Questions on mine work

[malodeez]

hey could anyone t me up in a job in the mines over there. im in melbourne and im a fitter............ i'll do any type of work.. cheers

 

[bushie]

Re: $1.1b stadium at Kitchener Park

hey could anyone t me up in a job in the mines over there. im in melbourne and im a fitter............ i'll do any type of work.. cheers

Ever heard of employment agencies??


If you're a fitter they will kiss your butt to come over here!

 

[Kram]

Re: $1.1b stadium at Kitchener Park

^^Talk about unskilled labourers earning 80k+ is absolute crap, but if you have a qualified trade then yes you can earn some really good money out bush ATM, and will get a job with just a few phone calls.

 

[dominguez]

Re: $1.1b stadium at Kitchener Park

^^Talk about unskilled labourers earning 80k+ is absolute crap, but if you have a qualified trade then yes you can earn some really good money out bush ATM, and will get a job with just a few phone calls.

It sounds like a shitload of money, but if you are working up north 2 weeks on, 1 week off on 12 hour days that's 168 hours every 3 weeks and works out to be about $28 an hour on $80K. Depending on one's personal circumstances that may look pretty good, but I certainly wouldn't do it.

 

[Kram]

Re: $1.1b stadium at Kitchener Park

It sounds like a shitload of money, but if you are working up north 2 weeks on, 1 week off on 12 hour days that's 168 hours every 3 weeks and works out to be about $28 an hour on $80K. Depending on one's personal circumstances that may look pretty good, but I certainly wouldn't do it.

I agree with you, the guys I had as TA's only got 25$ per hour with no penalties although admittedly all they did was watch or pass tools. Plus I have other friends as labourers that get paid less but with decent penalties on site, what I was saying is that the perception that you can earn a lazy 80k+ of the street is bullcrap.

 

[WA ROO]

Re: $1.1b stadium at Kitchener Park

I agree with you, the guys I had as TA's only got 25$ per hour with no penalties although admittedly all they did was watch or pass tools. Plus I have other friends as labourers that get paid less but with decent penalties on site, what I was saying is that the perception that you can earn a lazy 80k+ of the street is bullcrap.

I know tradies and plant operators working for Rio Tinto and Woodside making 2K a week

 

[Beerfish]

Re: $1.1b stadium at Kitchener Park

^^Talk about unskilled labourers earning 80k+ is absolute crap, but if you have a qualified trade then yes you can earn some really good money out bush ATM, and will get a job with just a few phone calls.

It's not absolute crap at all. I know people who scrub toilets, make beds and wash dishes and they're pulling in more than 80k. Depends where you're doing it, what roster you're on and who you're doing it for.

I also wonder sometimes if the people who are saying the roster sucks and I'd never do that because you work so many hours etc are the same people you always hear bleating about how the mining boom isn't great for everyone and how they haven't benefited and everything's just more expensive and they wish the boom would hurry up and end.

 

[Beerfish]

Re: $1.1b stadium at Kitchener Park

It sounds like a shitload of money, but if you are working up north 2 weeks on, 1 week off on 12 hour days that's 168 hours every 3 weeks and works out to be about $28 an hour on $80K. Depending on one's personal circumstances that may look pretty good, but I certainly wouldn't do it.

Virtually nobody works 2/1 anymore, that was the prevailing roster about 10 years ago mate. Most places (excluding offshore rigs) work 8/6 (days) or 2/2(weeks).

I work 8/6. Not sure what that works out to per hour but I earn over 80k anyway and the money suits me fine. Thats about two swings a month though which works out to be 192 days a year worked. That means I'm not working for 173 days of the year before I even take any annual leave.

If I wanted to take 3 weeks off work I would only have to use 8 of 20 annual leave days. Someone in the city working 9-5, Mon-Fri would have to take 15 annual leave days.

Sure I may work 12 hour days but I'd much rather do that and be able to have a 6 day weekend every swing than have to live with a piddly two day weekend every five days.

It doesn't just look pretty good. It is pretty good. It may not be everyone's cup of tea and if its not yours then fine but don't sit there and take a crap on it because you think we're getting ripped off or fooled or something. We're not.

 

[shibz_1989]

Re: $1.1b stadium at Kitchener Park

Virtually nobody works 2/1 anymore, that was the prevailing roster about 10 years ago mate. Most places (excluding offshore rigs) work 8/6 (days) or 2/2(weeks).

I work 8/6. Not sure what that works out to per hour but I earn over 80k anyway and the money suits me fine. Thats about two swings a month though which works out to be 192 days a year worked. That means I'm not working for 173 days of the year before I even take any annual leave.

If I wanted to take 3 weeks off work I would only have to use 8 of 20 annual leave days. Someone in the city working 9-5, Mon-Fri would have to take 15 annual leave days.

Sure I may work 12 hour days but I'd much rather do that and be able to have a 6 day weekend every swing than have to live with a piddly two day weekend every five days.

It doesn't just look pretty good. It is pretty good. It may not be everyone's cup of tea and if its not yours then fine but don't sit there and take a crap on it because you think we're getting ripped off or fooled or something. We're not.

My Dad does 2/1. It's not that bad, he used to be in the NAVY and go away for 4 months at a time.

And my friend's Dad earns a shitload of money from doing washing on an oil rig. Can't remember what he does (I think it's 4/1).

 

[malodeez]

Re: $1.1b stadium at Kitchener Park

gday everyone from melbourne. thanks heaps for ya info for workin over there, the west coast people did nothin for me but you guys kick arse!! ive tried everything to try and t up work but once they find out your in melbourne u never get any response. i know i should just come over but i wanna try and get somethin first u know. anyway when i saw that new stadium the first thing i thought was that looks nuts and i'd love another one of those designs in melbourne. on the first page of this thread someone said how conservative perth is and when they saw it they hated it, now iv never been there but in melbourne we try and be as out there as we can (if anyones seen fed square and the new spencer st train station they know what im talkin about). so for what its worth i love it....... anymore info on the mines would be sweet.

 

[dominguez]

Re: $1.1b stadium at Kitchener Park

Virtually nobody works 2/1 anymore, that was the prevailing roster about 10 years ago mate. Most places (excluding offshore rigs) work 8/6 (days) or 2/2(weeks).

Sure I may work 12 hour days but I'd much rather do that and be able to have a 6 day weekend every swing than have to live with a piddly two day weekend every five days.

It doesn't just look pretty good. It is pretty good. It may not be everyone's cup of tea and if its not yours then fine but don't sit there and take a crap on it because you think we're getting ripped off or fooled or something. We're not.

I wasn't "taking a crap on it" as you put it, or implying that you are being fooled. A lot of people would jump at $28 an hour, and if 8/6 is being offered to newcomers that would be about $33 an hour on 80K. I know plenty of people that work away and they like it, and a few of them are still doing 2 and 1.

All I said it's not for me, but I work 3 x 12 hour days a week in Perth so I get the long weekend every week without having to fly to work.

 

[bigkev bleeds purple]

Re: $1.1b stadium at Kitchener Park

gday everyone from melbourne. thanks heaps for ya info for workin over there, the west coast people did nothin for me but you guys kick arse!! ive tried everything to try and t up work but once they find out your in melbourne u never get any response. i know i should just come over but i wanna try and get somethin first u know. anyway when i saw that new stadium the first thing i thought was that looks nuts and i'd love another one of those designs in melbourne. on the first page of this thread someone said how conservative perth is and when they saw it they hated it, now iv never been there but in melbourne we try and be as out there as we can (if anyones seen fed square and the new spencer st train station they know what im talkin about). so for what its worth i love it....... anymore info on the mines would be sweet.

Hate to put a dampener on things mate but unless you can get a job with a major company, such as Rio Tinto, Woodside, BHP or FMG you won't find affordable housing. Big companies like the aforementioned pay decent rent assistance or provide housing, but smaller companies can rarely afford to provide housing. This is why people lose interest when they hear you're in Melbourne. In Karratha, where Woodside and Rio have their major port operations, a house that can best be described as a shitbox will set you back upwards of $600 000 while a nice 3x1 house will be at least $900 000. Every caravan park within 200km is full, all of the pubs with accomodation are full and in some cases people are living in sea containers. Rents under $1000 a week don't exist and HomesWest have a waiting list as long as North West Coastal Highway. So basically, unless there are any HR managers from one of the mining giants on this board, no one will be able to just hook you up with work in the North West. You'll have to get in touch with recruiting people from the giants. As an aside, I would recommend you go for BHP or Woodside before FMG or Rio. Rio treat their employees like faecal matter and FMG have a bad habit of killing employees. Having said that, FMG will be the easiest to get a job with because they're just opening their port facilities at Port Hedland.

I don't mean to sound like I'm shooting down your idea but that's just the reality of the North West. Good luck.

PS If you do make it up here, it will take getting used to. How well you fit in to the community is inversely proportional to how much you complain about the heat and the flies.

 

[bushie]

Re: $1.1b stadium at Kitchener Park

PS If you do make it up here, it will take getting used to. How well you fit in to the community is inversely proportional to how much you complain about the heat and the flies.

Don't forget that alcohol drinking prowess is also directly proportional to acceptance.

And we don't mean 7 or 8 beers







Hey WOMAN!!!!







Get me another beer will ya!!!!!

 

[Sman-21]

Re: $1.1b stadium at Kitchener Park

these guys might help http://www.reddirt.com.au/
but best way is to actually send off resumes to all the big mining companies/ring them about positions etc

Talk yourself up and dont be affraid to remind them every few weeks they have your resume an if they have any positions for u yet.

 

[Beerfish]

Re: $1.1b stadium at Kitchener Park

I wasn't "taking a crap on it" as you put it, or implying that you are being fooled. A lot of people would jump at $28 an hour, and if 8/6 is being offered to newcomers that would be about $33 an hour on 80K. I know plenty of people that work away and they like it, and a few of them are still doing 2 and 1.

All I said it's not for me, but I work 3 x 12 hour days a week in Perth so I get the long weekend every week without having to fly to work.

Certainly sounded like you were taking a crap on it to me. What you basically said was, the money may look good but its really only $28 an hour which is stuff all. May be alright depending on your personal circumstances (ie; you're desperate) but you wouldn't catch me doing it. Don't try and back away from that now.

As I said, its not just about the money its about the time off and incidentally what are you making for your 36 hours a week? I can't imagine there being too many jobs in Perth where you can work three 12 hour shifts a week and live it up (unless you're already set up).

There are also other perks besides "getting paid $28 an hour". There's free accomodation, free food, free power, frequent flyer points, free medical, share plans, discounted house/car/health insurance and salary sacrificed cars and computers - that's just off the top of my head. Do you get any of that with your three 12 hour shifts a week job in Perth?

All I'm saying is if you don't think you could do it because you'd get homesick or you've got young kids or you just don't think you could hack the lifestyle or even if you're one of the few people making buckets of money in Perth that's fine, say so. But don't sit there and say it may sound like a lot of money but its really stuff all. Thousands and thousands of people can't be wrong mate. If we were all getting ripped off I don't think there'd be anyone up here.

 

[Scotland]

12 hour days vs 8 hour days, 8/6 vs 5/2 vs 2/1 etc. is all a matter of personal preference. If you are useful, there is money to be made pretty much everywhere there is something happening.

If you are happy working FIFO, you can save a lot of what you earn as meals and accomodation are provided while at site (bare in mind though, if you are renting, you are essentially throwing away money for the time you are away). Not all campsites are the same either, and the difference between a top site and a shit one can be enough to deter people from working FIFO.

If you want to move to country WA, then climate (and community) and cost are very important. 40+ degrees and humid is the norm, not the exception in many places. There's also no point in working somewhere and earning $100k p.a. if you are paying $800 a week in rent. Accommodation is very tight everywhere at the moment, and most of it is owned by the big boys. BHP, Rio etc. are usually happy to relocate employees, but you have to stay a minimum of 2-3 years. Housing tends to operate like salaries, the longer you are willing to stay (assuming you aren't hopeless), the better they will try to look after you.

If you can work out whether you want to go FIFO or residential, then it will pay to ask as many people as you can about their experiences with different camps/towns/companies, and make a few inquiries (internet and phone calls) into what work is available.

 

[Nodgey]

mega bump.....


Can the experts here please offer some advice about breaking into the industry.

I am an office worker (and have been for the past 15 years) - totally disillusioned and seriously thinking about a major change.

So what is the best start to get a foot in the door? Apart from the obvious, like speaking to recruitment companies and sending off the resume.

Should I go out and immediately get my MARCSTA? HR license? Forklift ticket?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Even if your advice is to grow up, grow some nads and stay in the white collar game! I want to hear what you have to say.

Cheers.

 

[bigkev bleeds purple]

Nodgey, I'm Pilbara born and bred and I'm currently working as a shitkicker up here to heal the damage glorious nation of US and A did to my poor wallet. I might be able to help. One thing I can tell you for sure is that if you get a forklift ticket and apply for an MSIC, I can get you a job starting tomorrow for $28 an hour. It's far from glamorous, but I like it. Most days, anyway...

What sort of work do you think you'd be interested in? The most physical jobs up here can get very tedious, but are a good place to start if you need something to prop you up while you search for something better. I can definitely recommend a forklift ticket for almost all jobs. Blue card, dogging, rigging, MSIC and HR can also come in handy. Word is that HR jobs exclusively driving are hard to get with little experience so you may need to start with something where driving is secondary to work your way up to a primary driving job. By the way, don't listen to anyone who says you need an EWP ticket. Waste of money IMHO.

As I mentioned to the previous person who was intending to come up here, finding housing is VERY tough. Fly in fly out is usually only an option for tradies and experienced, skilled workers, but there are definitely exceptions.

 

[Selggad]

There are courses in driving a haul truck that can provide a leg up - driving a haul truck is pretty boring, but so is office work

It may be worthwhile taking a couple of weeks off and visiting the pilbara to see the lay of the land. There is work around and sometimes being in the right place at the right time pays off. Check out Newman and Tom price and Karratha. While it may not yield any result at least you could talk to the people involved and find out more info.

Contact Skilled, Workpac and Chandler Mcleod and talk with them as they are some of the bigger labour hire people servicing the industry. Also, I'd ring the big players and ask what they want. Call BHP and Rio and Xstrata and Barrick and ask what you need to do to get a job.

 

[bigkev bleeds purple]

^ Do not ever, ever, EVER call WorkPac. Useless as **** on a bull every single time I've had the displeasure of dealing with them.

I strongly agree with the suggestion of visiting the Pilbara though. Have a look first to check if you can see yourself living here. I heartily recommend saving some money before you come up here to buy some toys to keep you busy on days off. A nice boat and a 4WD will go a long way to helping you to love the Pilbara.

How's the situation in Tom Price Selggad? Easy to find jobs and housing? I've heard that Marandoo is now 100% FIFO. What a disgrace!

 

[Nodgey]

Thanks for the info, Kev.

I really have no idea what sort of work I'd be keen on. At 36yo I'm too old to be an apprentice mechanic or tradie, so I guess I'm looking for that shitkicker/storeman/driver type of work. Or even the office type work like payroll or accounts I suppose - but I suspect most of those type of jobs are located in Perth anyway.

I am definitely looking for FIFO work - I certainly believe those stories about how hard it is to get accomodation up there...

What I don't believe, however, are those stories where everyone seems to know someone that knows someone who's getting $100k+ doing bugger all. I just don't buy into that crap. I expect to start low and work hard to earn my stripes.

I reckon I'll get that forkie ticket then and take it from there. I just researched MSIC and they seem to want proof of "operational need", so I guess I'll hold off on that until something becomes more certain.

Again, thanks for the info, it's much appreciated.

Is the blue/white card and MARCSTA accreditation a waste of time, or should it be the first thing everyone gets?

edit: and thanks to you too Selggad - I might have to get on the phone...

 

[Nodgey]

...driving a haul truck is pretty boring, but so is office work

Never was a truer word spoken.

Mind-numbing, spirit-crushing boredom. And don't forget the office politics... I suspect arguments and differences of opinion are sorted out much quicker and cleaner on a work site than they are in St Georges Terrace.

 

[bigkev bleeds purple]

No worries mate, glad to be able to help

OK, trying to cover everything I can think of...

After quick research, still not entirely sure what a MARCSTA accreditation offers. I'd never really heard of it until you mentioned it TBH. It seems to be a general, broad induction type thingy which in theory would offer very little, because as you will find out, you have to do an induction for pretty much everything up here. Company inductions, site inductions, driving inductions... you'll have to do so many of the bastards that you'll be banging your noggin against some pretty serious masonry just for fun afterwards. Check with any prospective employers on the merits of the MARCSTA, because as you will also find out, despite the fact that every human being on earth would assume that getting it is at least a little futile, they love wasting everybody's time with stuff like that. Similarly with the blue and white cards... I've never needed one, but check with anyone you call because some sites may require it.

If you get a job with any employers that are in a landside restricted zone (as many are here in Dampier/Karratha) then that's when the MSIC becomes necessary. And yes, you're absolutely right and I totally forgot, you DO need to already have a job in a LRZ to apply for one. Stupid thing is, it takes about 7 weeks to process and the interim procedures are a huge waste of time (imagine having to be escorted from the security gate outside into wherever you work EVERY morning, ugh). The plus side is you might be able to talk your employer into paying for your MSIC if you do need one.

Companies that I would recommend talking to...

Monadelphous - Currently in charge of building Woodside's Pluto expansion on the Burrup and it appears they're also doing Chevron's Gorgon infrastructure on Barrow Island, among other things, including a fair bit of work with Rio Tinto. I would think this is a company that would be after a blue or white card. Their website doesn't suggest they have too many unskilled jobs going but I swear I hear of them hiring people all the time up here.

Transfield Worley - From memory, they ran the last North West Shelf Venture expansion (Train V?) which has probably been completed, but it might be worth giving them a try. I'm sure they've found another contract somewhere.

Skilled, Drake International, Ready Workforce, Manpower, Integrated - All much of a muchness, I believe most of these guys specialise in residential work but some may have limited FIFO opportunities. I personally use Drake, relatively painless, but be warned... labour hire companies are the people that sit in their air conditioned offices on their arses while they charge companies upwards of $60 an hour to have YOU go and work for them, however they pay less than half of it to you, the worker who busted arse. I'm sure you can probably deduce what I think of these people.

Western Maritime, Farstad, Maersk - All of these mobs deal with boats. Working offshore will mean you're getting paid to go on a boat ride. Every day. I'm sure there's work to do, but think about it. You're on a boat, on the beautiful Indian ocean, not in an office, warehouse or minesite. This is what I want to get into!

An even higher echelon of pay would be working on a rig, I reckon. Look out for Apache Energy, Inpex, ConocoPhilips, Shell and Hess, along with the more obvious ones like Woodside and BHP Petroleum.

Speaking of obvious... Rio Tinto, FMG and BHP.

Uhhh... that's all I can think of. Any other questions, speak up, I'll do my best.

 

[Nodgey]

Again, thanks for all the info. It's priceless. You're a top bloke, Kev. Despite what they say....

 

[FreoAzz]

Nodg,

My old mans just in the process of getting me FIFO work in Karratha and I know for a fact that they will be looking to hire atleast another 100 odd people in the next few months.

It's working for FRS doing rail maintenance for Rio and other Iron Ore carriers. Basic wage is around $98,000 a year but after 3 months it goes up by $5 grand and every time you get the relevant tickets you'll get an appropriate payrise.

Basically the minimum requirement is Senior First Aid, Forklift ticket and Construction white card.

A HR Licence is handy but not essential. Everything else you require they will pay for you to do up here.

If you would like, once you have obtained everything you need, flick me your resume and I can pass it on.

(You can do your whitecard online with http://www.frontlinests.com.au/Home/Index.aspx for $80.)

I found that the only way you can really get a foot in is by knowing someone. I applied for over 100 jobs with agencies and I either got no reply or a rejection due to not having FIFO experience.