertising success and adjust your campaign in whichever way necessary.

Digital advertising also helps people get to your website. If your creative advertisement catches the eye of enough people you will have the traffic redirected to your website.

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5 Things

You’ll Know to be True if You’re Married

To A Tradie!

1

Say goodbye to sleep-ins

You’re a fan of a lazy lie in until 8am or 9am on the odd day when you don’t have too much on? Too bad, those days are over. Tradies have a body clock that wakes them up at the crack of dawn for work, and unfortunately this isn’t a habit that usually disappears come the weekend. Try and fight it if you will, but chances are, you’re eventually going to get on the tradie timeline and 10am is going to feel like lunch time - rather than breakfast.

2

Prepare yourself for work hour jealousy

Ok, so the part where you get to lie in bed for another two hours after your electrician other half leaves for work at the crack of dawn isn’t so bad. But, if you’re working a normal 9am-5pm full time job prepare for afternoon envy. There’s nothing like experiencing three-thirtyitis and wondering how you’re going to manage to get through the next two hours before home time and then receiving a text from your tradie man about how he’s just knocked off work and is heading to the beach.

3

You’re going to save a lot of money in one area of homemaintenance

However, you’re probably going to end up spending a fortune in other areas.

Because your Electrician partner is a skilled professional, he often thinks that he can DIY in any trade. Have an Electrician partner? He’s going to think that he can fix the toilet too, and install the new floorboards. Unfortunately, this often results in an angry partner and forking out a whole lot of money to get the botched job fixed.

4

Friends and family will try and get freebies

Tradies get asked all the time if they can “just spend 5 minutes looking at my broken whatever”. Your friend’s aircon breaks and your partner’s an electrician? Chances are, you’re going to be the first person she calls to avoid the exuberant prices of the electricians in the Yellow Pages.

5

You may have the luxury of relaxing a little when it comes to finances

While tradies are not instantly associated with the big bucks, the way doctors and lawyers are, studies have found that the do pull in a pretty reasonable salary! Research suggests a qualified Electrician’s average hourly wage is between $35 - $45 per hour, still on a pretty good wicket.