A British expat in Australia has gone viral after posting a detailed breakdown of his payslip as a traffic controller in Perth.
Will, who works in traffic management, uploaded a TikTok video explaining what he earned over one week and said the clip was intended to give people a clearer idea of what the job can pay. “Some weeks are higher, some weeks are lower. [This is] just so everyone can get an understanding of what the pay is like in traffic control,” he began the clip.
He also pushed back at criticism he expected from viewers, saying: “Before you Karens jump in the comments and say, ‘Oh, you don’t get that kind of work all the time. It’s not consistent,’ hear me out. I’m just doing a Wednesday-to-Wednesday week for you guys to have a look.”
Will described the video as “an in-depth guide” for people considering work in traffic control. He then ran through his payslip for the period between Wednesday, August 17 and Wednesday, August 23, including his hourly rates as well as tax, superannuation and double pay.
“So my base rate in traffic [control] is $37.99 an hour for small roads and then, for the bigger roads, it increases and you get penalties.
“For those dates, my gross pay was $2,281,26,” he said, adding that that number is “not take home”.
Breaking down the total, Will said: “I did 32 hours at $38 an hour,” which brought in $1,215.68.
He added: “I then did double pay [which] was 8.25 hours for $68.38 an hour,” making $564.14.
“I then did time and a half, which was 8 hours of that for $53.18 an hour,” he said, before noting that he made $425.44.
Will also said he received four hours of meal allowances at $19 an hour, earning $76 in total.
Discussing deductions, he said: “My tax for the $2,281.26 was $331,” and explained that his tax rate is “slightly different” from locals in the same role because he is on a working holiday visa.
“I believe I’m on 15 per cent tax for a while and then it ramps up halfway through the year, basically. But [at] the start of every financial year, you get a nice 15 per cent tax bracket.”
He said “they put $145.88 into my superannuation”, while his net pay for the week was $1,950.26.
Will said he was satisfied with that result. “So like I said, I don’t think that was too bad. It changes depending on what kind of road you’re on. If you’re on a local metro road in the city, you’re on $37.99 an hour.
“If you’re on highways, main roads or you do time and a half or double, depending on how many hours for that day you’ve done … you get more.”
He added: “But anything for me over $1,500 a week, I’m happy with.”
The video quickly drew strong reactions, with many social media users shocked by the amount. “That’s insane overpaid nonsense,” one person wrote, while another said: “It’s actually amazing pay. But I’m sure it’s tedious work, I don’t think I could do it, I would go crazy.” Another user commented: “My pay as a teacher is lower.”
Others were more interested in how to enter the industry. “Where do you find traffic management jobs?” one person asked. A second wrote: “Bro, thinking of getting into traffic control, after getting the white card and [sic] required documents, do I also need a license to get hired?” A third added: “Looking to possibly do this when I come over in December! Is it easy enough to get into without prior experience?”
