Blockwork Mason

You set out the wall from the marked line, lay the first course in a full bed and keep the vertical with a plumb line and a laser. Blocks are cut on the table saw, openings are formed with a lintel and the anchors into the concrete frame go in every third course. Mortar comes from the mixer on the floor, so you tell the labourer what you need and check the mix before you use it. Doorways and services are left open to the drawing, and you clean the joint before it sets. Work is 07:00-15:30 and a Saturday morning is voluntary and paid extra.

Trade school for masonry or three years of proven laying

Laying block and brick to a line, plumb and level

Working with a laser level and a mortar mixer

Reading a floor plan for openings and wall thickness

Working at height on a scaffold with a guard rail

Willing to move to the next site in the city when this one closes

Basic English is enough, the crew speaks the local language

Net salary from 880 up to 968 EUR per month

Permanent contract, not a contract for one building

Payment per square metre above the daily norm, agreed in advance

Hot meal at midday and coffee in the site container

Company van from Zabjelo, Konik and Tuzi

Helmet, gloves, knee pads and safety boots provided

Paid scaffolding safety course in the first months

A mason who sets out a floor alone and keeps the crew supplied becomes a gang leader on the next building, with a written pay step. The builder pays the course for reading reinforcement drawings.

An open site in a residential area, hot from June to September and windy on the upper floors, with a shaded break container and drinking water on every level. Helmet and boots from the gate, scaffolds with a guard rail.