Working in the mines in Australia

Halladubha72

Hi, my daughter is heading to Australia in a few months. She heard so many stories about working in the mines and making loads of money etc. Is it true And if so which mine and is there work for women. Thanks

Tinchy

It’s true there’s money to be made but it’s not as easy as people think to just find mining work. If she is on a working holiday visa she can only work with the same company for 6 months at a time and this can put employers off training employees for the sake of a few months and they can favour permanent residents or citizens. The hourly rate is usually higher than working in the city but the reason you make a lot is because you usually don’t pay for food and accommodation while at work. You also work 12 hour days everyday, a typical roster is 14 days on (at work) and 7 days off. It’s tough going and can be very isolating. Accommodation provided 90% of the time is in a donger with your bed and bathroom. most companies are trying to increase female employees in the mining sector so this will work in her favour. Apply to recruitment companies to start. What area would she be applying for or what experience/education does she have?

dickdasr1234

I have been to Australia twice in the last 20 years and it is an incredibly macho society.

I went to the Northern Territories 20 years ago and met some authentic 'ocker Aussie' miners.

Those geezers were neanderthals and I couldn't bear the thought of either of my daughters working alongside them.

Mining is a notoriously tough game, even more so in the Aussie heat. The money would need to be spectacular and your daughter would need to be extremely self-assured.

At least get her to talk to a female who has actually done it!

Dave_D_Rave

Working on major projects you will need PR visa or citenzenship.

Generally only smaller jobs will leave working holiday visa holders and at that the options available will be limited and rates will be lower

Without knowing qualifications and generalising here a bit.

Now being a female working up in the mines jobs are generally split into two categories

Admin Personnel

Generally these job are very low paid and the same wages would be obtained in the city but the additional time off being the bonus.

A lot of the jobs are tied up by the other halves of management men onsite

Peggies

These roles are cleaners, bar staff, cooking ect tough physical work and pays well. Probably half the rate of a trademark usually.

If your daughter has trade then she will need to get this recognised before she would get a job up there and would need sufficient experience. Skills assessment could take 12 months alone. Generally people do the skills assessment with PR visa application as they can go hand in hand.

That's the qualifications/roles side of things.

To be honest they are not a nice place for your to work. Given the fact that she is female and Irish won't help things.

A large proportion of the guys you meet working are there for a reason i.e. can't fit into normal society / bad life decisions and are stuck there.

If she does end up going up there have a plan and maintain discipline no point pissing away what you earn

pete4130

I've done 5 years fly in/flyout in Queensland gas fields and currently working the last 3 years in underground metaliferous coal about 30 minutes south of Sydney.

The mining industry loves women coming into it at all levels. From unskilled labour to engineers and managers. There is a big push for a more balanced gender ratio. I know that any of the women that work where I do, really enjoy their job. If they didn't, it would be a hard place to try to stick it out.

The rosters where I work are a weekday day, afternoon or night shift from Monday to Thursday. Then a Weekend day and night shift from Friday to Sunday.

The weekend night shifts are the big potential earners for unskilled labour. With night penalty rates, overtime and bonuses an unskilled person can earn almost $200k a year on weekend nights and the odd OT shift on a weekday through out the year. I get this figure from a close friend who worked where I do and in the Financial year 2021-2022 he took home $195k doing weekend night shift and the odd Thursday afternoon shift as a contractor. Thats more than I earn as a degree qualified skilled employee on salary.

So the need to go out to remote areas isn't necessary to earn a big salary.

For FIFO sites and civil construction work, a lot of women get employed as drivers on large MOXY/Dump trucks like 30 ton and 40 ton and upwards sized vehicles. The training course for them isn't particularly difficult and once you get a job, you have to show you have VOC (verification of competency) Basically shadowed with somebody else in the vehicle for a day to make sure you aren't an idiot and know what you are doing.

Even in Sydney, MOXY drivers on civil sites can earn $42ph for sitting in an air conditioned cab doing circuits dumping material all day. Easily take home about $2000pw. Some jobs I worked on there have been several young Irish women driving Moxy's and other plant vehicles. Penelopes is a labour hire company we worked with in Sydney that specifically caters for women in the industry, so its a big thing. https://www.peneloperesources.com.au/

Women drivers have also shown statistically to have a better production and safety record than their male counterparts so are actually highly regarded.

Now, the catch is, the 6 month rule. Mining companies generally won't invest their time and money to mobilise somebody unskilled that only has a short shelf life. Take into account inductions, training, mobilisation they may get 6 rotations from you before their investment in you disappears.

With city work and labour hire companies, you can easily do 6 months with one company and then switch labour hire companies and stay legal with your visa restrictions.

20 years ago, the mining industry was far different than it is now. It's still a crude and uncouth place. The big thing thats changed is people do and will get sacked for any inappropriate behaviour towards female workers. Companies don't take it lightly and their reputation is at stake.