FIFO workers - share your experiences/perks

[hummel]

I thought as much. The media tends to make out it's easier when the publish stories of school teachers throwing it in and getting 100+K per year.

My bolding I am seriously considering a career change and would love to get into the O&G sector, however without the relevant qualifications (Manufacturing Manager, jack of all...but no formal qualifications) it seem's I could just be running into brick walls.

I was talking to my future FIL last week as he works for QGC and was saying the money and investment that is going into the sector is just crazy!
Thanks for the interesting thread though

 

[munitalP]

I'm seriously looking at a FIFO ATM which is 3&1 roster, travel to/from in the 3. As per dream jobs, commissioning engineer, a salary too good to ignore, and FIFO based from home port rather than PER which a lt of people are on.

I am familiar with the site which is 120km from KTA, heat, flies, cyclones, donga living.... I think mortgages clear in 3 years will offset the difficulty.

 

[timmitch]

I have been doing FIFO for over a year now on a 2:1 roster and I quite enjoy it. Went from a skilled trade to an operator of earthmoving equipment. I rack up 60sc and 6000 points every 3 weeks as work book red e deals. Not complaining as its easy points and status.
Would love to get into plumbing on the mines but the 4:1 roster does not turn me on.

 

[The Rok]

I'm seriously looking at a FIFO ATM which is 3&1 roster, travel to/from in the 3. As per dream jobs, commissioning engineer, a salary too good to ignore, and FIFO based from home port rather than PER which a lt of people are on.

I am familiar with the site which is 120km from KTA, heat, flies, cyclones, donga living.... I think mortgages clear in 3 years will offset the difficulty.

The majority of companies will now FIFO interstate for a skilled or experienced candidate in any role.

 

[The Rok]

I have been doing FIFO for over a year now on a 2:1 roster and I quite enjoy it. Went from a skilled trade to an operator of earthmoving equipment. I rack up 60sc and 6000 points every 3 weeks as work book red e deals. Not complaining as its easy points and status.
Would love to get into plumbing on the mines but the 4:1 roster does not turn me on.

Don't be put off by the 4:1 roster, it's not that bad. You do actually get used to it.

If you want to get back into plumbing then look at roles that are advertised as 4:1 on a construction site and go for the interview. I know guys that have negotiated out of a 4:1 and onto a 3:2 which also fits the same roster cycle!

 

[Reggie]

Some of the biggest sites in Australia such as Wheatstone, Barrow Island, Hope Downs & Tom Price are all charter flights which do not accrue SC's!

Tom Price / Marandoo and Parra all get SC's as they fly QF into Parra. The Brockman's fly using charter and thus do not.

 

[Reggie]

I'm seriously looking at a FIFO ATM which is 3&1 roster, travel to/from in the 3. As per dream jobs, commissioning engineer, a salary too good to ignore, and FIFO based from home port rather than PER which a lt of people are on.

I am familiar with the site which is 120km from KTA, heat, flies, cyclones, donga living.... I think mortgages clear in 3 years will offset the difficulty.

Check whether you fly in your time of theirs. alot of jobs are up iin their and back in yours, which means you loose a day of your time off. Also the nightshift (if you do it) eats into your days off as you spend a day or two getting back on zone.

 

[Reggie]

I knew a couple of guys who where doing a 1 on 2 off roster to fill in for staff doing a 2 on 1 off. They had it good, but the money wasn't as good though.

 

[Oneworldplus2]

Nothing dreamy about working 12 hours a day, 7 days a week for 4 weeks and then getting just 7 days off. Your so shattered at the end of a 4 week swing that all you want to do is sleep.

Yes, l did about 4 years of FIFO ex-PER (and SYD), 2 of which were 'construction' (4/1 roster). 7 days off just isn't enough. Having said that, on most 4/1 rosters, you would earn a bonus on top of your salary which works out at ~$150 per week. Nice little bonus when you finish. But not all companies pay, so read your contract.

As said here already, not all sites fly QF/Virgin or National Jet (Cobham), which earn points. Nothing worse than flying from 'xzy' and not earning anything... Happened to me for a very long time...

Can't speak for the little resource companies, but the big ones like BHP/Rio/FMG, usually have travel department/staff on site and if something happens at home (emergency), they pull out all stops and get you home ASAP (Cost of flight doesn't come into the equation as they have a separate booking system). Also, the higher up you are, they will fly you from anywhere to work for them. 'Some' staff fly from East Coast or even asia (Singapore), fly J to PER.

Have flown on all carriers (National Jet, Skippers, Network, Maroomba, can't remember the rest...)
2 flights that stand out.
1 - Flying from Perth to Tanami Gold. Took forever on a small ~6 seater. Had to refuel in Newman and go another few hours. No onboard amenities on that flight (nothing but a 'lunch pack')...On the return went from Tanami to Broome and then back to PER with QF. Did go over the 'bungle bungle' region so it was a free sight-seeing tour. Very nice scenery.
2 - From Broom to coughatoo Island, the scenery was spectacular and the landing, well, was different.

After all the FIFO l did, l came to a few conclusions;

• Family time is something that money can't buy. The % of divorced/broken (or about to be) relationships l have seen on site was higher than the national average.
• Keeping a relationship going is hard. Do FIFO while young, or about to retire. Not in the middle of your life as there are more important things to see/do in the world than looking at red dirt.
• If you can, get as short roaster as possible (salary/circumstance permitting). If you are single, go for the 4 (or 5 or 6) week rosters, you bank account will like it. Nothing better than getting home and your bank account is some 10k+ higher
• Try to work for a company which uses QF or VA or earns points/SC's - (easier said than done)
• Next time you see someone in the lounge wearing high-viz, they might not have seen their family for over a month and worked their guts out for 4 or so weeks, give 'em a break...(I've also seen 'suits' behave worse than FIFO workers, so it goes both ways)
• FIFO isn't the, 'be all/end all'. Some people just won't like it or can't do it. I've actually seen people land on site, freak out, and head back to PER the same/next day
• You meet some pretty good people, and Class A A$$holes too.
• Have an exit plan

Hope that helps.

(Disclaimer - I worked on a site with Reggie a very long time ago )

 

[munitalP]

Check whether you fly in your time of theirs. alot of jobs are up iin their and back in yours, which means you loose a day of your time off. Also the nightshift (if you do it) eats into your days off as you spend a day or two getting back on zone.

The travel is in the 3 on so it is a full 7 days off. I'm strictly a day person so no issue with nights

 

[SeatBackForward]

Yes, l did about 4 years of FIFO ex-PER (and SYD), 2 of which were 'construction' (4/1 roster). 7 days off just isn't enough. Having said that, on most 4/1 rosters, you would earn a bonus on top of your salary which works out at ~$150 per week. Nice little bonus when you finish. But not all companies pay, so read your contract.

As said here already, not all sites fly QF/Virgin or National Jet (Cobham), which earn points. Nothing worse than flying from 'xzy' and not earning anything... Happened to me for a very long time...

Can't speak for the little resource companies, but the big ones like BHP/Rio/FMG, usually have travel department/staff on site and if something happens at home (emergency), they pull out all stops and get you home ASAP (Cost of flight doesn't come into the equation as they have a separate booking system). Also, the higher up you are, they will fly you from anywhere to work for them. 'Some' staff fly from East Coast or even asia (Singapore), fly J to PER.

Have flown on all carriers (National Jet, Skippers, Network, Maroomba, can't remember the rest...)
2 flights that stand out.
1 - Flying from Perth to Tanami Gold. Took forever on a small ~6 seater. Had to refuel in Newman and go another few hours. No onboard amenities on that flight (nothing but a 'lunch pack')...On the return went from Tanami to Broome and then back to PER with QF. Did go over the 'bungle bungle' region so it was a free sight-seeing tour. Very nice scenery.
2 - From Broom to coughatoo Island, the scenery was spectacular and the landing, well, was different.

After all the FIFO l did, l came to a few conclusions;

• Family time is something that money can't buy. The % of divorced/broken (or about to be) relationships l have seen on site was higher than the national average.
• Keeping a relationship going is hard. Do FIFO while young, or about to retire. Not in the middle of your life as there are more important things to see/do in the world than looking at red dirt.
• If you can, get as short roaster as possible (salary/circumstance permitting). If you are single, go for the 4 (or 5 or 6) week rosters, you bank account will like it. Nothing better than getting home and your bank account is some 10k+ higher
• Try to work for a company which uses QF or VA or earns points/SC's - (easier said than done)
• Next time you see someone in the lounge wearing high-viz, they might not have seen their family for over a month and worked their guts out for 4 or so weeks, give 'em a break...(I've also seen 'suits' behave worse than FIFO workers, so it goes both ways)
• FIFO isn't the, 'be all/end all'. Some people just won't like it or can't do it. I've actually seen people land on site, freak out, and head back to PER the same/next day
• You meet some pretty good people, and Class A A$$holes too.
• Have an exit plan

Hope that helps.

(Disclaimer - I worked on a site with Reggie a very long time ago )

Sound advice One world. Well done.

I've not gone down the FIFO path every other week I get contacted by recruiters (whole other thread why I hate them...). I could easily double my salary or even more.

But with a 3yr old and another due this month, it simply isn't the lifestyle choice for me right now. Perhaps in another decade, but who knows what will happen then.

One of the horrible ironies in this is-when you're young and able to travel, you don't have the required experience. But once you have the experience you're less likely to be willing to travel (for many reasons including family). I think this is a reflection on the lack of importance given to on the job training...

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using AustFreqFly

 

[timmitch]

As oneworld has said about marriage breakups and stuff I am seeing it first hand at the moment, my brother is torn between the money and wife and kid. To the point we are working on an exit plan so he can return home by the end of the year.

Lots of ppl have come here and left after one swing. There is stuff all to do in camp and you can only drink so much piss.

 

[SeatBackForward]

As oneworld has said about marriage breakups and stuff I am seeing it first hand at the moment, my brother is torn between the money and wife and kid. To the point we are working on an exit plan so he can return home by the end of the year.

Lots of ppl have come here and left after one swing. There is stuff all to do in camp and you can only drink so much piss.

My organisations all have dry sites, so one less thing to do!

 

[amaroo]

I did it for 4 years......MCY-SYD-MCY left Monday mid morning came home Friday early afternoon - no Hi Vis, 2080 points & 40SC per week on J* flying jetflex.

I would often be away longer as I travelled internationally every 6 weeks or so......

Even though I was flying to a capital city & sleeping in decent CBD hotels and then a flash apartment I still got sick of it!

 

[Oneworldplus2]

I did it for 4 years......MCY-SYD-MCY left Monday mid morning came home Friday early afternoon - no Hi Vis, 2080 points & 40SC per week on J* flying jetflex.

I would often be away longer as I travelled internationally every 6 weeks or so......

Even though I was flying to a capital city & sleeping in decent CBD hotels and then a flash apartment I still got sick of it!

Yes, l think that the novelty wears off pretty fast...

 

[SeatBackForward]

One of the other social aspects that I've not heard too much about are...fairly young people are earning good money (relative to what they would otherwise have earnt) on FIFO arrangements. For the majority of them, I would suggest that FIFO is not sustainable in the long term. What will their adjustment back to "normal" work mean? will their expectations be forever high?

 

[Oneworldplus2]

One of the other social aspects that I've not heard too much about are...fairly young people are earning good money (relative to what they would otherwise have earnt) on FIFO arrangements. For the majority of them, I would suggest that FIFO is not sustainable in the long term. What will their adjustment back to "normal" work mean? will their expectations be forever high?

I agree.
I have worked with FIFO colleagues who purchase property, that are then 'locked in' to FIFO for the long (foreseeable) term, as a normal wage in the 'big smoke' isn't enough for repayments...vicious cycle.
Now that China is coming off the boil and iron ore prices are going south (breaking through the psychological $100 per ton barrier last week), I would be cautious about getting into WA FIFO just to make a quick dollar.

 

[SeatBackForward]

I was driving in Fremantle a few weeks ago, and when stopped at traffic lights, I had to take a snap of this. I'm always amazed at the number of cars in WA towing boats or jet skis, I assume it has something to do with disposable incomes..

 

[harvyk]

I would be cautious about getting into WA FIFO just to make a quick dollar.

Well, you'd probably make a quick dollar, the big question is would you be able to make $$$ spread over the average term of a home and car and boat loan and also keep the missus + family + friends?

 

[eastwest101]

After all the FIFO l did, l came to a few conclusions;

• Family time is something that money can't buy. The % of divorced/broken (or about to be) relationships l have seen on site was higher than the national average.
• Keeping a relationship going is hard. Do FIFO while young, or about to retire. Not in the middle of your life as there are more important things to see/do in the world than looking at red dirt.
• If you can, get as short roaster as possible (salary/circumstance permitting). If you are single, go for the 4 (or 5 or 6) week rosters, you bank account will like it. Nothing better than getting home and your bank account is some 10k+ higher
• Try to work for a company which uses QF or VA or earns points/SC's - (easier said than done)
• Next time you see someone in the lounge wearing high-viz, they might not have seen their family for over a month and worked their guts out for 4 or so weeks, give 'em a break...(I've also seen 'suits' behave worse than FIFO workers, so it goes both ways)
• FIFO isn't the, 'be all/end all'. Some people just won't like it or can't do it. I've actually seen people land on site, freak out, and head back to PER the same/next day
• You meet some pretty good people, and Class A A$$holes too.
• Have an exit plan

Would agree with much of Oneworldplus2's comments.

Have done FIFO in various forms for 13+ years, everything from Beech Barons to Metro's to F100's to the bigger commercial stuff. Everything from 8-6 days on and off to 6 weeks on and 2 off depending on how far you have to fly. After that amount of flying I agree that getting home to your family and a good roster for your stage in life is more important than which FF program you can possibly collect points for. The industry has been good to me and affords me a modest lifestyle and has probably doubled the speed of paying off my mortgage, but to do it for this long you really need to enjoy the work as well. Some smart companies are using FF points and SC's as a nice fringe benefit for their staff so not too different to any other industry really. Cost containment is important to the resources industry and its all about moving a lot of people to where they are needed at a price. You will not see truck drivers being flown J class everywhere, usually only very senior management get flown J class like any other industry - even technical proffessional staff are usually down the back of the bus.

Every part of the resource sector is not the same with some commodities very bullish and some very bearish. A lot of hype and mis-representation around the industry now that its been more visible and skilled people are in demand, no one is talking about geologists driving taxi's now but it is not that long ago and could happen again one day.