Jobs in the mines...

MrXr6Tickford · 01-07-2008, 07:32 PM

Ino there has been a few threads on this before... but i tried searching for what i was after but couldn't find anything..

Im currently 18, and i was looking to work in the mines as a unskilled labourer, does anyone have any tips or short courses i could do at tafe to give me a better chance?

After doing some research on the internet it seems like its really difficult to be able to get your foot in the door? Can anyone shed some light on this? Also which would be better? fly in/fly out, underground / open mine?

Any help would be great

-Tom

StAndArdAU · 01-07-2008, 07:55 PM

you're asking which would be better between flying in and flying out? or FIFO and actually moving to a mining town?

FIFO means you'll work so many weeks away from home before having a week or so off, so if thats the lifestyle you want then go for it. Means you wont see your mates/GF for long periods of time. Depending on where you FIFO to can help you save money because if you're farely remote, you cant go anywhere to spend your pay. Personal opinion, i would hate to work in an underground mine.

Research the possibility of becoming a Trainee operator at a port, you dont need accreditations for that sort of thing. i'd highly recommend getting your First Aid and Forklift/dogging tickets if you dont have already. They always look good on your application. Cant help you with Tafe sorry. Also, i dont know where Albury is, but you'd have the best chance of a mine job here in WA

MrXr6Tickford · 01-07-2008, 08:11 PM

Albury is in NSW, on the NSW VIC border... but im happy to move to wa if need be...

ill start looking into getting forklift licence, first aid and dogging tomorrow, i had a quick look on the tafe website and it looks like they run a dogging course - heres the link... just so ino it is the correct course:

http://www.wodonga.tafe.edu.au/01_co...e.jsp?id=SC161

**edit**

i also had abit of a search on google for 'Trainee operator at a port' and i couldnt find anything...

do you have any tips on finding any info on this?

azaxr8 · 02-07-2008, 01:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MrXr6Tickford

Ino there has been a few threads on this before... but i tried searching for what i was after but couldn't find anything..

Im currently 18, and i was looking to work in the mines as a unskilled labourer, does anyone have any tips or short courses i could do at tafe to give me a better chance?

After doing some research on the internet it seems like its really difficult to be able to get your foot in the door? Can anyone shed some light on this? Also which would be better? fly in/fly out, underground / open mine?

Any help would be great

-Tom

Mate, I'm 18 and currently working out at AREA C, 120 km ene of newman. on a 2 on 1 off fi/fo roster for HWE. It does take a bit to get in, Specially with no experince and such a young age. Fortunatelly for me i had people i knew up here which makes the proccess so much easier. I suggest checking out HWE minning services. Google it. There always putting staff on and only getting bigger with RBG 4 just being finalized and RGB 5 starting. There looking for numbers.

Only thing i suggest is be patient. Once your in you can pick and choose what you want to do.

Good lucky buddy.

MrXr6Tickford · 02-07-2008, 10:22 AM

Thanks for the info azaxr8!

what tickets did you have when you applied for your job?

first aid, forklift and doggers licenses?

What is your job role if you dont mind me asking?

Duke · 02-07-2008, 04:15 PM

My stepson has recently used his initiative and moved from NSW Central Coast to WA to start work in the mines.
He got his Blue card for construction (http://www.bluedogtraining.com.au/), first aid cert, marcsta cert (http://www.marcsta.com/) For more training try http://www.qfsaustralia.com/
http://www.immersivetechnologies.com/
http://www.richardsmining.com.au/?gc...FSUaagodZiP3tg

The courses my 19 yr old did, he paid for himself and they can cost up to 3 or 4k each.
He tried doing everything from NSW, including flying to WA for interviews etc and then flying back but it weasn't until he drove to WA and moved into an apartment that he actually was successful in getting employment.

He has been offered 3 jobs since getting there a few months ago and is now starting another new job with even higher pay.

there's no luck involved - work - don't give up - work some more. I hate it when people tell me he's a lucky lad because he's in the mines. He used nearly $10k of his own money to do it and took huge risks and did all the leg work by himself.

Personally I think he's got the benefit of a great stepdad, but there may be a slight bias there.... slight....

MrXr6Tickford · 02-07-2008, 04:42 PM

Thanks very much for the useful information duke!

What sort of job does your step-son do?

What were some of the course's that he did?

ill take into account of what i have been told so far:

Forklift licence
First-aid cert
Dogging cert
Blue card or Safety Awareness Training

also do you think the Underground Safety Induction that MARCSTA offers, would be worth while as well?

Duke · 02-07-2008, 07:47 PM

My boy is a steel fixer (putting in the reo in concrete).
The list you have is good start
I think the marcsta course would be very worthwhile in terms of getting a favourable viewing from prospective empoyers.

It's costly but but you don't get if you don't give.

MrXr6Tickford · 02-07-2008, 08:02 PM

Yea, im prepared to put the effort in to get my goal's...

Im currently at tafe at the moment, im halfway through doing my year 11 (wasnt lucky enough to do it at school, due to getting sick) so ill be looking at getting most of my tickets around end of November/early December. As i think having year 11 compared to my year 10 could be a big difference in getting a job... providing i have all my tickets/licence's

Thanks once again for your help duke, you been very helpful

ill let everyone know how i go later on in the year.

Decadentia · 02-07-2008, 08:19 PM

First Aid should be mandatory every couple of years in the workplace in my honest opinion, Go as far with it as you care - Definately benefitial.

Marcsta card is only $100 or so, But a lot of the big names are all doing their own in house training, so it's not the be all and end all.

'Bluecard' is for working on construction/building sites.

Forklift licence won't give you too much of an edge as most sites here in the pilbara use Manitou style equipment with an extendable boom and interchangable attatchments ( ie: Forklift forks, Buckets ) - In saying that it's always handy to have.

Dogmans/Riggers ticket is good but it won't be the kind of job you can walk into without any experience, or at the very least someone to vouch for you.

Work in the Mining sector is financially rewarding, BUT living in the middle of nowhere with nothing to do, away from your family/loved ones is not for everyone. In the last 6 months I know of a minimum of 30 guys who have had a relationship breakdown.

If you specifically want to work in the Mining industry, Do your training as you plan and apply for a job as a T/A and let things advance from there - It's unlikely anyone will take on a freshly qualified person to fill a qualifications based position.

If you can be patient and want to earn a good wage, Try your hand in construction in a simular environment, Prove you can work around plant and equipment, Get referees on site to say you know your stuff, and moving on to mining will take care of itself.

I know it's a bit of a long winded reply, But I've been working in the Pilbara region for the last 12 months. It was hard to get a foot in the door being reasonably unskilled, But I persisted and now consider myself in a great position both financially and career wise.

If you want to know more I'd be happy to talk to you in a PM about it

cowboy · 02-07-2008, 08:27 PM

I did the same thing mate, was living in Echuca. Very few places will hire you until you are actually here, I live in Kalgoorlie now and there are so many jobs here it's scary, the gas crisis isn't helping though. With no experiance it's unlikely you'll get a job fly in fly out to Albury so you'll probably have to live in WA for a while.

HR truck, forklift and riggers/doggers are all useful. MARCSTA used to be a requirement but a lot of places don't require it anymore, it's a waste of time in my opinion.

Easiest way in is as a drillers offsider, can supply you a list of companies on PM if you want. Hot and hard job but will get you in the door and once you're there the sky is the limit. I started there and now working as a subsea engineer on offshore oil rigs.

cowboy · 02-07-2008, 08:29 PM

Good advice from Decadentia too. Forgot about senior first aid, very handy ticket.

Decadentia · 02-07-2008, 08:39 PM

Just as an afterthought, I can't stress how important it is to have friends that are in the industry. The ammount of jobs that I see go to friends and family of currently employed workers is amazing.

Very much a case of who you know, not what you know.

cowboy · 02-07-2008, 09:03 PM

So true

MrXr6Tickford · 02-07-2008, 09:18 PM

Well, its a bit of a brick wall for me there, as i dont no anyone personally who works in the mines..

Decadentia · 02-07-2008, 09:28 PM

Believe me mate, it's not hard. Local bar - Right time - Say G'day and buy a bloke a drink and you've just made your new best mate.

Without trying to go out on a tangent, You'll find that there are a certain type of people who do the kind of work you're interested in, and whilst some have attitude, Most of them are just there for the work/money and want to be at home.

The relevance of this is, that them being there is like a part of their job. They want to do it while they have to, take the money they earn, return home and enjoy time with the family before they have to do it again.

Makes for a peaceful, friendly mob, who just want to pass the time with some other good blokes while they're stuck where they don't want to be.

StAndArdAU · 03-07-2008, 01:05 AM

I think you'd have a really good chance if you get the basics done as mentioned above and then hook up with recruitment companies in Perth. Although they take a bit of your pay, it shouldnt concern ya too much. its how i started with Skilled, now im full tme with Rio Tinto and i have NO qualifications at all. i dont even have what is mentioned above. it'll all be trial and error for a while i'd say.

BTTB · 03-07-2008, 10:45 PM

I've been loooking for a mining job for a while too... all good advice above

gtfpv · 03-07-2008, 11:11 PM

when i was younger . people used to tell me . "you have to turn up and be available for work at the site" .
now i'm older . i gotta say that fact is real. there are ways to get where you want , the main way is initiative and persistance.
the easiest ways in order are .
1. your friends dad is the boss.
2. you turn up ready to start.
3. you do courses and keep applying.
4 job agency.
5. aliens kidnap you and drop you off at the site , threatening world destruction if the employer doesn't give you a start.

each one of these ways will get you where you want . the chances decrease from step 1 through 5.

good luck . persistance and determination is everything.

TUF351 · 04-07-2008, 09:19 AM

Tom,
It seems everyone on this site is in the pilbara at the moment. As decadentia said, it is very finacially rewarding, but you really miss out on a lot of stuff back home, if you are in a relationship it will be very taxing.
any extra courses, skills etc are going to be of benefit. As said before get your forklift, dogging ticket, EWP, and heavy rigid truck licence. I would suggest FI/FO, rents in mining towns are super expensive, although most companies do subsidise the rent, with FI/FO they usually provide accommodation, meals, most will fly you to perth but some even to your home state.
Mining is great, but there is usually more money in construction in the mining areas, eg expansion projects building of mines, ports. Try companies like Goodline, Downers, they all employ Trade assitants, this is a good place to start and could well help to build a skilled career. Try googling trade assistants in mining areas such as kalgoorlie, port hedland, newman, karratha.

MrXr6Tickford · 04-07-2008, 09:32 AM

Thanks for all the tips guys! ill let you all know how i go

Cobra · 04-07-2008, 11:34 AM

I've been looking into the mining industry for a while. Started looking in SA as a mate got a job as a labourer at prominent hill. Unfortunately he got the before I'd really decided I wanted to do mining, so he wasn't going to be able to put in a good word for me. I decided to try anyway with no luck.

I tried drilling, labouring, mechanic (I'm qualified light veheicle which is to my detriment as they all want diesel) but with no luck. After all that I realised I was never going to have a chance anyway, as I don't have a licence. I thought I could best use my time with no licence (and no job currently) to do a a course at tafe.

I rang TAFESA and enquired about their courses and employment prospects in SA from doing the 2 courses available. On advice from two lecturers I spoke to, their advice was that if I was serious about getting a job in the mines, move to WA. I enquired with TAFEWA and they offer a certificate III in mining exploration.

It's a 6 month course held twice a year in Semester 1 and Semester 2. It's a highly competitive course which requires a minimum of a Cert III (which I got from my trade) or a satisfactory completion of year 12. Catch for me is you need a licence as theres a 4x4 driving course which involves driving party on public roads.

Having got the information from the TAFEWA website I rang up and spoke to a lecturer there. He told me theres a 98% chance of employment after doing the course as they usually have a lot of companies, even some as big as BHP, calling and requesting for people to recruit, often before completion of the certificate. The jobs you'd be looking at getting would be along the lines of field assistants, samplers ect, with minimum 80K starting salary.

After a lot of deiberation, myself and my family have pretty much decided that we will move over to Perth. As I get my licence back in May 09, the aim is to move over about then with a view of starting the course in sememster 2 '09. From there, the aim and likelyhood from all reports is that by Christmas '09 I should be looking at getting a job. Nice Xmas gift if it works out!

Good luck mate, and if you move to Perth we might bump into eachother one day LOL!

Vines5161 · 04-07-2008, 12:04 PM

There are heaps of mining jobs in South Australia at the moment - Roxby Downs for one, is about to expand big time.
Do some courses, get some qualies and referees. Work experience never hurts either and is a good way of getting a referee - never know what you might get out of it too.

Good luck

Decadentia · 04-07-2008, 09:03 PM

There was something bought up that I forgot, and that is the cost of living. As has been said it's sometimes prohibitive, to the point you can pay more rent on a house per week than you earn, even if you are on 2k a week.

I know for a fact, rental prices in Karratha are rediculous, $1200-$1400 a week for a semi decent 3 bedroom place.

Best tact to take, to get into the position you want, is to start off at the bottom, and if the company and your workmates see that you are better off in a different position, usually they will create a job for you to take on.

Cobra · 05-07-2008, 03:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vines5161

There are heaps of mining jobs in South Australia at the moment - Roxby Downs for one, is about to expand big time.
Do some courses, get some qualies and referees. Work experience never hurts either and is a good way of getting a referee - never know what you might get out of it too.

Good luck

Heaps of jobs going for geologists, engineers, sparkys or diesel tradies. This guy who has started the thread is in the same boat as me, doesn't have the qualifications to just walk into any mine site with a snap of the fingers. Unless I go and spend 4 years doing another trade or a degree I'll be sitting around twiddling my thumbs for a long time to get a job in SA.

There's a lot of rumour as to what and how certain mines will be expanding. Olympic dam (Roxby downs) has been rumoured to expand it's operations 10 fold, with plans to be one of the largest open cut mines in the world. But if you are to believe that you should also believe that if the BHP takeover of Rio Tinto goes ahead, there will be a monopoly on two of Olympic dams biggest, Copper and Uranium. BHP will not be in any rush to expand as they will own the competition.

There's no doubt SA has a mining industry, but they definitely don't have a boom. I'm not going to stay here and wait for a boom to happen, I'm going to where it is happening. If and when the Olympic Dam expansion happens, I may look at moving back to SA if a suitable position arises. But even then, the opportunities in WA are alway going to be better than SA in the mining indistry, and probably anywhere else in the world.

StAndArdAU · 05-07-2008, 05:53 AM

If you get FIFO you'll be housed in a singles mens camp. If you are granted a job thats not FIFO, housing will be dependant on the job. For instance my job with Rio Tinto got me a 3 bedroom house but only because my partner is expecting. we are lucky enough to pay a subsidised rent of $300 a month. which is great. we were living with my dad beforehand, if i didnt get this job i would have been forced to move towns, most likely to Perth. unfortunately people here (Karratha) are able to charge ridiculous amount like $1800 a week for crappy 3x1's taht are 35+ yrs old. oh and you'll never afford to buy. the average is $600-700K with some horrible places getting over a mil. the worlds gone crazy i tell you.

It makes a 2on 1off FIFO job sounds all the more attractive.

pottsy44 · 05-07-2008, 02:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cobra

I enquired with TAFEWA and they offer a certificate III in mining exploration.

It's a 6 month course held twice a year in Semester 1 and Semester 2. It's a highly competitive course which requires a minimum of a Cert III (which I got from my trade) or a satisfactory completion of year 12. Catch for me is you need a licence as theres a 4x4 driving course which involves driving party on public roads.

my mate does mining exploration somehere in QLD, he does FIFO from sydney, on about $1800 a week when he does work. its pretty easy work too.