FIFO in aus

evosteo

hi all, im an electrician by trade,

just wondering if anybody can share their experiences of FIFO work, as in 3 weeks on, 1 week off sort of thing.

i heard the money is good, as in better than city wages
but you dont have much of a life?

do you get paid for your week off????:P

just like to hear from people that have experienced it or are actually doing it.

cheers

steve

d.pop

evosteo wrote: »

hi all, im an electrician by trade,

just wondering if anybody can share their experiences of FIFO work, as in 3 weeks on, 1 week off sort of thing.

i heard the money is good, as in better than city wages
but you dont have much of a life?

do you get paid for your week off????:P

just like to hear from people that have experienced it or are actually doing it.

cheers

steve

Steve, i'm doing FIFO at the moment, 23 days on 5 days off. As far as wages go as a rule of thumb you will be offered the normal hourly rate you would be on in the city plus an "uplift" allowance of approx 40-50%, what that means is if you are on say $40p.h. in the city you can expect to be offered $55-60p.h. FIFO. On top of this you normally work a minimum 10.5hrs a day, 7 days a week so you get a lot of hours in, you can't work more than 13 days in a row so typically you have one sunday off in the middle of your shift (RDO-rostered day off). You only get paid the hours you work, often no holiday pay, sick pay etc, so you def don't get paid for your week off unless your boss holds back a day a week or something and pays it to you on your week off, works out the same at end of day.
Your camp will probably be about 150km from the nearest town if not further and prob about 1000km from Perth. On most camps your up at 4:45am to have breakfast in dining room and pack your crib (lunch), leave camp at 5:30, work till 5pm, back to camp, shower-gym-pub-dinner whatever then bed, get up next day and do it for another 20+ days.
A lot of camps have pubs open for 2hrs or so in evening if thats your thing, but you need to be aware that on most sites everybody gets breathalised every morning, you blow numbers you are on a plane home that day, no second chances. Most guys have maybe 2/3 midstrength beers before seven pm, have dinner then hit the bed. lot of guys use the gym instead of the pub to let off steam, most gyms have personal trainers full time etc.
Everything except beer, chocolate etc is free on the camp, eat as much as you want, play pool/basketball/swim/weights etc.
I would liken it to a minimum security prison, you have all the luxuries but you sleep alone at night in a little single room and you're 1000's kms from anywhere.
Good experience if you can hack the remoteness, lot of guys do it for 2-5yrs to clear mortgage and become qantas gold club frequent fliers! Word of warning with regard to family life though, can be tough on everybody, kid and partners, about 60% of guys i work with are on at least second marraige.
If you are working FIFO you will most likely be on a mine site such as Rio Tinto, FMG or BHP Biliton, you will need all your trade certifications, WA licences and assessments before you'll be even allowed board your first 5:30am flight out of Perth to the mines.
Worth a go if you have the opportunity, unliken prison you can leave if it gets too much....

evosteo

awsome man thanks for that info, good to know. are you out in aus long? did ya go straight into the mining work or did you work in the city first then head outback?

also what do you do accomadation wise on your time off???

also what does your working day involve, is it maintenance or general construction???

hope you dont mind me asking all these questions, i appriciate the insite

cheers

steve

d.pop

evosteo wrote: »

awsome man thanks for that info, good to know. are you out in aus long? did ya go straight into the mining work or did you work in the city first then head outback?

also what do you do accomadation wise on your time off???

also what does your working day involve, is it maintenance or general construction???

hope you dont mind me asking all these questions, i appriciate the insite

cheers

steve

Steve, i went straight to FIFO when i arrived in Perth, was offered city jobs but FIFO suited me for a few different reasons.
Accomodation wise i'm lucky in that i stay with some kind and understanding (they might be reading this!!) friends/family on my week off while saving for a place of my own so i can bring over my own family. I rent a car for week off as well. I believe that there are FIFO rental properties available where you rent a room for the week you're off, i think they may allow you to store some bags in a locker or something while you are away but you have to remove all your stuff from the room as 2-3 other guys might have it while you're away. Not sure where you'd find out about these but a good place to start would probably be "Google Fly in Fly out accomodation". Failing that rent a room in a house share with some people and just pay the rent for the full month even though you're not there. Of course you could book into a hostel or motel for your week off?
Depending on where you work you might be flying on a little 6-10 seater charter flight so your baggage would have to be under 10kg, in that case finding storage for the stuff you don't need might be an issue, hence a rented room would be better than motels, unless you're travelling light.
As far as my work goes i'm a civil engineer for an EPCM (like Project management companies at home) working alongside Rio Tinto's expansion projects department, all our work is new build for the most part putting together new crushers, reclaimers, conveyors, railways etc to get the ore to port.
Generally once built we hand over to client who handle maintainence themselves. Most electrical work on FIFO is with contractors, fly in wire up the new plants, comission and move on to next project. Very hard to get maintainence work unless you work for one of the companies that maintain the actual camps such as ESS-Spotless-Sodexo.
While i might stand corrected i believe electricans are one of the trades that generally don't have trouble finding either FIFO or city work but as noted earlier it is all about having all your paperwork in order, espically if you want access to a mine site. My company spends an average of $18,000 per person on training to get them mobilised to site (that's usually about 2 solid weeks of medicals, courses (first aid/off road driving/fire extinguishers/lock holders/isolation officers to name but a few), inductions etc plus your wages while training. To be brutally frank without residency and all the trade recognition paperwork in order people will find it hard to find a company to take them one espically as mobilisation fees are so high.
good luck with it.

aido79

Hey Steve,

have you looked into getting your electrical licence in Australia yet? I'm a spark in Perth for the last 3 years and have yet to meet anyone that got their licence within 4 months of arriving here. If you come over on a WHV and don't have an electrical licence you don't stand a chance of getting into a FIFO job straight away.

evosteo

thanks again d.pop for the information, i found it, and im sure others will, very informative and a great insite on fifo.

what would you usually do on your week off? jus chill out or go travelling?

i wonder do companys have accomadation in the city for lads doing fifo where they can spend their week off and have security for their belongings when theyre away. i suppose your lucky in a way to have family and friends over there with you aswell.

aido79 wrote: »

Hey Steve,

have you looked into getting your electrical licence in Australia yet? I'm a spark in Perth for the last 3 years and have yet to meet anyone that got their licence within 4 months of arriving here. If you come over on a WHV and don't have an electrical licence you don't stand a chance of getting into a FIFO job straight away.

hi aido, im not in australia (yet) im just looking into it as an option cause im struggling to get work here in ireland, id have to try get something temp here 1st to build up funds to get out there.

im a qualified sparks with jus 2 years post apprentiship experience but i also have a degree in elec services eng which i did part time while i was working them for a year full time when i was let go in 2009.

AFAIK you need your trade reconised by TRA, get your aus elec licence, get your white card, then apply for your job.

is that about right?


jus a few questions about the licence, whats the process going about getting one?

do you need to be working as a TA (trade assistant) while applying for it or is it just a course you do full time? or part time? in a local collage?

how much does it usually cost to complete? and is there a waiting time to do one.

cheers steve

Slidey

Hi.

I have an interview this Friday with a company for FIFO in WA.


Lived in Oz for a year on WHV and came home at the end of 07. Just at the wrong time!

I'm a trade qualified HGV mechanic. I have been told the job is 2 weeks on, one week off. Does that sound a little strange?

They are offering to sponsor the right candidate

evosteo

it doesnt sound unusual from what i found out about it, fifo work involves working for example 10-12 hours a day 7 days a week and you get a week off to recover

ellaq

Slidey wrote: »

Hi.

I have an interview this Friday with a company for FIFO in WA.


Lived in Oz for a year on WHV and came home at the end of 07. Just at the wrong time!

I'm a trade qualified HGV mechanic. I have been told the job is 2 weeks on, one week off. Does that sound a little strange?

They are offering to sponsor the right candidate

My OH is a fitter, which is what they call mechanics. He is a drill rig fitter. He does 2 on 1 off. Basically you do 1 week of days, followed by 1 week of nights and then 1 week off. I think the 10 hour days are usually for people in the construction side of things here. You will most likely be doing 12 hour days. Working a week of nights and days helps the swing go faster. Plus you have a little break to look forward to when the changeover to nights happens. Once you get used to the hours you can fit a lot into your time off.

All companies are different and different companies on the same site will pay for different rosters, leave, sick pay, etc. My OH gets paid for 13 hours days because they are paying for the travelling time to the site from the accommodation. He gets sick leave, holiday leave plus leave loading and gets paid 8 hours extra for public holidays.

If you are starting as a HD fitter you might be in luck because there are options for shorter shifts like 8/6. Drill fitters tend to only work 2/1.

Good luck with the interview.

Slidey

Thanks.

Is there any access to net on the sites?

d.pop

Slidey wrote: »

Hi.

I have an interview this Friday with a company for FIFO in WA.


Lived in Oz for a year on WHV and came home at the end of 07. Just at the wrong time!

I'm a trade qualified HGV mechanic. I have been told the job is 2 weeks on, one week off. Does that sound a little strange?

They are offering to sponsor the right candidate

Slidey, a 2 and 1 roster is 100% legit and would be considered a good roster.

ellaq

Slidey wrote: »

Thanks.

Is there any access to net on the sites?

Every site is different. Your employer will be able to provide this information.

Not all the work is up North. My OH is down south of WA (he does drive in drive out DIDO), and lots of work out in the Goldfields. There are often residential jobs offered out in Kalgoorlie/Boulder.

aido79

evosteo wrote: »

thanks again d.pop for the information, i found it, and im sure others will, very informative and a great insite on fifo.

what would you usually do on your week off? jus chill out or go travelling?

i wonder do companys have accomadation in the city for lads doing fifo where they can spend their week off and have security for their belongings when theyre away. i suppose your lucky in a way to have family and friends over there with you aswell.



hi aido, im not in australia (yet) im just looking into it as an option cause im struggling to get work here in ireland, id have to try get something temp here 1st to build up funds to get out there.

im a qualified sparks with jus 2 years post apprentiship experience but i also have a degree in elec services eng which i did part time while i was working them for a year full time when i was let go in 2009.

AFAIK you need your trade reconised by TRA, get your aus elec licence, get your white card, then apply for your job.

is that about right?


jus a few questions about the licence, whats the process going about getting one?

do you need to be working as a TA (trade assistant) while applying for it or is it just a course you do full time? or part time? in a local collage?

how much does it usually cost to complete? and is there a waiting time to do one.

cheers steve

You're right Steve. You first need to get your trade recognised which costs around $300. This can be done from Ireland but you will need to use an Australian address as they won't post it outside Australia. You will need to allow 30 working days to get this. When you get this you will need to then do the course for the licence. The best way to do it is to do a 2 week full time course for around $900. Bear in mind you will need to take 2 weeks off work to do this. There can be a bit of a wait to do the course. A guy I work with was told he would be waiting 2 months to get a place on a course. Depending on what state you want to work in you don't need to work as a TA to get your licence. In Queensland though I think you need to complete a log book for 6 months before you get it.

population

dpop

That is some top quality information there. I knew of lads in Melbourne who were keen to move full time to WA to get a slice of this. Being a sparky myself and married to an Aussie it is something I have thought about in the past, but ultimately I do not think I would be able to hack it. Surely the remoteness must get to some lads? Also 23 days on at 10.5 hours of hard mining construction work must be a killer? I have no fear of hard work personally but surely it would just grind a man down? Also as you are earning so much in the calender year, are you taxed to pieces?

Any more info you could post on this I think would be greatly appreciated by anyone interested.

Cheers

evosteo

population wrote: »

dpop

That is some top quality information there. I knew of lads in Melbourne who were keen to move full time to WA to get a slice of this. Being a sparky myself and married to an Aussie it is something I have thought about in the past, but ultimately I do not think I would be able to hack it. Surely the remoteness must get to some lads? Also 23 days on at 10.5 hours of hard mining construction work must be a killer? I have no fear of hard work personally but surely it would just grind a man down? Also as you are earning so much in the calender year, are you taxed to pieces?

Any more info you could post on this I think would be greatly appreciated by anyone interested.

Cheers

100% agree, its always best to hear about these things from the horses mouth so to speak,

again appriciate the time taken to explain all the info above:)

ellaq

The tax is a killer. When you get paid for the weeks you work you are taxed as if that is your usual weekly income. It doesn't take into account the week off which you are not paid for. It all works out at the end of the financial year though. Negative gearing investments really helps, investment properties seem to be the most popular.

d.pop

population wrote: »

dpop

That is some top quality information there. I knew of lads in Melbourne who were keen to move full time to WA to get a slice of this. Being a sparky myself and married to an Aussie it is something I have thought about in the past, but ultimately I do not think I would be able to hack it. Surely the remoteness must get to some lads? Also 23 days on at 10.5 hours of hard mining construction work must be a killer? I have no fear of hard work personally but surely it would just grind a man down? Also as you are earning so much in the calender year, are you taxed to pieces?

Any more info you could post on this I think would be greatly appreciated by anyone interested.

Cheers

I think the remoteness affects different people in different ways, if you need to be around people all the time then it's not for you, if you're happy to do your work and then get some quiet time in your room with a book or tv then it's not too bad. Would recommend an honest appraisal of yourself before making the decision.
The work gets a bit tiresome towards the end of your shift, i find that about 3 days before your due to leave is when you get most tired/down, on the second last day you start to buck up at the thought of getting out and on the day of your flight you positively leap around the place. The biggest issue is when there is a problem with the flights such as ash cloud today over perth, guys in my office due to fly out today are positively viscious!
Few guys up here seem to have been here for more than 4-5 years although i have heard of some fellas doing it for 10-20yrs, these guys generally have asian wifes/girlfriends who still live overseas and the guys viist them every R+R as opposed to going back to perth.
As far as the tax goes, irrespective of levies, tax bands , other "schemes" etc once you get above a certain income, say $100k then you are basically paying 50% tax (not exactly correct but if you half your salary that is roughly what you'll be taking home).

Slidey

The tax seems like a bit of a killer.

Is there any other deductions as well as tax or are you including that in your roughly halved take home?

ellaq

I think d.pop means roughly 50% on earnings over the $100k mark. OH last pay was taxed around 30% overall.

d.pop

ellaq wrote: »

I think d.pop means roughly 50% on earnings over the $100k mark. OH last pay was taxed around 30% overall.

Hi guys, yeah, kind of; i was being a bit "rough" with my tax calculations, obviously there are tax bands that increase with your salary etc.
In my particular case my average hourly nett pay when superannuation and tax is removed is approx 55% of my gross hourly rate, obviously that varies week by week and depending on additional bonuses or deductions etc. In my case as a rough rule of thumb if i'm trying to figure out approx how much cash i'll have at end of week i half my hourly rate, mind you i probably get paid way too much if i'm paying so much tax!

ellaq

You would only be paying 45% on every dollar earnt over the $180k. Superannuation is paid by the company. I see what you are doing but we don't even consider the superannuation as part of the income.

Slidey

I thought that the taxation was a bit harsh alright.

Interview on Friday, we'll see how that goes...

ellaq

Good luck Slidey for Friday. 2/1 is not a bad lifestyle. Even time would be better but the pay is less.

d.pop

Slidey wrote: »

I thou5ght that the taxation was a bit harsh alright.

Interview on Friday, we'll see how that goes...

Jeez lads ye're killing me on the taxation...i'll try to clarify a bit on my own situation without giving away the whole farm!
I'm an independant professional contractor so my hourly rate is all i get, no holiday pay, no sick pay, no overtime, nothing. Superannuation is taken out of my hourly rate. As a result my hourly rate is quite high which is prob distorting the taxation/deductions. My last 4 wages (all i had access to today) after super and tax were deducted worked out as 56%, 54%, 57% and 55% of my hourly rate x hours worked.
Apologies if i have confused the issue but just so you guys know, independant contracting is the way the majority of recruitment is going, so i guess all i'm saying is if somebody is offering you something up around $90 to $100 per hour (or more) then be prepared to see "almost" half taken off you before it ever reaches your wallet.

Good luck with the interview.

Slidey

Ah I see.

Didn't mean to put you under the gun. Don't think it will be an ABN job that I am going for. Judging by the salary been offered it is not anyway.

ellaq

All makes sense now d.pop.

When it comes to fifo there is a difference between construction and mining. And in this industries there is a difference between the pay structures of professionals and tradies.

Construction has always had a reputation for shorter shifts and longer rosters. I think scaffolders for eg, work 4 weeks on 1 week off. Mining has become a bit more family friendly in recent times. 3/1 swings are not that common anymore. But every company is different and on any given site different third party contractors will have their employees on different shift cycles. 2/1 and 8/6 seem the most popular. I believe that even time rosters are more popular in the Eastern States though.

In mining, professionals are usually salaried unless they are working as a consultant and then they hired as a contractor. Tradies are usually casually employed through an agency,permanent employee or a fixed term contract being paid for hours worked in a fortnight.

I have no idea how the support services work such as sodexo which employ cleaners and chefs.

d.pop

Slidey wrote: »

Ah I see.

Didn't mean to put you under the gun. Don't think it will be an ABN job that I am going for. Judging by the salary been offered it is not anyway.

No worries, I should have been clearer up front.
Just by way of a heads up, the independant contractor arrangement is a very strange beast. You don't have an ABN (unless you want one), instead you work like normal on a TFN with your tax done on a PAYG basis. It's all a bit sneaky i think as you are not entitled to notice, holidays, sick pay etc, basically you get well paid but can be dispensed with at the drop of a hat. My own biggest gripe with it is you are not told, you do your interviews with a company as normal, do your medicals etc, get offered a v.nice wage and accept the role then you're told "oh by the way we "outsource" our payroll admin, is this a problem?" Still doesn't sound too bad until the next day some agency in another state altogether rings you up and emails you a load of employment contracts to sign, thats when you find out you don't work for the company you interviewed for at all but instead are working through an agency! B***ards! Plus they take a cut for "managing" you!
Was offered 4 jobs in one week and i took the highest paying one or so i thought, by the time i started deducting all the various bits and pieces i was almost back down to the other 3 lower offers...
Rant over.
Basically if somebody is offering you a shedload of money ask what the conditions of employment are i.e direct/contract etc

s20101938

dpop,

anymore tips/advice on fifo? what's the heat/sun/flies/dust like?
can you go into more details about what your job entails?

d.pop

s20101938 wrote: »

dpop,

anymore tips/advice on fifo? what's the heat/sun/flies/dust like?
can you go into more details about what your job entails?

Can't really think of too much more to be honest, would be easier to answer questions than try to think of relevant stuff if you know what i mean.
The work is the same as home, whatever your trade/occupation at home it's pretty much the same here except everything is a gazillion times bigger, particularily in mining and the rules....the rules are relentless and are enforced ruthlessly, you speed you're gone, you fail a breatho you're gone, you use a mobile at work you're gone etc etc...
As far as the conditions the best description i've seen is on google "Diary of a pommie in WA", can't put it up here as it has some bad language but even though it's meant as a laugh it is spot on. Have a read.
Middle of winter here now and it's still 26 degrees and the flies...jeebus..the flies are relentless, starting to die off a bit with last few weeks but when your hardhat comes with fly nets like a bee keepers hat then you got to wonder what you're doing here!
Still rather be getting bitten by flies than any one of the dozens of snake or spider species waiting outside your door for you every morning!

population

Again cheers to everybody here for any and all information.

How long have you all been out there? How long are you thinking of staying?

s20101938

dpop,

Who does your job on your week off, and do you have to do someone else's job on their's? Is this a good or bad thing? How do you hack the long days? Productivity goes way down with too much overtime. Is the pace the same on weekends? Are you indoors much? Is their much time spent in meetings? Is it all much the same as back home? Is it boring work?