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my mad plan, or is it?

my mad plan, or is it?

Old Mar 29th 2011, 3:10 pm
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Default my mad plan, or is it?

hi guys
iam currently in the process of applying for a subclass 175 for my self the wife and 3 kids. the wife and kids aren't to keen on the move and would prefer to stay behind, i would also like to stay behind but financial reasons mean i will have to go.
so in order to satisfy the whole families requirements (for a while anyhow) i had this plan. i would go out ahead and try for work in the mines in WA hopefully driving an excavator or other machinery, and take a 3 week holiday every 3-4months to come home to the family,and after a while the family would move out and we could take it from there. this would also allow me to find out if i would like australia before going to the expense of moving the whole family out and dissrupting kids and school patterns and realising then this is not the place for us.
how hard is it to get jobs in the mine?
are irish machine tickets recognised out there? or will i have to retrain to their standards?
does this plan sound doable? or is it all pie in the sky?
has anyone else done anything like this before? and if so what are the drawbacks/positives of this plan?

thanks in advance
angry-ball
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Old Mar 29th 2011, 7:42 pm
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Default Re: my mad plan, or is it?

I don't get it. If you are not that keen on a move, the wife and kids are not that keen on a move, then why on earth are you proposing to make this move?
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Old Mar 29th 2011, 8:41 pm
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Default Re: my mad plan, or is it?

Originally Posted by Bermudashorts
I don't get it. If you are not that keen on a move, the wife and kids are not that keen on a move, then why on earth are you proposing to make this move?
What she said.......
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Old Mar 29th 2011, 9:55 pm
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Default Re: my mad plan, or is it?

Originally Posted by Bermudashorts
I don't get it. If you are not that keen on a move, the wife and kids are not that keen on a move, then why on earth are you proposing to make this move?
its never going to be a long term move, i would hope that in a few years when our financial situation improves we could return to ireland and maybe the work prospects would be better here. but our current financial situation and decreasing work and wages means we are finding it extremely hard to make ends meet and tbh the thought of eeking out a meger existence on the dole isn't my cup of tea or the wife's for that matter
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Old Mar 29th 2011, 10:42 pm
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Default Re: my mad plan, or is it?

I'd say that trying to get a handle on whether you like Australia is a bit dodgy if you're going to be working in a mine and living in a mining area. They're generally not that nice. And you will be tired. Tired as heck.
So some of your 'holiday' will be spent travelling around Aus not going back to the UK because how else are you going to find a place you like for your family? Or are you planning on them being happy with living in a mining town?

If your wife and kids don't want to come here, then you can't make them .... that plan has disaster all over it I think.

I don't think it's pie in the sky, but it's certainly a slightly crazy idea coming to the other side of the world just to make some money. Given the exchange rate, changing $ back to Euros, is it going to be worth your while? You've done the maths, right?

Also factor in cost of airline tickets going back to Ireland every 3-4 months.

Can't tell you about work in mines as I don't know but there are people here who've done it.

Also, what happens if you move out here and you're no better off than you were in Ireland? You talk about going home but what happens if you can't afford to? What if you get trapped here? What will your wife do for work? How old are your kids? Are they school age yet and therefore need less 'at home' care?

I know things are bad in Ireland atm, as they are in the UK everywhere it seems, but is this really a good option?
I would recommend you have the world's strongest marriage before you do it too. Money and stress kill relationships.

PS - have you googled 'jobs in mining WA' yet? Plenty of info there.

Last edited by TiddlyPom; Mar 29th 2011 at 10:44 pm.
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Old Mar 29th 2011, 11:36 pm
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Default Re: my mad plan, or is it?

Originally Posted by angry-ball
hi guys
iam currently in the process of applying for a subclass 175 for my self the wife and 3 kids. the wife and kids aren't to keen on the move and would prefer to stay behind, i would also like to stay behind but financial reasons mean i will have to go.
so in order to satisfy the whole families requirements (for a while anyhow) i had this plan. i would go out ahead and try for work in the mines in WA hopefully driving an excavator or other machinery, and take a 3 week holiday every 3-4months to come home to the family,and after a while the family would move out and we could take it from there. this would also allow me to find out if i would like australia before going to the expense of moving the whole family out and dissrupting kids and school patterns and realising then this is not the place for us.
how hard is it to get jobs in the mine?
are irish machine tickets recognised out there? or will i have to retrain to their standards?
does this plan sound doable? or is it all pie in the sky?
has anyone else done anything like this before? and if so what are the drawbacks/positives of this plan?

thanks in advance
angry-ball
If you want to do any form of driving for a mine company, you'll need a HR license & experience to land a job. When you hand in your UK/Irish license you'll get a c class car license back, which entitles you to drive a car. So you'll need to fund the required training.

Also you'll need to note rentals in mining areas are mega expensive & as someone else said a lot of the mining areas aren't very nice & there are lots of social issues.
I've been in rural mining town for over a year and have just got a foot in the door a month ago in the work I want to do. So could well take a long time, you need to know the right people, otherwise you won't get considered for a position.
Not sure why you're considering taking your wife and kids against their wishes? Seems an odd one that. Is your desire to go to Australia stronger than keeping your family together. I wonder how this makes your OH feel?

As for the holidays home, not sure where you'll get 3 weeks off every 3 or 4 months? Seems you've not done your homework. If you get a job it'll be 4 days on 4 days off and around a months holiday entitlement per year. Or if you get a FIFO job it'll be 2 weeks on 1 off or 2 on 2 off or a month on and a week off.
Think you need to do a lot more research and consider how your family feels before making concrete plans. Are an awful lot of Australians living in cars where I live, as they thought they'd get a mining job if they came into rural WA, as everyone is told it's easy to get into, but it's ususal down to knowing the right person or having the tickets & experience that is required for the position or being of the right ethnic group.
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Old Mar 29th 2011, 11:46 pm
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Default Re: my mad plan, or is it?

Most definitely mad.
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Old Mar 29th 2011, 11:58 pm
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Default Re: my mad plan, or is it?

Originally Posted by angry-ball
hi guys
iam currently in the process of applying for a subclass 175 for my self the wife and 3 kids. the wife and kids aren't to keen on the move and would prefer to stay behind, i would also like to stay behind but financial reasons mean i will have to go.
so in order to satisfy the whole families requirements (for a while anyhow) i had this plan. i would go out ahead and try for work in the mines in WA hopefully driving an excavator or other machinery, and take a 3 week holiday every 3-4months to come home to the family,and after a while the family would move out and we could take it from there. this would also allow me to find out if i would like australia before going to the expense of moving the whole family out and dissrupting kids and school patterns and realising then this is not the place for us.
how hard is it to get jobs in the mine?
are irish machine tickets recognised out there? or will i have to retrain to their standards?
does this plan sound doable? or is it all pie in the sky?
has anyone else done anything like this before? and if so what are the drawbacks/positives of this plan?

thanks in advance
angry-ball
If you don't want to emigrate then it won't work. If you are both not fully committed it is doomed to fail. You should all come and give it 100%.

I work in the mining industry. Getting driving, operator jobs can be very hit and miss - although there is a massive shortage of people. From what I see, if you get hired by a company then it's plain sailing as they pay for everything (training etc). If you are chasing them, then it can be very difficult to get hired - I don't know why this is, but it is.

I doubt that your Irish tickets will be valid, but your experience would be.
Working on Australian mines can be very tough due to the heat, remoteness, long hours. Many families struggle and a lot fall apart, it suits some. The pay is good though and the living conditions are, generally, very good.

Good luck
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Old Mar 30th 2011, 12:15 am
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Default Re: my mad plan, or is it?

Don't worry aboutr driving a truck...you can get $420k just for doing the laundry...apparently!

Laundry staff on $420k a year
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Old Mar 30th 2011, 12:30 am
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Default Re: my mad plan, or is it?

Ive changed my mind about my chosen field of environmental science.. i want to wash grundies for $400K a year..

feel like finding all my old teachers and saying.."So work hard or you wont get a good job eh!!?"
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Old Mar 30th 2011, 1:03 am
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Default Re: my mad plan, or is it?

Probably even more mad than a family that dont want to go to OZ, is the assumption that getting on in the mines is easy.

We have 20 odd aussie tradies who would kill to get in there and have been trying for years, but it appears who you know is often a big factor.

Flying back to UK 3/4 times a year from OZ will cost 2-3 grand a pop too.

However having recently been in the UK I know a lot of people do think, OZ is stacked up with spare jobs just waiting to be snapped up , why I dont know? bacause it really isnt the case.

Maybe come out and see if you can actually get a job, before causing the family any more distress.
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Old Mar 30th 2011, 1:05 am
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Default Re: my mad plan, or is it?

Originally Posted by DeepSix
Ive changed my mind about my chosen field of environmental science.. i want to wash grundies for $400K a year..

feel like finding all my old teachers and saying.."So work hard or you wont get a good job eh!!?"
Washing grundies is not what I would consider a good job though, even if you did get paid $400K for it... Still I might consider it for a year if I was desperate.

And it will be hard work... so your teachers were right.
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Old Mar 30th 2011, 1:17 am
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Default Re: my mad plan, or is it?

Originally Posted by TiddlyPom
Washing grundies is not what I would consider a good job though, even if you did get paid $400K for it... Still I might consider it for a year if I was desperate.

)
My sons in grade 12, kids used to dream of being a soccer star, rockstar even, now every second kid is dreaming of washing tradies skids or driving trucks in the mines.

Every time we have a large project end most of the tradies start muttering they are going to the mines, yet I have only seen 1 get a job, his father worked there already.
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Old Mar 30th 2011, 2:10 am
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Default Re: my mad plan, or is it?

Originally Posted by angry-ball
its never going to be a long term move, i would hope that in a few years when our financial situation improves we could return to ireland and maybe the work prospects would be better here. but our current financial situation and decreasing work and wages means we are finding it extremely hard to make ends meet and tbh the thought of eeking out a meger existence on the dole isn't my cup of tea or the wife's for that matter
Why not try and apply for offshore work in the UK, we have had sample catchers work for us and get paid quite nicely for it as well. That way you can earn some reasonable money and keep your family where they are, or even if you had to relocate to Aberdeen for this kind of work, it would be better than moving a reluctant family to the other side of the world.

Emigrating is hard even when your hearts and minds are set on it, culture shock is a bitch, missing family even more so - you ALL have to be 100% up for it, to put yourself and your family through this purely for financial reasons will not only test your marriage but could really divide your family.

Australia is not a cheap place to live, when things go wrong it can be quite isolating and it takes commitment to make it work and even then it's a test.

Honestly, unless you really want to do it - then I wouldnt risk what you have now. Seek offshore UK jobs, look to move somewhere else in the UK but only move to Australia because you really want to.

I love it here but I tell you one thing, money alone would not have been enough to have put myself through the stresses of migration. Luckily for myself and my husband, the scales tip heavily in the favour of Perth.
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Old Mar 30th 2011, 2:13 am
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Default Re: my mad plan, or is it?

Originally Posted by jad n rich
However having recently been in the UK I know a lot of people do think, OZ is stacked up with spare jobs just waiting to be snapped up , why I dont know? bacause it really isnt the case.
On average the situation os is much better here though. And the OP is in Ireland, that's a whole other story entirely, 15% unemployment vs 5%.
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