DH wants to work in the mines....

[Fleur]

So, DH is sick of "working my a*** off for nothing"....
He wants to go & work in the mines.

Anyone or their DP been there done that?...any advice or info would be appreciated.

What courses etc are good?
Should you do them first or wait until you have a job lined up?
Are recruitment agencies worth the money?
What is the best way to go about looking for work...so far we have had a few conflicting stories :s

Anything would be helpful to know.
TIA

[BellyBelly]

On behalf of myself and my partner: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! lol. He quit working there in August doing 4 weeks on, 1 off. I was a massive train wreck!!!

The worst exchange of money is your time. Limited hours, limited capability....

[New Dawn]

BHL is a fitter in the mines, works 4 on 5 off 5 on 4 off, but has done 14 on 7 off, so just remember that it will mean time apart and can be alot...

depending on what your DH skills are as too if he can get work... the mine fired loads of people when the GFC hit, got rid alot of " dead wood" .... it is now starting to pick up but your DH will be fighting against alot of people who hjave had mining work, which the mines want...

if your DH hasnt any skills then I would get him to get his truck licence, as this might help...

go on line be willing to move to get the job, apply apply apply.... go to recuitment agent and put his name down on them... this is how BHL broke into the mines, when in for a shut down proved he was a hard work and was offered a job with a contrator within the week...

thats all I can think off for now... if you let me know what his skills are I might be able to help some more...

I know up here they are starting to avertise ( sp?) heaps, so it also helps to be in the mining areas ....

[Trillian]

My DH works at a Gold mine and does a 4 on, 4 off roster with both day and night shift. Fly in fly out (FIFO) does suck a bit if you are really far away but other families I know find it works well for them. Because of the roster he works he only works 6 months of the year - you dont get that in any other job.

It's best to work for the actual mining company themselves as the first ones to be let go during a slump are those working for contractors and employment agencies. If he has no trade that would get him a skilled job (by that I mean as a fitter/mechanic/crane driver etc) then he will have to start off in a dump truck or loader and work his way up. The pay is still very good for that though - coal mining pays the best where a truck driver can earn over $100k. If he's more keen on doing mine management then he should look into doing a Metalliferous course which will enable him to get a Leading Hand job - that means that he would oversee a workshop. DH is about to start this course so he can start to move up the food chain a little bit. A lot of the training is on the job though and they will put you though courses so he can be 'passed out' to drive a dump truck or other machines - you don't even need a HR licence to start with but if he can get a head start by getting some tickets before he applies it will hold him in good stead for a position if he is up against 50 other applicants.

But it isn't always the cruisy money that everyone assumes it is. It is long hours and hard work and there is no time off for Christmas or other holidays etc - if you're rostered on you're rostered on unless you can find someone to swap a shift with. This Christmas will be the first one in 2 years that DH hasn't been working. I do love it though as it works really well for us. We only live just under 1hr from the mine where he works and it is the only think putting food on the table for us the past 4 years as the farm certainly hasn't been paying it's way LOL.

[helle]

DH works at a refinery, and every now and again he gets the "I wanna work in a mine" bug for the big money. I know a few people who have and they wish they never did. Not only are the hours horrid, they miss out on seeing their family... but when they have had enough they can't find a job that offers the same pay rate and find it hard getting used to having a small wage again. IMO it's a single mans life, but that's just MO.

But, If he wants it that bad getting his HR & MC licence would be a really good start GL!

[Trillian]

Oh for sure Teagz! In some areas there is nothing BUT the mine and it is very hard to live there as a family. There is also a lot of hard living that can go hand in hand with it because on your days off there is often nothing to do but drink, especially in really remote outposts that only does FIFO. Another thing I forgot is if you do decide to relocate to be closer to the mine where he intends to work, in a mining town everything is dearer - rent, food, house prices if you want to buy. Within 6 months of the mine my DH works at becomming operational rents skyrocketed and a 3 bedroom house you used to pay only $140-$150 a week for jumped up to $300-odd.

[Fleur]

Thanks everyone for the replies!
I didn't expect so many so soon! you guys are awesome

We're not expecting easy money, I guess we are looking at it like it would involve a sacrifice somewhere along the way... but a couple of years in the scheme of things isn't that much.
We started a family early & it just feels like we will never get ahead. At the moment we are surviving comfortably but there's nothing left over, we just need that bit extra to get ahead, kwim? maybe have our own home one day...

I think it would be harder for DH than me, I can't imagine being away (not that we wouldn't miss him )

He has done a bit of searching on the net & filled out a form... it was for a recruitment agency & they are requesting payment of $200+ to help him. I'm a bit iffy on it... I thought he might try a few other options yet before we part with the cash.... any ideas on this?

[mzcatieboo]

look straight on the mining websites is a big must

My DH works for Rio Tinto, except i moved up with him. so we get great money and a house for cheap as and its great. we moved here to get outta debt. sure i miss my family and friends but we needed to do this. if i didnt agree to move he would of done FIFO we started a family early. we wanna be able to provide the best for our kids. so we are getting outta debt. got a nice car and saving for a house. all things that we wanted from living here we have got.

i would not let DH do anything over 2 weeks on 1 week off, luckily who he works for you do 9 days on 5 days off so your home every 2nd weekend. sometimes the time away is good. i love DH but i seem to be more organised when he isn't around lol.

Theres are the goods and bads of it. but it makes DH happy and thats my main thing.

[Rach75]

Oh for sure Teagz! In some areas there is nothing BUT the mine and it is very hard to live there as a family. There is also a lot of hard living that can go hand in hand with it because on your days off there is often nothing to do but drink, especially in really remote outposts that only does FIFO. Another thing I forgot is if you do decide to relocate to be closer to the mine where he intends to work, in a mining town everything is dearer - rent, food, house prices if you want to buy. Within 6 months of the mine my DH works at becomming operational rents skyrocketed and a 3 bedroom house you used to pay only $140-$150 a week for jumped up to $300-odd.

ummm I have to disagree we live in a mining town, my hubby doesn't work for the mine though, we have a IGA and for everyday items its not that much dearer than woolies, maybe not as much variety but certainly not extravagantly expensive, yes rent can be dear but lots of mining towns have subsidised rent for their workers...some friends of mine were renting a house thru the mine and oaying $40 a week rent ... over the 9 1/2 yrs we have been here yes the housing prices have risen but its still cheaper than say rocky or gladstone which are 2 hrs away and our closest I suppose major towns...

one thing I love about our town is the closeness ... every one knows everyone which is good and bad... I dont thinki I would like FIFO option but if you were moving to the town then it would be great generallyt he money is good a lot of people here have property on the coast and spend their days off there

HTH

[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