Apprentice - Carpenter
Article From: The Daily Telegraph
Picture by Getty Images.
From constructing homes to building shop fit-outs, there's not much fourth-year apprentice carpenter Peter Taddiche hasn't had the opportunity to work on during his time with building and carpentry business Classic Quarters.
"There's a good variety of work,'' he says. ``We also do everything from building a structure of a house to timber flooring, shop fit-outs, repairs and commercial work."
Taddiche's father also works in the construction industry and he always knew he wanted to follow in his footsteps.
"I've known this is what I wanted to do since I was young. My dad was a builder and we'd always talked about it," he says.
Taddiche wasn't exactly sure what part of the construction industry he wanted to get into, but decided to start a carpentry apprenticeship and see how he liked it.
"It was actually a last-minute decision to enrol, I just thought I'd give it a go," he says.
Taddiche enjoyed the trade, but says the early mornings took a while to get used to.
"Waking up in the mornings is the hardest thing," he says. "I've never been a morning person but I think I'm getting used to it."
Taddiche says each project requires a different approach, which brings great variety to the role.
"If you're constantly doing the same work it can get a bit boring," he says.
"That's why I like working here, because there are always new challenges. It's the reason I enjoy my job. When you're talking to the clients it's all the same, but when it comes to the work, things change all the time. The way things are built depends on what they are and where they are."
His greatest sense of achievement to date was working in a supervisory role for a shop fit-out project.
"We had to transform two shops into the one space. It was a great experience, being the little one out of all the team controlling the show," he says.
"I had to do all the organising and I was on the phone speaking with different people all the time. It was fun."
As a carpenter, Taddiche is required to use air and power tools, so being alert and aware of his surroundings at all times is essential.
"You have to be on your game all the time, it's make or break," he says. "These tools can be dangerous if you don't use them properly, but if you use them correctly and you're not a fool about it, they're fine."
Taddiche often works on more than one project at a time and says the length of each one depends on the amount of work that needs to be done.
"If you're building a house from scratch it can take six months to a year, but if you're doing major renovations, it can take anywhere from one to six months," he says.
LOVE YOUR WORK
How did you get into your job?
"I always knew I wanted to work in construction, but wasn't sure what area. I decided to give carpentry a try and I thought it was fun."
Upside: "I love the fact that there's always a new challenge with every job."
Downside: "The early mornings, but I'm getting used to them."
"There's a good variety of work,'' he says. ``We also do everything from building a structure of a house to timber flooring, shop fit-outs, repairs and commercial work."
Taddiche's father also works in the construction industry and he always knew he wanted to follow in his footsteps.
"I've known this is what I wanted to do since I was young. My dad was a builder and we'd always talked about it," he says.
Taddiche wasn't exactly sure what part of the construction industry he wanted to get into, but decided to start a carpentry apprenticeship and see how he liked it.
"It was actually a last-minute decision to enrol, I just thought I'd give it a go," he says.
Taddiche enjoyed the trade, but says the early mornings took a while to get used to.
"Waking up in the mornings is the hardest thing," he says. "I've never been a morning person but I think I'm getting used to it."
Taddiche says each project requires a different approach, which brings great variety to the role.
"If you're constantly doing the same work it can get a bit boring," he says.
"That's why I like working here, because there are always new challenges. It's the reason I enjoy my job. When you're talking to the clients it's all the same, but when it comes to the work, things change all the time. The way things are built depends on what they are and where they are."
His greatest sense of achievement to date was working in a supervisory role for a shop fit-out project.
"We had to transform two shops into the one space. It was a great experience, being the little one out of all the team controlling the show," he says.
"I had to do all the organising and I was on the phone speaking with different people all the time. It was fun."
As a carpenter, Taddiche is required to use air and power tools, so being alert and aware of his surroundings at all times is essential.
"You have to be on your game all the time, it's make or break," he says. "These tools can be dangerous if you don't use them properly, but if you use them correctly and you're not a fool about it, they're fine."
Taddiche often works on more than one project at a time and says the length of each one depends on the amount of work that needs to be done.
"If you're building a house from scratch it can take six months to a year, but if you're doing major renovations, it can take anywhere from one to six months," he says.
LOVE YOUR WORK
How did you get into your job?
"I always knew I wanted to work in construction, but wasn't sure what area. I decided to give carpentry a try and I thought it was fun."
Upside: "I love the fact that there's always a new challenge with every job."
Downside: "The early mornings, but I'm getting used to them."
