Q&A With Pauline, Registered Electrician
We are so excited to be putting the spotlight on female tradies this week! Our first focus is a talented young electrician who not only powers up homes and buildings around Aotearoa but also inspires young Kiwis to succeed in the trades through her work with Trade Collective.
Pauline Varlet, known on her popular Instagram account as Pauline Voltlet, is 25 years old and a registered electrician working in Christchurch. She was kind enough to answer some questions for us earlier in the month—here’s what she had to say.
Sparked her attention
The decision to train as an electrician, Pauline recounted, came from a common source of inspiration and wisdom: her mum.
“I was really lost as to what I wanted to do, my mum suggested I do a trade. I grew up watching my mum (and helping her) do everything at our rental properties so being hands on was second nature to me. “
Her original career goal after high school was to become a pediatrician, but she changed her mind early on and signed up to a pre-trades course back in Christchurch—the first step on a fantastic journey to where she is now.
Why electrical? Pauline said:
“While looking through all the trades that Ara had to offer, electrical stuck out for me. I wanted to do something that I used my brain lots and that would be useful for my family’s rentals!”
The best bits
Of course, we had to seek some wisdom from Pauline about the highs and lows of her trade. Starting with the age-old question: what’s her favourite tool brand?
“I live and breathe Makita! Always have and always will. When deciding what tools I wanted at the start of my apprenticeship, I tried a wide range of different brands and Makita ticked all the boxes.”
No surprises there—we know that Makita has many Kiwi tradies in a chokehold, and for good reason.
We also asked Pauline her favourite tradie pun or cliché was, and she went with a dad classic: saying “that’s not going anywhere!” after checking the strops on the trailer or roof of the van.
Ladies as tradies
Pauline is one of the trailblazers for females in the trades, and we love the work she’s doing withTrade Collective to promote promising career paths to young people, especially young women. We had to ask a few questions around her experience as a female electrician—something we hope will become much more commonplace in coming years.
“My experience has been positive. I initially thought that it would be a lot harder. I found that most of the stereotypes aren’t true. The company I work for are great and all the guys are like big brothers/dads.”
She has, however, noticed one point of difference in her experience:
“I feel like being a female on site means you have to work a little harder to earn their respect and to prove to the boys you’re there for the right reasons. “
Asked whether she thinks there is a culture shift regarding women in trades, Pauline had a positive outlook.
“From when I started 6 years ago, there has been a huge change! I can see it. There are heaps more females jumping into the industry. the support is amazing, from businesses celebrating women’s day, wider range of women’s workwear being created, to people being more accepting on site.”
What can others in the industry do to help?
“Give girls the opportunity to show what they’re capable of. Let them run a small job or be in charge of something. Teach an apprentice. Give them an equal chance to the men in your company. “
To finish, here is Pauline’s best advice for women hoping to enter the trades:
Do a bit of work experience to see if you enjoy the trade.
Connect with other females tradies. A good support network makes it so much easier to do something that is out of the ‘norm’.
Give it your best shot, show up on time, and prove to those boys that you’re ready to work.
don’t be discouraged by the odd remark you might receive. Because 95% of people will be thinking “man, it’s awesome to see this chick doing a trade.”
Thanks so much Pauline for taking the time to answer our questions—we love working with tradies and would be so stoked to see more amazing women like you in those roles! You can follow Pauline on Instagram to find out more.
