By Steven Smith

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A woman abandoned her “girly” office job to double her income as a drain engineer and now relishes spending her days shovelling bird droppings and cleaning fat out of factory tanks. Sarah Thompson, 28, left school at the age of 16 and worked in supermarkets before transitioning to a call centre role for six years. However, in October 2022, Sarah decided she wanted a job with more opportunities for growth and learning, as she was tired of running out of money by the end of each month. Sarah seized the opportunity to train as a drain engineer for a family business and hasn’t looked back since. She now scrapes bird droppings off roofs, cleans out factory fat tanks, lifts heavy manhole covers and drives various types of vans, but says she’s never been happier or stronger. The career change has more than doubled Sarah’s income, from £19,000 a year to £40,000, enabling her to purchase her first home for £350,000. Sarah, from Thurrock, Essex, said: “Honestly this has been the best thing that I’ve ever done. The work is really fun. “I never had a plan for a career when I was little and I definitely didn’t think I’d be working with poo and rats and enjoying it as much as I do. It was always my dream to work my way up to the top and to make loads of money – that’s still the plan. “Every job I do I find the passion in it and give it my all. I loved my ‘girly’ job, but there wasn’t enough room for promotion, and no way for me to up my money. “I really wanted to buy a home of my own but I was putting in all these hours and making a pittance. I love the self-sufficiency and therefore confidence my now job has given me. “This job is really good for me mentally too, I’m so busy that I don’t have time for overthinking and it keeps me concentrating, but in a really healthy, active, way. I love it when we go into schools because all the kids see that I’m a woman drain engineer and they’re always really excited about that. I know I’m a good example to them and that’s a great feeling.” Sarah had been grafting 9 to 5 as a call centre worker since she was 19. Her team of girls enjoyed getting dolled up for the office and complimenting each other’s looks. During lunch breaks they’d hit the shops together in Romford and treat themselves to manicures. Come Friday afternoon, their desks were covered in compacts, lipsticks and mascara whilst their going-out gear was draped across the office. “Our boss always laughed at us”, Sarah said. In October 2022 Sarah’s brother-in-law needed a fresh face for his drainage firm, Pipeline Drain Solutions, and Sarah’s sister wondered if she fancied having a go. Sarah began the role expecting it to be short-term, but fell head over heels for the job and remains there three years later. “I was like ‘well, it’s something new’,” she explained. Sarah has had to adjust to the number of spiders she encounters, but relishes the fact that no two days are the same. She spends her time poking cameras down drains, blasting out blockages and fixing holes in pipes. There are days when the entire team dons protective suits, which Sarah jokingly refers to as “full-body condoms” and they climb inside fat tanks to scrape out all the lumps. On other days, you can find Sarah on rooftops, scraping bird droppings and other debris into rubbish bags. She said: “I love this job. I’ve learned so much already and there’s still so much more for me to discover. I want all women and girls to know they can do jobs that are stereotypically for men and jobs where they get their hands dirty. “Just because you do a hands-on job doesn’t mean you can’t look nice. I still do my hair every morning and I have my nails done every three weeks. I keep a nail brush in my bag and I double up on gloves. “I have to lift manhole covers, some of them are easily as heavy as I am, and using the jet wash is very hard work. I don’t need to go to the gym any more because my job keeps me fit and strong and gives me lots of fresh air. “Also I didn’t used to drive much, just to the office, but I drive all kinds of vehicles now and over long distances – my driving confidence has increased dramatically. It’s amazing. “To be honest scraping scale out of urinals is the hardest job. It really stings your eyes. I think I’ve been most surprised by how many toads I find.”