I’m a female plumber – men tell me I should be ‘helping with the laundry’ but I make £40k a year and love it… here’s why
A FEMALE tradie gets told she should "be helping with the laundry" on site but doesn't care.
Yasmine Ahmet, 22, says she is the only female plumber in North London - and she loves her job.
She is now a qualified gas engineer earning nearly £40,000-a-year after working her way up from a plumbing apprenticeship she began at age 17.
Yasmine told The Sun: "If I'm being honest the good comes with the bad.
"Some people are a bit shocked to see me, I've had some comments off tenants I worked for.
"One lady didn't think it was right that I should be lifting radiators and being hands on.
"She made sly comments like I should be helping her with the laundry but I just sort of laugh it off.
"I just moved to a new company and some residents say 'this is the first time in 20 years I've had a girl come to do work'.
"I want to be humble, so I will say I don't not get hit on, it's just the way you deal with it.
"Eight out of 10 times it's just banter, you need to have a sense of humour on site.
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"It's a serious trade but you do need a sense of humour.
"Other tradespeople as well, like carpenters and builders, they're like 'okay love', they're more shocked than anything else."
But the 22-year-old admitted she had gone to management because of some comments made by customers before.
"Being a female in a male dominated field you don't want to seem like you're moaning, but if something makes you feel uncomfortable its not okay", she added.
When she sat in a room aged 17 surrounded by young lads during a plumbing apprenticeship, being a girl didn't hold Yasmine back.
She was inspired to go into the industry after taking construction GCSE and her teacher encouraged her to apply.
"I was a bit intimidated but in a cool way, like I need to get to learn fast, one thing is there's a lot of teamwork so its about helping each other out", she said.
She said she worried about making mistakes like anyone else - but said being a girl added to her anxiety sometimes.
But despite some concerns, she has never felt discriminated against alongside colleagues at several different firms.
She explained: "Being in this game as a female I stand out, I just think I hope people look past that and I say to myself 'let's work and see what I can do', so I don't worry about what people think.
"I think I'm the only female tradie in this industry in north London, the only other female one I know is in Kent."
Yasmine said people around her in the job are making £40,000 but it can take a while to see pay rises when you start off as a gas engineer.
She hopes to go on her own at some point and start her own company, but is happy where she is.
"For now I just want to get more experience."
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It comes as not-for-profit Trade-Up invites ambitious adults looking to re-skill or up-skill and learn a trade through an experienced support system.
Its training partners, Logic4training and Trade Skills 4U have developed courses tailored for individuals interested in upskilling in electrics, gas and heating, plumbing and renewables.