As a beautician, Hannah Long spent her days making people look glam - but she has now swapped the salon for septic tanks.
Having grown tired of lash tints and waxing, Hannah is now a trainee service engineer for Peterlee septic specialist, Premier Tech.
“My old boss thought that I was crazy and just didn’t get the career change,” admitted Hannah, originally from Surrey.
“My boss asked ‘Why sewage?’ – but I was waxing people for a living, being a beautician really wasn’t as glamourous as people think!
And Hannah isn’t alone in seeking a career change.
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A recent poll by KPMG found that 40 per cent of Brits are plotting a career change, in part due to rising living costs.
A YouGov survey also found just 17 per cent of workers loved their current jobs.
Having spent eight years as a qualified beauty technician, Hannah admits she needed a “change of scene”.
“I really wanted a new challenge, but also a career with progression,” she said.
“As a beautician there’s a definite career ceiling, and there’s not much chance of growing in the role.
“However, my dad was a plumber and I always liked the idea of having practical skills that I could use in my life. My brother also works for Premier Tech, so I had a good idea of what to expect but I’ve been really impressed with them.
“I realised that I had a lot of transferrable skills that helped me hit the ground running.”
Since joining Premier Tech, which has a global workforce of more than 1,500, Hannah has also been able to swap the static salon and now travels across Britain maintaining and installing septic systems, learning a new trade on the job.
“Each day is completely different, so you get to meet lots of different people while the work is incredibly varied,” she added.
“When you tell people you are responsible for septic tanks, people think it must be a really dirty job but that isn’t the case at all. You don’t spend your shift inside tanks – you generally only go inside if you need to fix a part – and there’s a lot more to it than that.
“Even though I’ve gone from manicured nails to nail scrubbers, I absolutely love my new role.”
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