welder.

Some of the specific tasks of a welder include:

• studying technical drawings

As a welder, your job involves interpreting blueprints and relevant drawings to understand how to fit metal parts together. You also rely on the specifications to ensure the fitting is according to the desired measurements and requirements.

• fitting metal parts

As a welder, you work with different machinery and equipment to fit and assemble metal parts to form structures. Most welders fuse the metal parts using high-heat equipment and other welding processes. Sometimes, the job involves operating hand-held equipment like an oxyacetylene torch and robotic welding machines.

• conducting assessments

You conduct assessments that help identify the appropriate welding methods and equipment as a welder. For instance, you must separate metal materials and determine the proper fitting process.

• diagnosing faults and maintaining machines

Before you start welding the metal parts, you must diagnose pipe systems problems. Apart from faults in the metalwork, you also need to maintain machines and hand tools to ensure they are functioning as expected.

• adhering to the health and safety guidelines

As a welder, you work in pipelines transporting gas or oil, which can harm the environment. When fixing a problem, you must adhere to the health and safety guidelines and avoid causing pollution.

A career as a welder offers a range of working environments. Some welders have a regular workplace in a workshop or factory. A welder working in construction or demolition, by contrast, works on busy job sites.

Since a welder goes where the work is, your work environment is often hot, crowded or noisy. In construction or demolition, your work environment may also be in an enclosed underground space or at a high elevation. You'll enjoy success as a welder if you can work efficiently and safely in these environments.

Depending on your employer and the industry you work in, your colleagues might include fabricators, machine operators, electrical technicians and joiners.

You might also be working close to construction workers and energy analysts, as well as other specialists that could consist of, but not be limited to maintenance fitters, boilermakers, pipefitters and electricians.

When something breaks that requires a welder's skill to fix, it doesn't matter what time of day it is. Similarly, in construction, missing deadlines means overrunning costs, which employers try to avoid. Both of these factors mean more work for you as a welder.

Whether in manufacturing or construction sites, welders often work long hours, including evenings and weekends. While the schedule of a welding career can be demanding, the range of shifts and hours available means you can find the proper schedule for you.

Continuing professional development is the key to advancing your career as a welder. Building familiarity with other welding techniques and equipment expands the opportunities available to you. Experience as a welder is a good entry point for several other welding-related careers.

If you want to move out of welding into other roles, consider moving into management. As a supervisor or workshop manager, you'll oversee the work of other welders and the workshop processes that support them.

Another option is to move from welding into testing or quality control, inspecting the output of welding processes on a larger scale.

If you want the satisfaction of passing on your welding skills to a new generation, consider teaching in a professional or further education environment.

Finding your welder job through Randstad provides essential advantages such as:

• a wide variety of training and development opportunities
• an experienced contact person to provide help if needed
• a range of options in your area
• get paid weekly or monthly, depending on the job
• temporary and permanent contracts

Want a permanent contract?

A temporary job as a welder is often a stepping stone to an attractive permanent career. Thousands of people earn a permanent contract with great employers every year thanks to a temporary job found through Randstad. What's more, many companies recruit their permanent employees through Randstad too.

Welding is a specialised skill that is in high demand in Australia.

Most industries need welders to put together machine parts and metal pieces. If you have the passion and enjoy working with metal, you will have multiple welding opportunities to explore.

A welder fuses different materials using a variety of equipment and techniques. Welders may work on steel, aluminium or thermoplastics in the construction and manufacturing industries.

The key to improving your earnings as a welder is to master a range of professional skills and welding techniques. Improving your other technical and personal skills can also earn you salaries of $60,000 per year or more.

Types of welding include TIG and MIG, common in the modern work environment. Shielded metal arc welding (SMAW) uses an electric current to weld and is commonly used on iron and steel, especially in construction.

Flux-cored arc welding (FCAW) is a form of welding using portable equipment, often used in outdoor jobs.

Applying for a welder job is easy:

1. Create a Randstad profile and search our welder job offers.
2. Then  send us your CV and cover letter.

Need help with your application? Check out all our job search tips here.