Civil Engineer - FIFO mining in WA

chrisyh

Hi All,

Another newbie here..

I am 27 yr old civil engineer with 4 years work experience. Because there is no future here I am planning to travel to Oz before Xmas 10.
I want to make money and i am no stranger to putting in 12 hr shifts - think the Fly in Fly out mining work would suit me (if I can get in)

My civil eng experience is varied (project management, asset management, operational) I am working for same company since finished college - good refs

I have a few general queries that someone might be kind enough to help me with:

1) I am not sure about applying for a skilled migrant Visa, It seems pricey.. Would I be better getting a WHV until I get settled or am I stuck with that then?

2) I recently met an Australian couple who told me that the money on the mines in WA is huge (au$120/yr incl accommodation and meals) from looking at some mining websites I don’t think it’s that good.
Does anyone know what the current employment situation is like with Australian mines?

3) Do I need Australian engineering accreditations to get a job?
I would really appreciate any tips of advice,

mandrake04

chrisyh wrote: »

Hi All,

Another newbie here..

I am 27 yr old civil engineer with 4 years work experience. Because there is no future here I am planning to travel to Oz before Xmas 10.
I want to make money and i am no stranger to putting in 12 hr shifts - think the Fly in Fly out mining work would suit me (if I can get in)

My civil eng experience is varied (project management, asset management, operational) I am working for same company since finished college - good refs

I have a few general queries that someone might be kind enough to help me with:

1) I am not sure about applying for a skilled migrant Visa, It seems pricey.. Would I be better getting a WHV until I get settled or am I stuck with that then?

2) I recently met an Australian couple who told me that the money on the mines in WA is huge (au$120/yr incl accommodation and meals) from looking at some mining websites I don’t think it’s that good.
Does anyone know what the current employment situation is like with Australian mines?

3) Do I need Australian engineering accreditations to get a job?
I would really appreciate any tips of advice,

WHV = (cons) You can only work for any one employer for max 6 months, lot of employers wont touch you on a WHV. (pro) It can be granted in a few days.

GSM Skilled Migrant Visa = (cons) going cost between $3K & $6K, can take between 6 months and 3 years to process. (pro) There is no restrictions.

In reality GSM beats a WHV hands down without a doubt... even if it does cost $6K or takes 2 years.

My advice is to bite the bullet fork out the cash and apply for both the WHV & Skilled migrant, if you manage to find a job in WA mines on a WHV and you work your 88 days you will get your 2nd year. By that time your skilled visa should be processed. You might struggle to find work while on the WHV but at least you will get a good holiday out of it.

If you don't apply for the GSM before you go there is a chance that you might never get around to it and leave it too late and you might be forced to leave the country. If you are serious best get it tucked away under your belt before you go.

Your other option is come on a WHV and try to get sponsored but finding a sponsor is harder than you might think, I would advise to keep that one as a maybe bonus.

$120K a year working the mines would probably be the minimum, you could be making the beds in the billets or work in the mess tent for that sort of money. Remember you are basically in the middle of no where.

No one knows what going happen with the Labor government and this bloody mining Tax, the whole think could come to a stop. Know one knows.

chrisyh

Thanks for the info Mandrake,

It is good to know that I can be getting my GSM while in oz on WHV,,
I better just bite the bullet...