Aussie 'Lollipop Lady' Reveals She Earns $3,000 A Week

An Australian road traffic controller has revealed the startling amount of money she's paid to direct cars through a constriction zone.

They're nicknamed 'lollipop ladies' and are a common sight at worksites around the country.

They'll be wearing classic high-vis clothing and will be sporting a big ole sign that says STOP or SLOW to make sure traffic don't get in the way of the work.

It's a fairly outdated term as well considering men and non-binary people can also be 'lollipop people' but that's a story for another day.

While some might think it's a low-skilled role, it can pay very handsomely and TikTok user Chloe Taouk proved that in a video on her account.

She claimed to rake in nearly $500 for a lengthy 12 hour shift on the site and a little more than $400 for a 10.5 hour shift.

Chloe explained how sometimes she has to work for up to 14 hours or as little as 15 minutes (which she copped $149 for that short shift).

In one week, after slogging it out for nearly 58 hours, the lollipop lady brought home $2,949. She didn't indicate whether this was gross or net income and whether tax had already been included, however, either way, it sure is a hell of a decent salary.

News Corp reports when you average it out, including penalty rates for weekend work, it equates to around $50 per hour. Chloe's video shocked many users who complained that she makes more in a day than they usually do in a whole week.

One person commented on the clip, saying: "I save lives for a living. You're saying I could control traffic and make in one day doing that what I make in a week?"

It's estimated that road traffic controllers can make an average of $130,000 per annum however in some roles you can get up to $180,000 depending on the type of work, hours done and location. Not a bad way to make money.

Other people stepped in to defend Chloe and the industry, with some saying a road traffic controller's income isn't permanent and they could be unemployed the moment the job is done.

She was also backed up by users who said critics shouldn't hate the player, hate the game.

"For the haters, traffic controllers risk their lives with oncoming traffic to protect the workers. It might look easy, but it's also dangerous," said one woman.

Another added: "As good as the pay is, I couldn't stand there for 12 hours a day doing nothing, that's a hard job in my books."

Topics: Australia

Stewart Perrie

Stewart Perrie is a Trending Journalist at LADbible. His first job was as a newsreader and journalist at the award winning Sydney radio station, Macquarie Radio. He was solely responsible for the content broadcast on multiple stations across Australia when the MH17, Germanwings and AirAsia disasters unfolded. Stewart has covered the conflict in Syria for LADbible, interviewing a doctor on the front line, and has contributed to the hugely successful UOKM8 campaign.

@stewartperrie