You will often work as a substitute, or subcontractor, on large jobs. You can also work as an individual trader. Good tradies who earn a good income and are bogans can sometimes be promoted to being a paid bogan. A tradie in Australia is a skilled and manual professional, such as a plumber, electrician or carpenter.
But the Australian slang term has a more evocative meaning than a mere job description. A person, employed in a trade such as plumbing, carpentry, electrical, who has sadly encountered you driving in front of them on the road and then has had a bad, bad reaction. Rage Tradies can be identified by the type of Ute, Truck or Van they drive clearly marked with their company name, or by the use of loud profanity when they infuriate you and any other motorist who has the misfortune of being in their way. Rage Tradie is most often seen in a natural habitat on the road with a mobile phone in your ear or on your lap.
Caution: Do not face it, you will incite more anger. The word tradie or derives from the word “merchant”. Regardless of their specialty, tradies share one common trait: they are incredibly skilled and versatile. Just search Google Tradie and you'll get dozens of references from merchant services websites, products, educational sites, news and researchers.
Naturally, a trader's job is hard and one of the most physically demanding careers, a far cry from your typical 9-to-5 office job. Since being called “sparkies”, “chippies”, “brickies”, being a tradie can mean any number of roles, but they also have a lot in common. For a Tradie, the office is much more exciting and free than that cubicle enclosed in a construction square. A range of traditional clothing, men's workwear and underwear seemingly 'guaranteed to be resistant to Tradie.
A tradie will not spend as much time studying (usually 6 months to two years), often learning most of their skills on the job and avoiding large debts in the process, depending on their experience, expertise and practical knowledge. Dealers who work in a trade or job that requires particular skills are called Tradies electricians, plumbers and carpenters who have commercial jobs. As a tradie improves their skills and receives their qualifications, additional doors (and windows) open up to new possibilities. It is believed that the term originated in the early 20th century as an abbreviation for “traditional merchant”.
There's no doubt that being a tradie is a challenging and demanding job, but it's also one of the most rewarding professions out there. In this sense, the meaning of tradie in Australia is very similar to the meaning of trader in the United Kingdom. Esky is an Australian brand of portable refrigerators, in which you would put your food and drinks and it is essential for artisans who work on site. A tradie may not spend as much time studying (usually between 6 months and two years), since he does not have to pay for a formal course, he often learns most of his skills at work and avoids large debts as a result.
