DH wants to work in the mines....

[Fleur]

Hmm I was a bit iffy on having to pay the recruitment agency too, more because of the emails we got from them - there was no mention of money until after DH submitted a form, and by 8:00 that night we were getting emails ...it's hard to explain without quoting the whole email but it sounded so much like a sales pitch to me, insincere & 'give me your money'... I asked DH to hold off onthat one at least until after Christmas, we can't afford to throw away that kind of money right now.

Experience wise he doesn't have any qualifications that would be helpful but he does have forklift & front end loader tickets. But you all have given us some great ideas where to start thank you !

We would probably be doing FIFO at least to start...If we were just the 2 of us, or we had say, 2 younger children, I'd probably move, but I'd rather not uproot the kids, especially the older 2, unless we had to. Having said that, you never say never

[Erin_25]

It all depends on what way you look at it & why exactly you want to do it. We up & left all of our family & friends over 4yrs ago, even had DS with no family support....all for working in the mines. Though my DH is skilled, that makes a large difference on the type of work etc. We haven't looked back, we too lived in remote WA & it worked great for us. We were living in the mining town so I got to see DH every day (or night), he worked a shift of days & nights but then would have 4days off. We would go camping, driving, bbq's with families on his shift. Also as it was a mining town it provided lots for families etc. I was always out at the library, play cafe, swimming pool etc....loved it!!!
It also depends on the type of job & how much they want you. Where I lived the companies paid for most things, we didn't pay any rent, electricity, or water....just our ph bill! Yes things in the town were more exp but often my Mum would send me things I needed or I could buy online. And when you are not paying many bills & your DH is making good $$$$ it works out in the end.

As for drinking & single mans life etc, again depends where they are. If they go on a roster fly in & out (my DH did this for several yrs before we were married) they will live in camps often not towns. Many of these camps are dry. So that's not always an issue.

Truck licence would be a must if he's not skilled or looking into a being a Tools Assistant, where we were living they too were provided with houses & made good $$$$.

We are now in QLD & have bought a house here we love it that much. Yes we miss our family etc, but they too can visit us. In this town many of the guys are on rosters that work out of town so still home most of the time & then you get that time off with your family.

Also if you do have a great family support network & friends where you currently live & he wanted to fly in & out of there then that helps for when you are on your own & then you get the time with them when they are home.

[~Phoenix~]

Hi

Both my DH & I work in the Oil & Gas Industry, we were both doing FIFO 14 days on 14 days off - living in camp environment so no expense that whole time except for a few beers etc, that is if it's not a dry camp where quite a few are. The camps don't really have a single man's lifestyle as they have to work 12 hour days and be 0.00 on reporting to work next day.

Due to GFC my role was made office based back in the city but DH is still working out there. I must admit after living that lifestyle for 2 years it is a very big struggle to work 5 days a week again, especially when DH is home and I have to get out of bed at 6 every morning and he gets to sleep in My DH knows no different, he's been doing it for 13 years.

There is big growth in the industry out Roma way where you can either move to or choose to FIFO depending on who you work for and most of the companies out there do work the even time rosters. A truck license is pretty much a must (saying that some companies are willing to provide and/or subsidise some of the training to get one) and having forklift & front end loader ticket would work in his favour.

Like the others have said I wouldn't be paying $200 to any recruitment agency.

Don't think I can post link to specific website but if he's interested he can google oil field jobs & a link with a similar name comes up

It's hard sometimes when he's is a away but then the 2 weeks goes so quick. I'm wondering how I will go when he's at work and peanut is born and I'm home on my own but then I keep telling myself he'll be home for 2 weeks at a time and since he can't use work as excuse can do night feeds (i'm investing in a breast pump ) lol

[Trillian]

Yeah the $200 dollars doesn't seem right to me. I would find another agency.

Rach, in a town like Kambalda or even a bigger town like Kalgoolie, basic food items are more expensive, especially if the town is only there because of the mine kwim. It's true that in our town which was here long before the mine was isn't any more expensive than anywhere else for food. It's just the way it is.

And also true that some camps are dry. In the construction days of this mine there was a camp and it was a dry camp but the blokes had nothing to do on their days off so unless you are good at amusing yourself or you have a hobby then it's hard to fill in your time off as you don't always have a long enough break to go anywhere kwim?

[Erin_25]

Hi


There is big growth in the industry out Roma way where you can either move to or choose to FIFO depending on who you work for and most of the companies out there do work the even time rosters. A truck license is pretty much a must (saying that some companies are willing to provide and/or subsidise some of the training to get one) and having forklift & front end loader ticket would work in his favour.

That is where we are in Roma & we love it! the growth here atm is amazing....we thought it was big in WA but we have found since moving here many people we know have headed this way also!

[~Phoenix~]

Erin - Small world I know a few people up there mainly through work - a lot of them are FIFO's. DH used to live & work out of Roma, but we are both FIFO out of Moomba. I still fly up once a month for a week for work and I make sure my week corresponds to when he's rostered on up there and will keep doing it till airline won't let me anymore

[Erin_25]

small world alright, we are from SA where my DH used to FIFO of Moomba for several years...he knows heaps of people up there & now we live in Roma!