An Aussie has revealed he was only required to undergo one week of training and now earns $50 an hour to maintain high-rise buildings.
The Sydney man discussed his salary and experience in an interview with Getahead, an app that connects jobseekers with employment opportunities in Australia.
The video went viral on TikTok, attracting almost 25,000 views since it was first uploaded on Friday.
The man said he works on skyscrapers, and carries out tasks ranging from cleaning windows to helping maintain or restore the integrity of buildings.
‘We always do a different type of work, it can be like remedial work because old buildings sometimes have cracks on it,’ he said.
‘It can be between $45 and $50 and sometimes it is more. It depends on what type of work we do.’
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The man landed the job after completing a week-long training course through the Industrial Ropes Access Trade Association (IRATA).
No university degree is required for the role.
‘Just one week training, the tickets, they call it IRATA,’ he explained.
According to leading employment website SEEK, the average rope access worker earns $80,000 to $90,000 a year, with some raking in as much as $100,000.
The Aussie explained that he doesn’t think the job is particularly dangerous, saying there is a second safety rope to fall back on.
While there’s no doubt a head for heights is essential for the role, he said he found the abseiling part of the job quite fun.
‘Yeah, it’s [exciting] in the beginning and then a few years when you work like that you get [into a] routine,’ he said.
‘We are on two ropes. If you fall from that one, you have that one.’
Some social media users were surprised by the amount high-rise workers earn.
Others said it was important to consider that most people wouldn’t be able to do that type of job.
‘Factor in that 95 per cent of people couldn’t do it,’ one person said.
‘Some buildings are 50 stories up, don’t think many have it in them to do it,’ another wrote.