Drainlaying is not for the faint of heart. It’s a job that requires physical strength as well as the ability to think quickly and adapt to the job at hand. And it’s certainly not clean!

Drainlaying involves digging, physical labour, laying pipes, working in the rain and doing other potentially unpleasant tasks that most people would not want to do. It can also involve concrete cutting, breaking rocks and dealing with concrete which needs to be removed in order to lay a new drain or replace an existing one underneath.

When becoming a drainlayer, it takes about 18 months to 2 years to get a National Certificate, you learn as you go and you get looked after by an advisor. Once complete, you are considered a qualified drainlayer and are ready to work on your own.