A traffic controller has laid bare the grim reality of the lucrative job, claiming he struggles with inconsistent working hours.
The Melbourne man said he earns between $1,200 and $1,500 a week as a team leader.
On average, a traffic controller can earn around $75,000 per year, but the salary can be as high as $200,000 depending on the project.
The Melbourne traffic controller revealed it can be notoriously difficult to get full-time hours at the start of their careers.
After several promotions, the Melbourne man said he “eventually” got the position where he can work up to six days a week, but his hours still vary.
His job is to ensure that pedestrians and residents are ‘well looked after’ and safe.
Some of his shifts may only last 10 or 20 minutes, but the advantage is that each shift earns him at least four hours of pay.
‘You can start a job, but it can be finished in ten minutes [or] Twenty minutes and you still get paid for four hours,” he told jobs platform Getahead.
A Melbourne man revealed he earns between $1,200 and $1,500 a week as a traffic controller team leader
On other days he can work 14 to 16 hours per shift.
The man said a job like his is better suited for people who don’t need a full-time job but still want to have some money in their pockets.
“I don’t recommend to people that you go to school and think you’re going to get five or six days a week right away,” he said.
“But if you’re into it and want to have some money in your pocket a few days a week, I recommend it.”
On average, traffic controllers earn $37.46 per hour, which amounts to $73,053 per year, according to Talent.
Entry level positions start around $61,256 and with enough promotions, controllers can increase that to approx $96,130.
For those who benefit from one union contract, however, the job becomes even more lucrative.
CFMEU-affiliated traffic controllers in Victoria working on the state’s Big Build can rake in more than $200,000 annually by working 67 hours a week at $49 an hour.
If paid double, these workers can earn an average of $98 per hour.
The Melbourne man said one downside of his job is the abuse he suffers from strangers on the street.
He revealed that some “rude people” routinely get angry with him if they are inconvenienced by construction work, if he gets in their way or otherwise.
Apparently, the intake was warned during his induction that abuse was part of the job and that inspectors had to be ‘disciplined’ and ‘resilient’.