Drain Technician / Plumbing Assistant at bluefrog Plumbing + Drain of Portland OR

Benefits:

• Company car
• Competitive salary
• Dental insurance
• Free uniforms
• Health insurance
• Opportunity for advancement
• Paid time off
• Training & development
• Vision insurance

Real Training Clear Career Path
A Job That Can Become a Career


We're looking to hire someone who wants to learn the plumbing trade. This isn't just a helper job it's a legitimate pathway to becoming a licensed plumber.

We're not the biggest plumbing company in town, but we're growing fast and we treat our people right. No corporate bureaucracy, no being just another number. Your ideas matter here, and you'll have a real voice in how we do things.

Here's the reality: drain work and assisting plumbers isn't glamorous. You'll be in crawl spaces, dealing with clogs, carrying heavy equipment, and working hard. But if you're willing to do that work and learn while you're doing it, we can help you build a real career in a trade that's always going to be in demand.

What We Pay & What You Get


Hourly Rate: $22-28 depending on experience
Earning Potential: This increases as you learn and take on more responsibility

The Career Path (This is Important)


This is where working as a drain technician and plumbing assistant is different from most laborer jobs. Your experience here directly helps you get into Oregon's plumbing apprenticeship programs (JATC).

The Timeline:

• Right Now: Learn drain cleaning, assist plumbers, build documented experience
• After 6-12 Months: Apply to JATC with our documented hours and recommendations from our licensed plumbers
• During Apprenticeship: Four-year program, starting at 45% journeyman wage, increasing every six months
• End Result: Oregon Journeyman Plumber License, earning $80,000-150,000+
  
  

We document your hours, our plumbers provide recommendations, and we're working toward JATC training agent status so we can sponsor apprentices directly. Your work experience ranks you higher on JATC eligibility lists and can earn you credit toward apprenticeship time.

Why This Opportunity is Different
- Your Voice Actually Matters As a woman-owned business, I know what it's like to not always be heard in this industry. That's not how we operate. We want team members who think, who have ideas, and who want to help build something. Even as someone new to the trade, your observations and questions matter.

- Real Training, Not Just Labor Our journeyman plumbers have 15-30 years in the trade and genuinely love teaching. This isn't some corporate "training program" where you just carry things. It's real, hands-on learning from people who know their stuff and actually want to teach you.


- Room to Grow We're not set in our ways. We're figuring it out as we go, and we want people who want to grow with us from drain tech to apprentice to journeyman, or finding your niche along the way.


What You'd Actually Be Doing

Drain Work (40% of your time):

• Running drain snakes and cleaning equipment
• Camera inspections of sewer lines
• Hydro-jetting when needed
• Diagnosing drain issues and determining when a problem requires a plumber's attention
• Cleaning up after jobs
• Maintaining drain cleaning equipment

Assisting Plumbers (40% of your time):

• Helping with water heater installations
• Carrying tools and materials
• Digging, demolition work when needed
• Learning residential service plumbing
• Preparing job sites and cleaning up
• Assisting with repiping projects

Sales and Customer Communication (20% of your time):

• Learning sales techniques from experienced plumbers
• Explaining drain cleaning work to customers
• Helping customers understand pricing and options
• Selling drain cleaning jobs you're qualified to handle
• Building customer relationships and trust

What We Need From You
Required:

• 18 years or older
• Valid driver's license and clean driving record
• High school diploma or GED
• Able to lift 50+ pounds regularly
• Comfortable working in tight spaces, crawl spaces, and attics
• Okay with getting dirty and working physically hard
• Professional with customers
• Pass a background check

Strongly Desired:

• Experience operating drain cleaning equipment (snakes, cable machines, hydro-jetters, camera systems)

Also Helpful:

• Construction or trades work
• General plumbing helper experience
• Mechanical aptitude or working with tools
• Customer service experience
• Anything that shows you can do physical work and learn on the job

What Actually Matters:

• You show up on time and work hard
• You want to learn and don't need hand-holding for everything
• You can be professional in customers' homes
• You're okay with work that's sometimes uncomfortable or unpleasant
• You're thinking about this as a career, not just a paycheck