How much will I get paid as an apprentice or trainee?
To find out how much you’ll make as an apprentice or trainee, you can use the Pay Calculator on the
Fair Work website. Pay rates depend on the applicable award.
You can also flick through our list of construction careers to find the average pay ranges for each
construction job when you’ve finished your apprenticeship or traineeship.
On this page
Understanding awards
Apprentices and trainee wages and conditions are based on certain ‘rules’ called awards. The Fair Work website has a list of all the awards and explains the minimum wage and benefits you should get.
Here’s what the awards cover:
- The amount of money you should get, including extra payment if you work more or if the work
is harder. - The type of employment you have, like full-time, part-time, or casual.
- Extra money you should get if you work more hours or if you work at certain times, like
weekends or nights. - How your work schedule is arranged, like the days you work or changes to your hours.
- Extra money you might get for things like travel expenses.
- Taking time off work, like holidays or sick leave.
- Saving money for your retirement.
- Ways to talk about problems at work and solve them.
- If you work from home (there are special rules for you)
- If there are changes or job losses in your industry (there might be a program to help you).
You’ll get payslips when you start your apprenticeship or traineeship that show how much money
you’ve earned.
They include details like the period you worked, the hours you worked (including any extra hours),
the total amount before taxes, the taxes you’ve paid, any other deductions, and the final amount you
get in your bank account. It’s important to keep a copy of these slips as a record of your pay.