I Want To Be A Rope Access Technician. What Will My Salary Be?

Though training programs typically only take one week to complete, rope access technicians are required to log 1,000 hours and 12 months on the job before advancing to the next level.

I want to be a rope access technician. What will my salary be? Industrial rope access technicians are hired to do a range of tasks that are made more difficult because they have to be done while wearing a harness and suspended from a rope. Tasks range from high-rise window cleaning to the repair and inspection of infrastructure – such as power plants, wind turbines and bridges – which can only be reached by rope.

“A rope access technician is basically a jack of all trades, a handyman that works on rope systems in a variety of industries,” said Greg Korpela, the general manager of Canadian Rope Access Specialists, which offers training in Vancouver and Montreal. “The trade skill is being able to move around on rope, and the specific task depends on the industry.” Mr. Korpela adds that rope access technicians are used most frequently by the energy industry for basic maintenance and inspection.

Salary: There are three training levels for industrial rope access technicians, each with its own average hourly wage. Level one rope access technicians earn between $20 and $30 an hour, level two technicians earn between $25 and $35 an hour, while level three technicians typically earn between $35 and $60 an hour.

Furthermore, rope access technicians who have additional trade skills and are qualified to complete more complex tasks on ropes are paid a premium. Mr. Korpela says that rope access technicians also enjoy a high proportion of overtime pay.

“Most of the time when we’re called in somewhere, it’s for some maintenance task, and often that requires a shutdown of some kind, so you have this big industrial facility that isn’t making money because this maintenance task has to happen,” he said. “Sky’s the limit in terms of pricing, they just need to get it done now, which means the hours are sometimes incredibly long.”

Salaries range widely based on location, work frequency, and overtime pay. Mr. Korpela estimates that level one technicians typically earn between $25,000 and $60,000 a year, while level three technicians can make anywhere from $50,000 to $140,000 annually. Level two technicians typically fall somewhere in between, earning between $40,000 and $90,000.

Education: While some provinces, including Alberta and British Columbia, have strict rope access regulations in place, others have yet to adopt them. According to Mr. Korpela, however, uncertified rope access technicians are unlikely to find work in any province, for insurance and liability reasons.

“There might not be a legal requirement for people to have training, but in practice in the industry, no rope access company would hire anyone that isn’t trained,” he said.

Rope access technician training programs can be found all across Canada. Students typically complete a week-long, 32-hour, hands-on course at a training facility for a cost of approximately $2,000, depending on the level of training, before being tested by a third-party trade association, such as the International Rope Access Trade Association (IRATA) or the Society of Professional Rope Access Technicians (SPRAT).

“It’s a performance-based test; they go through all the manoeuvres,” Mr. Korpela says. “It’s a three-strikes-and-you’re-out situation, so any safety infraction or anything considered even a little unsafe, on the third strike you’re removed from the program and you need to do it again.”

Though training programs typically only take one week to complete, rope access technicians are required to log 1,000 hours and 12 months on the job before advancing to the next level.

“The facilities are often in remote locations, so you might be flying up to some remote mountain environment, crawling through tunnels, going down dark shafts, you might end up in the tar sands working in an oil and gas refinery,” he said.

Job prospects: While the oil and gas industry provides better-than-average job prospects in the western provinces, there are job opportunities for certified rope access technicians across Canada and abroad.

But Mr. Korpela says that level one rope access technicians often struggle to find work when they begin their careers.

“People who have never logged any hours, companies tend to shy away from them a little bit,” he said. “Once you get out there and you’ve accumulated a few hours, people know you can do the job and your employability goes way up.”

Level three rope access technicians are in constant demand, not just in Canada but all around the world. That is because industry standards require a top-level industrial rope access technician to act as supervisor on each job site. As a result, level three technicians are flown around the world to supervise projects in places where there are a lack of qualified professionals.

Challenges: Finding work as a beginner is difficult for new entrants to the industry, while sporadic and inconsistent hours make it difficult to predict work schedules and annual pay. Furthermore, Mr. Korpela says, industrial rope access technicians often work in some “fairly undesirable conditions.”

“The facilities are often in remote locations, so you might be flying up to some remote mountain environment, crawling through tunnels, going down dark shafts, you might end up in the tar sands working in an oil and gas refinery,” he said.

Why they do it: Mr. Korpela says that each industrial rope access technician is attracted to the job for different reasons. While some come from mountaineering backgrounds and enjoy working outdoors, others enjoy the variety of projects and travel opportunities, while others simply enjoy a job that, as Mr. Korpela put it, provides a salary “disproportionate to the amount of training it takes.”

Misconceptions: According to Mr. Korpela, most people have no idea what an industrial rope access technician is, and those who do assume it’s a very risky job.

“There’s a perception that it’s a dangerous thing,” he said. “People that are not in the know see us hanging on a rope and think it’s dangerous, but it’s really not.”

In fact, according to a 2013 health and safety report by IRATA, there were only two fatalities in the industry between 2009 and 2013 in a working population of 30,000. According to the report, “the accident rate for work on rope was 0.46 per 100,000 hours worked for all injuries, maintaining a rate of less than 0.5 [reported accidents per 100,000 hours on the job] for the last four consecutive years.”

Window Cleaning News Revisited

John Lockwood knows who’s who and what’s what in the hood.

Keeping it real with some old friends: John Lockwood is a neighborhood character who I have known and photographed many times over the years. Anyone who has spent any time on Avenue A is familiar with John. He makes his living washing windows. He owns and runs his own company, Rose Window & Awning Cleaning. John is getting to be one of the last of the old school, independent, go-to street guys who knows who is who, and what is what, as far as the goings-on in the hood. That said, he is not a gossip, but if there is a need to know, good chance John can give an insider’s tip. John earns his money, is hard-working, honest and a stand-up guy. Remember this Harlem Window Cleaner who turned his life around?

Groupon under fire in Germany over bad deals: Groupon recently launched in Austria from America but in Germany the company has been panned. A German man and his family made the first complaint when he bought a Groupon voucher online for the "Great China" restaurant in Hamburg. The man named as Marc W., 21, paid 147.60 Euro instead of 200 for the voucher but as it turned out the restaurant does not except any vouchers. Since then Marc is trying to contact Groupon to get his money back but said he had had no reaction since then.

Another woman Katrin Wege (44), the owner of the "Blaue Blume", lost about 10,000 due a Groupon deal. The offer for her restaurant in Hamburg was supposed to be online for 24 hours but actually was available for 48 hours, she said. Some 700 vouchers were sold for 14,50 each with an original value of 30 Euro. Groupon keeps about half of the price for themselves with the rest going to the firm. Martin Harneit, pictured (33) who owns a window-cleaning service and was hoping for some advertising through Groupon also suffered, with a similar story to Katrin Wege. Groupon also sold more vouchers than he agreed on, and still owes him 800 Euro. Now, the small business of his is under threat of being bankrupt if they do not get the money back. Similar blogs here & here.

The Salary poll:  The results of the Sunday Province's poll on managerial and executive wages are in. More than 1,000 of you voted on whether 20 different Lower Mainland salaries were too high or too low. Unsurprisingly, the overwhelming response for nearly every job was "too high." Only highrise window washers, teachers and the manager of Stanley Park were seen as underpaid by the public, according to the online survey. One surprise was the mayor of Vancouver - the voting was split 50/50. $31,200 Highrise window washer -

 96% said UNDERPAID & said 4% OVERPAID 

"Are you kidding me? I make decent money but you couldn't pay me enough to do that job. Maybe not skilled labour, but how dangerous is that? Without these guys, the CEOs would not have a beautiful corner office view." - Brian Z., Agassi. Another blog on window cleaners salary here & here.

Don't moralise on tax, Gauke: Oh dear! David Gauke has made himself look a right wally by telling the British public that paying people cash-in-hand is 'morally wrong'. Last week exchequer secretary to the Treasury Gauke lambasted members of the British public who pay cash to tradesmen, cleaners, window cleaners and anyone else who may ask for cash payment. He trilled that cash-in-hand payments have left a £2 billion black hole in the economy and proceeded to judge the moral standing of those that pay cash – but what he failed to add is that paying someone cash is perfectly legal.

You can pay everyone in cash if you wish, it's up to the person you pay cash to, to declare their income, including the cash payments. It's not up to any customer to ensure the person or company they purchase an item or service from is paying the correct amount of tax.

What Gauke seemed to want to say, but couldn't, is that he thinks tradesmen and others who rely on cash are dodging tax and he doesn't like it. This is all a bit rich from the man who used to make a living out of helping the wealthy avoid tax. Gauke was a solicitor at Macfarlanes, a company which specialises in tax structuring – which translates as helping rich people pay less tax. Research last year showed tax avoidance costs the UK economy £69.9 billion a year, putting the £2 billion lost to cash-in-hand operations into perspective. Gauke looks like a fool. While he judges those who pay labourers and cleaners, people who are typically on low wages and may be struggling hard to pay bills and find enough work, his own governmental department, the Treasury, strikes deals to allow companies to escape millions of pounds of tax. Original blog here.

Bungling burglar jailed after being recognised by unique tattoo: A man’s distinctive neck tattoo helped police identify him as a bungling burglar who pretended to be a window cleaner and hooked a handbag inside a house with his broom. Neil Simpson (24), of Francis Gardens, Peterborough, had asked a woman if she wanted to have her windows cleaned on June 15. Later that day, the woman saw him feed a broom through her window and try to steal her handbag by hooking it with the stick. The would-be-burglar was caught in the act by the homeowner, and fled the property empty-handed. She called the police and told them of the distinctive tattoo on his neck, which was a large black symbol.

Simpson was then arrested for another matter the following day, and was immediately linked to the burglary when officers saw a large black tattoo on his neck. He pleaded guilty to burglary and six other break-ins across New England and Dogsthorpe at Peterborough Crown Court on Monday, July 23. Simpson has been sentenced to two years in prison. Detective Constable Tom Rowe said: “Simpson was a serial burglar and we are committed to ensure we catch those responsible for such offences. “I hope this sends out a strong message to others that we will bring offenders to justice.” Also see here: UK Window Cleaner Filmed Stealing Credit Card.

Pilots Sometimes Earn Less Than Airport Window Washers

Pilots sometimes earn less than airport window washers: Airline pilots are widely seen as having some of the best jobs in America. In reality, pay for pilots has been on the decline for years. Recent salary records show that a rookie first officer on a regional airline flying out of San Francisco International Airport may be paid less than the worker who washes the airport’s windows.

First officers, sometimes called co-pilots, are second in command on commercial aircraft. On regional airlines, their starting salaries range from about $20.50 to $29 per hour. That is significantly less than the skipper of a passenger ferry on San Francisco Bay, records compiled by California Watch show. Some earn less than toll takers on the Golden Gate Bridge or state prison nurses.

Pilots for regional airlines “are paid considerably less to work more hours,” says Brandon Macsata, executive director of the Association for Airline Passenger Rights, an independent organization of air travelers. “And it brings up safety concerns.”

First-year pay for first officers on regional airlines, SFO vs. other jobs

A driving force in the capping of pilots’ pay has been the rise of regional airlines. The regional airlines system was born after the industry was deregulated in 1978. Without government regulation, airlines moved to a hub-and-spoke model. Major airlines serve large flights between hubs such as New York and Los Angeles and contract with regional airlines to fly passengers to the hub from smaller markets.

Passengers may never realize they are flying in a regional jet, as they buy their tickets from the major airline and fly on a plane painted with the major airline’s logo. Regional carriers now are responsible for more than half of the nation’s commercial air traffic, according to a February report by the Regional Airline Association. Read more..

A Window Cleaner/Pilot Speaks: -

 

As a commercial pilot, I have to weigh in on this thread.

While the majority of the time the airplane is in flight it is on autopilot this, by no means, means the pilot is not busy accomplishing tasks. He might not have his hands on the yoke and the throttles, but he is taking care of many other tasks that need to be taken care of. Things such as maintaining contact with the appropriate air traffic control facility, monitoring fuel, monitoring the ever changing weather, transitioning from the many different phases of flight, and, God forbid, handling any unforeseen emergency and getting the plane and all it's passengers on the ground safely.

Some things you may not know about a commercial pilot's life. Twice a year I have to get a Class A medical done where the medical examiner checks everything on me from my eyesight and hearing to my having an EKG done. At this medical, I have to report any other medical exams or procedures done throughout the year. I also have to have two check-rides a year done in a simulator where just about anything and everything that could go wrong in an airplane happens. If I fail any of these four event, 2 medicals and 2 check-rides, I could lose my opportunity to be a professional pilot and be out of work. Throw in a few random drug tests and the chance that either the FAA or my company wants to do a line check, where a examiner rides along on a flight to check my competency, and I have ample opportunities to lose my ability to make a living flying an airplane.

Airline pilots are paid only for the time they are flying the airplane. This is the time the airplane pushes from the gate to the time it reaches the destination and opens it's doors. All the other time at the airport preparing for the flight or just the idle time between flights is non-paid. Oftentimes a pilot will be away from home for 3 or 4 days and only be paid for 10-15 hours of that time. So even the numbers in the article are inflated. When it says a regional pilot is making $20/hr, that really equates into something more along the lines of $18-19k/year. A pilot will average only about 80-90 paid flight hours per month. Again, there is much more time and work put in than that, but that is the way the pay is calculated.

Some other stresses and challenges that come with the job are the hours away from home. There's a reason that divorce is as high among commercial pilots as any other profession out there. The company I work for has schedules that keep me away from home for 7 days straight and home for 7 days. This means my wife is a single mom for half the year. I can promise you that the A/C will break or one of the kids will get sick while I'm on the road. Takes a strong wife and a lot of trust between the two of us to make this work. Then there's the personal psychological stress and physical fatigue that comes with constantly changing time zones, sleeping in hotel rooms, eating restaurant food, and constantly trying to keep in touch and connected with those at home. Throw in any weather or mechanical issues and you can very quickly become task saturated and fatigued.

I'm writing this not in defense of anything, but more as an educational piece. I might dispute the comment in the earlier post that window cleaners "work harder" than a commercial pilot but other than that I just wanted to inform others about what a pilot's life can be like.

I started my window cleaning company because, like many people in many industries, I thought I might lose my job due to a shrinking economy. I didn't. I'm still blessed to be flying for a great company and be the owner/partner in my own business. If I had to choose today which one I would give up, it would be a hard decision. I love being in the window cleaning business and being a part of this great community. I just wanted to share a bit of my experience as a commercial pilot to shed a little light on this article and the posts in the thread.

And yes, a window cleaner can make more money that a pilot. I know first hand...

 

By Sam Mezzell, Lindale, Texas of That Window Guy & NetJets.