From Agency Zero to Permanent Hero in 6 Months
So my mate Ryan just messed me from Manchester the other day, proper buzzing because he’s finally off the agency books and gone permanent on a big housing site up there. Started as general labour six months ago, now he’s on £13.50 an hour plus a van home on Fridays, which is decent money once you’re CIS and paying your own tax. He was laughing because he thought he’d hate it, but turns out he loves being outside and not stuck in an office staring at spreadsheets all day.
These Jobs Are Literally Everywhere Right Now
Look, these general labour jobs are everywhere right now. Housebuilding never really stopped, even when everything else slowed down. You’ve got the big boys like Barratt, Taylor Wimpey, Bellway, all screaming for bodies. Then there’s the smaller firms doing extensions, refurbs, landscaping, all of it. If you’ve got a pair of boots and a half-decent attitude, someone will take you tomorrow. Agencies like Hays, Randstad, or even the little local ones will stick you on site the same week, sometimes £11-£14 an hour depending where you are. London and the southeast obviously pays more, but good luck affording rent down there on that wage.
What You’ll Actually Be Doing All Day
The work itself? Mate, it’s whatever needs doing. One day you’re shifting bricks and timber, next day you’re on the shovel digging trenches, then suddenly you’re holding a spirit level for the brickies or sweeping up so the inspectors don’t have a fit. You’ll mix mortar, load skips, fetch tea, hump plasterboard up three floors because the hoist is broken again. It’s knackering. Your hands get wrecked, knees start clicking by Wednesday, but there’s something satisfying about looking back at 5 o’clock and seeing actual progress.
The Real Money is in Moving Up – Fast
Best gigs are the ones with a decent gaffer who teaches you stuff. Ryan’s foreman let him have a go laying blocks after a few months and now he’s training to be a brickie properly. That’s the trick, start as labour, keep your eyes open, ask questions, don’t be a knob, and you can move up quick. Some lads go from £11 an hour labouring to £180-£200 a day bricklaying in two years. Mental jump.
British Weather & Mud: The Real Boss
Weather’s the killer though. Proper British rain that soaks you in thirty seconds, then you’re freezing till lunchtime. Or those random heatwaves where you’re in hi-vis and steel caps melting like an idiot. And mud. So much mud. Your van looks like you’ve been off-roading in the Sahara by Friday.
What You Need Before Day One
You need a CSCS card these days, the green one is fine for labouring. Costs about £100 with the test and most agencies will sort it if you’re decent. Some sites want safety boots, hard hat, hi-vis, the usual. Turn up without and they’ll send you home, no pay.
The Site Banter is World-Class
Funny thing is half the lads on site are Irish, Polish, Romanian, Lithuanian, whatever. Everyone slags each other off but you’re all in it together when the concrete pump blocks or the crane driver’s hungover.
Bottom Line – Cash in Hand, Deposit in the Bank
It’s not forever for most people, but if you’re skint, need cash fast, or just want to get out and do something physical, you won’t find easier work that pays weekly. Ryan’s already got half a deposit saved for a house. From digging holes. How mad is that?
Just smash that big blue button and you’re straight through to the application page, no messing about.