Mining in Oz info/help please?

hownowbrowncow

Looking for a few hints tips advice about getting a foot in the door in mining in Australia..

I have decided to pack up and im going to head over to try get a start in mining, I have been managing a manufacturing company dealing with 100 ton die casters, powder coating etc for the last 7 years so im going to try blag my way to a migration visa or worst case a WHV

Is there anyone who has worked in the mines over there that can give me some advice on the best route to go or any tips?

also is there:

.any short/evening courses that can be done here that will help in any way
.is it worth getting a ridged or arctic licence here first (which im starting this week)
.would the FAS Quarries Skills Certification Scheme (QSCS) new entrants course be worth anything at all?
.i know a lot of people that own dump trucks, 360 Excavator's etc and i can get the use of them anytime but what is the process of get a 'ticket' for them and is it worth the time skilling up on one of them here first?
.what are mining jobs that can be applied for unskilled?

Thanks!!

Sundy

Who do you know?

If you dont have a specific skill, like surveyor, engineer etc thats in demand in the mines the only thing that matters is knowing someone in a position to get you in the door.

hownowbrowncow

Its as simple as that is it? if you dont know someone your fecked?

Sundy

hownowbrowncow wrote: »

Its as simple as that is it? if you dont know someone your fecked?

Not quite as simple as that but pretty close to it.

mandrake04

hownowbrowncow wrote: »

Its as simple as that is it? if you dont know someone your fecked?

Unless you retrain as something useful ie, QS, Geologist, Heavy Civil engineer or HD Fitter.

hownowbrowncow

But what about all these unskilled jobs i hear about along with 'my mate moved out there and got a job in the mines'
I'll be moving out there before the end of the year but I wonder about spending a fortune doing all the tickets when they really dont employ without experience, its a bit of a catch 22 like

Sundy

Do you know anyone in person who got an unskilled job in the mines?

Its not easy to get into, but of course some people do get lucky. From what I hear most of the unskilled jobs in the mines go to aussies.

I have a good few friends who work in the mines but they are all surveyors. I choose not to go because I prefer living in the city.

ellaq

I would advise you not to undertake any training courses in Ireland, they won't mean anything over here. The reason there is a skills shortage in the mining industry is that companies are very selective, if you don't tick all their requirements they are not interested.

Unskilled labour doesn't always earn a lot of money in the mines. You might find that the stories about pay have been exagerated along with how easy it is to get a job. You can earn good money if you get a job that pays overtime.

irishmover

Sundy wrote: »

Not quite as simple as that but pretty close to it.

Definitely this is the case.

There are a few work arounds like working for a company who contracts into mines, get a small amount of experience as a contractor for a mining company and thats a pretty big foot in the door.

The Aussie

ellaq wrote: »

You might find that the stories about pay have been exagerated along with how easy it is to get a job.

Yeh, this is the thing im finding, a lot of people are falling for these stories to, a friend who i worked with over here left his wife and kids here in Cork to go work the mines, after 7 months of doing everything but working in the mines he thinks the whole Australia thing is a big con job and plans on moving back within months, but as i told him "I told you so a year ago", sometimes the dream outstrips reality.

mandrake04

The Aussie wrote: »

Yeh, this is the thing im finding, a lot of people are falling for these stories to, a friend who i worked with over here left his wife and kids here in Cork to go work the mines, after 7 months of doing everything but working in the mines he thinks the whole Australia thing is a big con job and plans on moving back within months, but as i told him "I told you so a year ago", sometimes the dream outstrips reality.

The Irish media and too many tall stories in the Pub has brainwashed people, sure didn't you hear 350,000 jobs just cropped up in Canada.

ellaq

Also getting a verbal job offer in this industry means nothing. And even if the job offer is successful it can still be almost 2 months before you make it to site. You have to do medicals, reference checks, inductions and more inductions. You might have to undertake extra tickets and training. Some of the sites have problems with accommodation that can put back your start date too.

yogimotorsport

hownowbrowncow wrote: »

Looking for a few hints tips advice about getting a foot in the door in mining in Australia..

I have decided to pack up and im going to head over to try get a start in mining, I have been managing a manufacturing company dealing with 100 ton die casters, powder coating etc for the last 7 years so im going to try blag my way to a migration visa or worst case a WHV

Is there anyone who has worked in the mines over there that can give me some advice on the best route to go or any tips?

also is there:
.
.any short/evening courses that can be done here that will help in any way -NO
.is it worth getting a ridged or arctic licence here first (which im starting this week) - YES
.would the FAS Quarries Skills Certification Scheme (QSCS) new entrants course be worth anything at all? -About as much use as a ashtray on a motorbike
.i know a lot of people that own dump trucks, 360 Excavator's etc and i can get the use of them anytime but what is the process of get a 'ticket' for them and is it worth the time skilling up on one of them here first?- if you have never operated these machines before dont even waste your time the machines in mine sites are 5 and 6 times the size in oz compared ireland
.what are mining jobs that can be applied for unskilled? - realistically there are very few unskilled jobs that one can get

Thanks!!

Sorry to be realistic

hownowbrowncow

ok thats fair enough, better to not be deluded about it

would quarry experience here be of any value? one of my parents friends owns quite a large quarry so i could spend a year getting reverent tickets/training/experience

Sundy

hownowbrowncow wrote: »

ok thats fair enough, better to not be deluded about it

would quarry experience here be of any value? one of my parents friends owns quite a large quarry so i could spend a year getting reverent tickets/training/experience

It would certainly help, you might not get work in a mine but you could probably get into a quarry easier. There are plenty of them over here too.

You dont need to work in a mine here to have a good life and save some money.

markymark21

hownowbrowncow wrote: »

Its as simple as that is it? if you dont know someone your fecked?

The only way you can get a job in the mines without a highly specialized skill-set is doing menial work like working in the canteen or cleaning the toilets

http://www.australia-mining.com/jobs-catering.html?G1


No thanks!

slugger_otoole

I disagree with a lot of the responses here, I came to Australia unskilled and got a job in mining relatively easily. I have met numerous other people who have done the same. I work in drilling but had no previous experience. You do start at the bottom of the ladder but even the most basic jobs are well paid. Plus once you've done a few months and have your foot in the door you can move to a different area.

You really need to approach companies directly (by this I mean show up on their doorstep) to get a chance. It is far easier to do this in somewhere like Kalgoorlie than in Perth in my opinion.

I would highly recommend that you get you're HR Licence (heavy rigid) before you come out as that makes it an awful lot easier to get a job. It's not really necessery to have a HC or an MC unless you plan on driving road trains.

Good Luck, and Happy Paddy's day!!

ellaq

So what do you do in drilling Slugger? My OH has worked in the drilling industry for many years now and has yet to meet someone with no mining experience on a WHV getting a job as FIFO/DIDO. He has only worked for the bigger companies though.

I think drilling offsider positions are perfectly suited to people on WHV. Money is good, work is hard and you wouldn't want to do it forever hence the high turnover.

For the person who asked about quarry work. There are plenty of small quarries around not far out of Perth. I know some Irish guys are working them as stonemasons, pity the aren't around to answer your questions.

slugger_otoole

ellaq wrote: »

So what do you do in drilling Slugger? My OH has worked in the drilling industry for many years now and has yet to meet someone with no mining experience on a WHV getting a job as FIFO/DIDO. He has only worked for the bigger companies though.

I think drilling offsider positions are perfectly suited to people on WHV. Money is good, work is hard and you wouldn't want to do it forever hence the high turnover.

For the person who asked about quarry work. There are plenty of small quarries around not far out of Perth. I know some Irish guys are working them as stonemasons, pity the aren't around to answer your questions.

Hi ellaq,

I'm quite surprised that your partner hasn't seen many offsiders on a whv as I gave seen many, mind you most of them were working for smaller companies.

I started out as an offsider and.then started training as a driller. I do know quite a few guys who are working with us pupurely to do their 3 months rural work to get their 2nd whv.

But to get back to the main question asked in the thread, it isn't extremely difficult, unless you are going for a very specific position

ellaq

Slugger, nearly all the drillers seem to be kiwis. He works for an OEM right now.

So it doesn't take long to train to be a driller, when you are trained are they able to sponsor you to stay?

slugger_otoole

Yes Ellaq he's right in what he says in that regard, a massive number of drillers are kiwi's! Both driller's who trained me are, my company is owned by a kiwi and I know several other snmall companies also owned by kiwis.

It doesn't take long to train to be a driller, as you learn the important things (how the rig works, common problems and how to fix them, organising logistics etc) when you work as an offsider. I was trained more out of necessity as we had a number of guys quit/get sacked in a short period of time. This is often the case in small companies, if you are next in line you will get your shot. Some gys at our company were trained in a shorter period of time than me. Bigger companies tend to require you to offside for 3 to 4 years before you can start as they have a more official training program. We take assessments (written and practical) with Drillskills Australia to become officially qualified, once you reach Cert III you are fully qualified, however you need to have been in drilling a minimum of 18 months to obtain this. The Cert III standard is officialy recognised as a trade. Cert I and II can be obtained along the way.

Yes I do believe sponsorship is an option although I hope to go and work on rigs in South America in the future rather than stay in Australia, I travelled there before and loved it so I am keen to go back, this job has given me the opportunity and contacts to do that now.

I'm not saying that mining jobs are dead certs and for the people talking about leaving their families at home to come and do it I would consider that a risk. My boss told me the first day I started that this is the perfect job for a young single guy with no ties to come and do for a set period of time, and I must say I agree with him. There have been many times I have been due to go on break and had this cancelled, I have have frequently done 6-8 week shifts in the outback without a break or a day off, which is fine for someone in my situation, I would not do this kind of work if I had kids (thats just my personal opinion). You can however make a lot of money in a short space of time. One guy at our company last year put aside $50k between April and Xmas working as an offisider. He worked ridiculous shifts (13 weeks staright etc) and had no life whatsoever outside of work but that was what he wanted to do.

107

slugger_otoole wrote: »

.........My boss told me the first day I started that this is the perfect job for a young single guy with no ties to come and do for a set period of time, and I must say I agree with him.........

Did a bit for an Aus. bloke before , same as that : "here's the setup ... " , none of the usual stuff you can see straight through

hownowbrowncow

Hi Slugger, thanks for the info there seems to be fairly mixed reports on the here, did you go out on a WHV and if you did are you still out there past your 2nd year visa etc? ie. if you get your Cert III can you get a working visa or do you need to be sponsored
so the best plan of attack is to just go out there and show up on site and beg for a job? the whole mining thing is right up my street as im in that 'a young single guy with no ties to come and do for a set period of time' bracket and not afraid of a good days work.
Surely your not able to drive on an Irish heavy licence over there and I read you have to redo the test over there as they wont just swap it like a regular car licence?

chrispym

slugger_otoole wrote: »

Yes Ellaq he's right in what he says in that regard, a massive number of drillers are kiwi's! Both driller's who trained me are, my company is owned by a kiwi and I know several other snmall companies also owned by kiwis.

It doesn't take long to train to be a driller, as you learn the important things (how the rig works, common problems and how to fix them, organising logistics etc) when you work as an offsider. I was trained more out of necessity as we had a number of guys quit/get sacked in a short period of time. This is often the case in small companies, if you are next in line you will get your shot. Some gys at our company were trained in a shorter period of time than me. Bigger companies tend to require you to offside for 3 to 4 years before you can start as they have a more official training program. We take assessments (written and practical) with Drillskills Australia to become officially qualified, once you reach Cert III you are fully qualified, however you need to have been in drilling a minimum of 18 months to obtain this. The Cert III standard is officialy recognised as a trade. Cert I and II can be obtained along the way.

Yes I do believe sponsorship is an option although I hope to go and work on rigs in South America in the future rather than stay in Australia, I travelled there before and loved it so I am keen to go back, this job has given me the opportunity and contacts to do that now.

I'm not saying that mining jobs are dead certs and for the people talking about leaving their families at home to come and do it I would consider that a risk. My boss told me the first day I started that this is the perfect job for a young single guy with no ties to come and do for a set period of time, and I must say I agree with him. There have been many times I have been due to go on break and had this cancelled, I have have frequently done 6-8 week shifts in the outback without a break or a day off, which is fine for someone in my situation, I would not do this kind of work if I had kids (thats just my personal opinion). You can however make a lot of money in a short space of time. One guy at our company last year put aside $50k between April and Xmas working as an offisider. He worked ridiculous shifts (13 weeks staright etc) and had no life whatsoever outside of work but that was what he wanted to do.

Hi i am just curious where the best place to get these jobs as offsiders are and whats the likely hood of getting them i am heading over now in 2 months no ties and with only one thing on my mind is working!

ellaq

The only question I have is how do you work with the 6 month rule on a WHV.

Chrispym - Kalgoorlie is a good place. Driller Offsider jobs are always on seek and in the local papers. The Sunday Times in Perth always has an advert on the back page of employment. The main requirement is to be young and fit.

hownowbrowncow

Yeah the 6 month rule on a WHV is a good point, how do you get around this if you want to spend the year in the mines

Flyer1

The irish attitude of "just get a job in the mines" is totally misinformed !

Easiest route in is to get work with a mining contractor doing civil works or as the poster (im guessing a Lucas worker) above does get involved in drilling projects etc. Because all the work is involving the mine site you go through all the mine site inductions, get pit licences etc.

I work for an excavation contractor driving machinery and doing various work in the mines, consequently i've built up a nice bank of contacts in the mines and they are soon due to expand their operator workforce so seeing i've now got my oz VOC on excavators, mine inductions, pit licences, experience of working in a mining operation then i've a good chance of getting in with the actual mining company.

It's a roundabout way of getting employment with the mine companies.

And people need to beware that its a different story to home, safety is the primary focus, its incredibly easy to get yourself killed out there so if you are seen doing something dumb then thats it, you're out !

mandrake04

Flyer1 wrote: »

its incredibly easy to get yourself killed out there so if you are seen doing something dumb then thats it, you're out !

What do you class as dumb?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xbppELSb-wU

Flyer1

Only in Ireland !

Daniel Tone

Im living in Kalgoorlie for just over 6 mths now and week in week out Im seeing Irish guys coming and going because the cannot get jobs in mining. The simple fact of the matter is Mining Companies do not take risks with green horns especially on the underground projects. I got sponsored from home because I've been working in the mining industry as an Underground Electrician since 2004 in the Galmoy Mine in Kilkenny and the Tara mine in Navan.
It's true there is an abundance of work in mining out here but unless you have mining experience or know someone fairly high up who can pull a few strings and get you a start it's next to impossible. So when you hear a friend of a friend got a start with no experience its either a lie or this friend of a friend had a contact with a fairly significant pull.
Sorry for being so blunt but they are the cold hard facts.

boycurious

I have been back in Perth 8 months and have finally landed a job in mine construction. I already had 14 months worth of experience on w.a mining jobs as a carpenter/formworker. It is harder now than it ever was to get into the industry even though i had over a years experience.

From what i gather from all the people i have talked to in H.R that work for these companies is that they get a load of calls everyday from Irish people begging for jobs with no skills. They don't want them or need them is what i have been told.

I would say anyone moving from Ireland to Australia for a mining job who has no experience or relevant skill to that industry is crazy. If it took me 7 months to get a start with great references and having worked on both lng and mines i can only imagine how it would be for others with no experience.