A first-year apprentice lineman's wages varies based on the program where he is enrolled. Starting wages for apprentices in the Tennessee Valley Authority's Lineman Apprentice Program are $36,450 per year. Those enrolled in the Northwest Line's Outside Electrical Lineman Apprenticeship start out at 60 percent of a journey worker's wages of $44.73 per hour as of February 2012. First-year apprentices in the California-Nevada Power Lineman Apprenticeship program also start at 60 percent of a journey worker's wages. California journey workers earned $47.87, while Nevada journey workers made $39.43.