Mark Rabess 28, UK

What made you decide to come and work in Australia? I wanted to step out of the London bubble and find out how things are being done in other countries, I picked Australia to start with.

What job did you do back home? Back home I am an IT-purchaser focused on customer relations; wearing suit and tie, getting my latte in the morning rush, doing my 9-5 shifts. Here, I wear construction boots, sweat like a pig and enjoy a cold beer on my lunch hour.

So, what’s your job like? I’m a tradesman’s handyman. I have certain skills in every area of construction, quite multiskilled.

How did you land this job? My nextdoor neighbour was construcing his own house and I simply asked if I could work for him. One thing led to another and I was asked if I could be a part of working at other constructions .

What’s the pay like? Minimum 20 bucks an hour. But often more depending on the size of the job.

Any memorable moments on the job? When I first started working with this I was told to go and fetch the pattern paint. I looked around for an hour or so until I realised I had been fooled. How can there be such thing as a paint that creates patterns? Perhaps in Disneyworld.

What’s great about your job? You get to be outdoors, no need to go to the gym and you finish early.

And what’s not so great? Early mornings and lactic acid.

Any tips for fellow job hunters? Put money aside so that you can take a course in a specialised area within the construction field. That gives you a ‘ticket’. The more ‘tickets’ you have the more work you will get.

Where to next? My motherland England.