Try another state, Work in mines, or return to UK ?!
 

Oh I love these dilemma's ... :rolleyes:

Just wondering if anyone had much info on these 'mines jobs' and are the stories of megabucks pw true? ... :unsure:

Basically got 2 adults and 2 teen kids wondering is all the work ethic bollox here (Gold Coast) REALLY worth it for a bit of sunshine ?!

Currently 4 - 0 saying no ... :(

Any pointers on where I can find these $100 ph jobs just to drive trucks up and down mines in WA?

Cheers

Re: Try another state, Work in mines, or return to UK ?!
 

Oh Paul I thought you were settled - new home, PR, your new(ish) job:(

I think you can earn good money on the mines or on the oil rigs but its hard work, its time away from your family - I listen to the tales the boys at work tell me about working away from home and how hard it is to settle back into a routine once home from a stint away and it isnt easy - on both sides.

I thought you liked your new job, :(

Would you really go back to the UK?:eek:

Re: Try another state, Work in mines, or return to UK ?!
 

I did / do! ... but good ole office politics and one rule for one, one another is hard to deal with.

Nic's not been happy with admin work here as you know, and has more grit than me as she's stuck it with current employer for over a year cos she knows there's sweet FA else out there!

Ashley is now getting ****ed about with her work. Promised a week night off, then told she's GOTTA work em. No sight of a contract since going permanent 6 months ago! ... blah blah

The boy's happy as he went back to school, but see's the agg / stress we all go thru here and is batting for the same side anyway.

Still, at least the sun's out eh!

Re: Try another state, Work in mines, or return to UK ?!
 

Oh and biggest regret we have is giving up my cab licence. Smart move that one eh!

Re: Try another state, Work in mines, or return to UK ?!
 

in engineering the work ethic here is no different from the UK - don't know about other industries.

FIFO pays big bucks but can be hard on family life - especially if you are a close family. Breaking into mining can be either very easy or extremely hard - if not impossible. If you get hired by a mining/mining supply company then they will sort you out. Try and do it off your own back and you will find many obstacles. Contacting some mining companies would be a good start to see where you stand.

The UK will sort itself out in the medium term - new government has made a good start anyway. In the short term, UK is going to go through a lot of pain and I think the worst is yet to come. It's not a place that I would want to live in the next 3-5 years.

Re: Try another state, Work in mines, or return to UK ?!
 

In the UK I had so many crap jobs where I was treated badly I never thought I would find a job that I enjoyed.

Work is hard at the moment, pretty stressful but I work with good people, some days I dont want to go in due to work politics but Ive learned the hard way that its the same wherever you live.

There are nice jobs out there, my god ive had more jobs than bras but I have found that I work to earn the money to pay my mortage and I make my home life extra nice with my friends/husband so that whatever kind of shite day Ive had, I have nice stuff in my private life.

Hope you work it out Paul.:wub:

Re: Try another state, Work in mines, or return to UK ?!
 

The UK is last resort, I admit to that, and prob just a dummy spit if I'm perfectly honest ... :o ... but ...

Oh I dunno! ... :confused:

Thanks for the input ... :)

Re: Try another state, Work in mines, or return to UK ?!
 

Well for me I've always been self employed so new grounds, but Nic says she's NEVER been treated / spoken to like she has here! ... and expected to keep her gob shut too. Answer back and you're a trouble maker or a whinging pom!

I dunno, only ever wanted a simple life. Earn / sleep / play etc but with your work time being such a big chuck of your day, it's hard when you're all basically unhappy with it!

Sun's still out tho!

Re: Try another state, Work in mines, or return to UK ?!
 

My thoughts, mines, jobs often who you know, partner used to work in them, not really for those with young family, but your kids are like ours?? teens, older.

100 K a year is no escape from wanker bosses, wanker workmates, often the more they pay the more they expect.

Glad your boys gone back to school, you need quals to peel a banana here.

Other states offer different stuff, ( to some extent, its still australia ) job situation no different IME. Unless that state has some shortage of your skills probably the work thing will be the same.

Where do your kids look likely to end up, will they like many that age get bored rigid/lack a future in OZ and drift back, that side of it is worth a lot of thought too.

Re: Try another state, Work in mines, or return to UK ?!
 

Paul, very sorry that you are all feeling the way you are right now. It is hard enough when one is down without you all feeding each other with your discontent. Try to keep some perspective & also remember just how much you have already been through to get this far. Perhaps you should re-read your thread from when you went back to the UK to do taxi work short term!

We have a couple of neighbours who do FIFO to the mines & my understanding is that it can be very hard to get in to unless you have contacts but it is not impossible. Do you have truck licences?

You also should not underestimate how hard it can be to be away from your family like that. My husband worked away for 5 months, coming home most weekends but it was a huge strain.

Thinking of you & hope that the feeling passes or you work something out:fingerscrossed:

Re: Try another state, Work in mines, or return to UK ?!
 

Im in WA and have a lot of mine families in town.
Hubby is a teacher and noticed with most of the parents its Divorce city here!

You might get the big bucks, but it looks like you could have a higher chance of ending up in splitzville if fifo.

Gems

Re: Try another state, Work in mines, or return to UK ?!
 

its sad to here but i feel the same at the minute. I am thinkin about going down the mines for a couple of years or going back to the uk. Gave up alot in the uk but i dont know if life is better here. All this talk of doom and gloom does not help either.

Re: Try another state, Work in mines, or return to UK ?!
 

To be honest 3 of us are thinking about it. My daughter reckons a friend is now in WA earning $140ph to drive trucks! Dunno if it's just 'one of them tales' or what, but heard many like it before! Apparently he does 2 weeks on, one week off! We'd fly over for the 2 and back here for the 1. The boy is 18 soon and capable of running this ship while we're away.

I dunno tho, and how easy is it to actually get these jobs?

:confused:

Oh and the kids? Well our daughter has mentioned going back before. She's had serious issues with a boyfriend here and currently got a DVA out on him, poor girl! She's getting REALLY messed about at work now and been in tears a lot recently. Both me and Nic suffer with depression so are worried about possible tell tale signs ?! She's currently sitting next to me now looking on the wonderful SEEK for an admin role. She's been running a bar and they just can't let her off at weekends so is over it all now and just wants a 9 - 5 for a bit. Long term going back to study is probable.

The boy after a break from school seems quite motivated about his future. He's looking into a possible draughtsman type of career and got his head down at school so yeah, fingers crossed he'll be peeling nice banana's one day ... :)

Re: Try another state, Work in mines, or return to UK ?!
 

Yeah I guess we all give up a lot, but we got we came for - PR, and can get citizenship now but simply can't afford it ...lol

If I still had me cab licence I'd be seriously thinking about a 6 month here 6 month there deal but, ...

Ahhh, that 'but' word again! ... :(

Damn I'm pissed off!

Re: Try another state, Work in mines, or return to UK ?!
 

I know we feel the same. we feel everything is expensive and my wife is strugglin for work and it looks like we have to put the kids in childcare. If a recession hits here i will be straight on the plane. I to have been self employed for the last 12 years and am finding that working for someone again is a real bummer.

Re: Try another state, Work in mines, or return to UK ?!
 

Couple who moved in over the road a couple of months ago do the FIFO thing. Two weeks there, week here and so on. They both used to be teachers, sold a large-ish house and moved into a much smaller one. Are saving their pennies, building up a nest egg and plan to retire by the time they're both 50. I suppose it's one of those 'eyes on the prize' things - if you have a specific goal (being mortgage free for instance) then I think it would be easier to put up with the inconvenience of it for a few years.

Re: Try another state, Work in mines, or return to UK ?!
 

You know that as you've been away from the UK for more than 3 years, she'll have to pay International Fees for studying in the UK? Get her the citizenship and then she can study here using HECS.

Re: Try another state, Work in mines, or return to UK ?!
 

I'm afraid it's just 'one of them tales'. $140ph, doing a 4+2 rotation, is nearly $300k a year - no way Jose. More like $75-80k during training, $100k on completion, rising to $150-175k tops - still good candy but not that good!

Re: Try another state, Work in mines, or return to UK ?!
 

When we lived in Carnarvon the school cleaner left to be a bus driver at the Mines further North.
She told hubby she would be getting 100 thousand a year driving, a big improvement on her cleaning wage.
She got the job via a relative and said its often not what you know but who you know with mine work.

Gems

Re: Try another state, Work in mines, or return to UK ?!
 

I'd be up for that!

Oh study here I meant, but that's if she can get to 21 without throwing the towel.

As I thought, but yeah still good candy

Isn't that the case with pretty much everything here?

Re: Try another state, Work in mines, or return to UK ?!
 

If you go back to the UK would you buy in the same area you moved from?

Mr PP and I were talking about this the other day, we reckon we dont 'fit in' with UK life anymore.

Good job we like it where we are or we would be a 'badly fitting jigsaw' :eek:

Re: Try another state, Work in mines, or return to UK ?!
 

I honestly dont think moving state would change things. As you know Paul I'm quite happy in Aus. However my best job was in the UK, I was treated much better there, and even 30 years on, I still have tinges of regret about leaving my work situation.

I am honestly settled here, enjoy life... but all the negatives you say about jobs happen to me as well. I cannot easily choose my holidays... told almost when to take them, We can only have 2 fulltimers off at once out of 20 fulltimers, so it's up to us, the employees, to sort out who takes when, as you can imagine the Women at our work have the school holidays locked in Stone most of the time X that by 12 months and you see the dilemma... Oh and 4 weeks out of our 5 must be taken in one block and the extra week we can take only if it fits in with Aus posts schedule..

I laugh at those cheap airline fares in the paper, as I could never legitimately take advantage of the time off, as I would be told "it's not operationally viable" Strangely I would easily get away with taking a week of sick though to take the holiday... as long as the employer never found out about it, and this is Aus post.

.. There again I'm paid close to 40 pct more (if you include the 9pct super) than the same employee doing the same job at Royal Mail in the UK would get. I actually went on their jobs mailing list and checked, (circa 75k including super)

My Wife has a job where she is required to work one day every weekend. Although she is quite well paid and enjoys her work. All of my Daughters when working in Retail, could never choose their hours... in fact if they were rung up for extra hours and didnt go in, even at 2 hours notice, they were put bottom of the queue for extra hours... and it was made known that that was the case. .

This will happen Aus wide.

I couldnt believe it when you went back and did some cabbying and earnt megabucks for a few weeks work.... I thought to myself.... what I would give for that lifestyle...... to be able to go back and earn enough to take the next couple of months or more off.

You live and you learn.... and I know from life experience that now personally with my unskilled background, that I cannot possibly do any better than I'm doing currently wherever I move..... Even though I'm fairly sure I could retire to Wales easily at present. There again I'm not complaining about it... we are doing far better than the majority of working people.

You'd earn more cabbying than in the mines... You almost certainly cannot take kids to those places.. it would be like living in an open prison for them. I reckon you'd be better off earning your 12-15K Aud per month in London and travelling back and forth. I would jump through hoops to have had that lifestyle....... Or so it seems from where I sit right now :unsure::sneaky:

Re: Try another state, Work in mines, or return to UK ?!
 

Don't know Sam, just don't know anymore! ... altho am pretty sure 'buying' would be a thing of the past for us now.

I hear you, and if I thought I'd get me badge back easy enough I'd be looking into it, but think it'd have to do the knowledge again and once was hard enough!

Oh and that return trip was in December (busiest time of the year) ... and the economy seemed decent enough, people were spending! ... but I can guess it's flat as a pancake there now.

With a lot of things here we're all VERY happy, but it's just one of the biggest factors (work) in it all we're just having no success on the Goldie! ... :(

Re: Try another state, Work in mines, or return to UK ?!
 

Then maybe it is a change of location & not country that you need Paul!

Re: Try another state, Work in mines, or return to UK ?!
 

If you do move, it would probably be a job orientated move..... which would have to be Melbourne or Sydney, and wherever most jobs are in those places..... Not exactly a perfect lifestyle choice.

Re: Try another state, Work in mines, or return to UK ?!
 

There has always been a time where either Mr or Myself havent been happy with our jobs, at the moment I am doing OK and he is alright but far from perfect.

Take the kids out of the equation as they could well spread their wings anyway and will no doubt have several jobs in their young adult life that they wont be happy with, I guess its how you and Nic feel - if you can weigh it up to moving back to the UK and get the ideal job there and rent a house which you may or may not be happy with, or you keep plugging away and at least have your investment in the form of property here.

Is there anything Nic could do in the way of setting up her own business?:)

Re: Try another state, Work in mines, or return to UK ?!
 

I am writing from my office in the northern goldfields WA at one of the largest gold mines in Australia, so hopefully i can dispell a few myths.

Firstly, very few people in mines earn the legendary big dollars. I am a proffessional (Geologist) and i will be seriously struggling to buy a house in WA. There are a few skills that do, the one that comes to mind is a jumbo driver who can easily earn $200k. However, few miners will ever become one and those that do have worked there way up for a lot of years. Most do not earn six figures. I am not saying the money is bad, but it is vastly exadgerated

However, one of the things that attracts some people to it - including myself as i did until recently do the same job for the same company but based in Perth and going home most evenings. I prefer the fifo work because it gives more quality time off rather than a weekend spent recovering from the week. Now i go to worth for a week and have a week off. If i want to take holidays, i take a week of leave but have 3 weeks off.

If you want to work in mining then go for it, but dont come in with dollar signs flashing as you will be disapointed and it isnt a job for everyone. A lot of people dont like spending there days deep underground

Re: Try another state, Work in mines, or return to UK ?!
 

I agree with what you say but most mines in WA - and the rest of Australia for that matter - are surface/open cut.

Re: Try another state, Work in mines, or return to UK ?!
 

A change of head more like!

Dunno if we could do the winters in Melbourne, or Sydney! ... :o ... but at the same time will we find happiness there?

Don't want Perfect altho it would be nice. Just 'ok' would do for either of us right now. I know MOST people don't like their jobs, and I was lucky to actually have a good year or so where I DID enjoy my job (current) and still do! ... but ...

Oh there's that word again! ... :thumbdown:

Re: Try another state, Work in mines, or return to UK ?!
 

Have been talking to people in the uk and they reckon things are pickin up slowly. It wil take time but if you have a recession here i reckon i would be better of over in the uk. Also reckon that if you are not happy here now is a good time to return as house prices are stil low. If the uk economy picks up this wont last long.

Re: Try another state, Work in mines, or return to UK ?!
 

Brother says he's struggling back there, and brother in law says he's covering bills. Both have their own businesses!

At least over there if you meet criteria for a job you WILL get an interview. Ok, NO guarantee you'll get the job! ... but you'll get a shot with an interview. Here it's whatever they like. Daughter recently applied for a reception role and was told they had over 250 applications. HOW the hell can you compete with that?

LOTS of people arriving in SEQLD to live I keep hearing, but dunno where all the extra jobs are !? ... :unsure:

Re: Try another state, Work in mines, or return to UK ?!
 

Retrain as a nurse:thumbup:

Re: Try another state, Work in mines, or return to UK ?!
 

Thats damn good advice.... even a PCA, especially if you do Pysch. You can choose where you want to live then. How long is the course Bernie.... circa 18 month to 24 months I think ?

Re: Try another state, Work in mines, or return to UK ?!
 

In all honesty though, might be worth asking yourself the following:

1. If Nic had a job she liked would you stay?

2. Do you still enjoy where you live (not where you work)?

3. If you moved back to the UK and you both had a nice job but couldnt afford somewhere nice to live, would the job alone be enough to keep you happy?

4. If you moved back to the UK and Nic had an admin job she liked but you hated your job, would that keep you happy?

5. Do you want to go back to the UK to 'regroup' and see how life is?

6. Is there any way Nic can retrain?

You said you like your job which is something, but I am wondering if you are just unsettled at the moment in which case every minor thing is going to seem enormous (I know that one from experience :().

Im wondering if its worth renting your house out for a year and move back to test the waters.:)

Re: Try another state, Work in mines, or return to UK ?!
 

You can train as a nurse distance eduction here. So could still earn cash while you did it.

Gems

Re: Try another state, Work in mines, or return to UK ?!
 

Can you really? thats interesting, I wonder how long it takes doing it distance? I guess many people would love to train as a nurse but its the funding that puts them off so distance learning is a great option.:thumbup:

Re: Try another state, Work in mines, or return to UK ?!
 

I don't think moving will make a difference. There seems to be more to it than just the job. If you do move how will you know it's going to be better?
We had a great life in the UK but thought 'Something' was missing. We moved to oz follow the "Golden Brick Road" only to find that it's not much different to the UK, Yeah you got the sun and that is a BIG plus for us. Dark cold raining days/nights just don't do it for me. We work harder here than UK, miss family loads, but would we go back, No. I don't even want to go for hol's.
Not being funny but do you have many friends? I mean real friends, that is the one thing that has helped us a lot. Keeping your mind occupied and off the topic of being unhappy will help, think of all the positives you have here.
Hope you both can work it out and wish you all the best.:thumbsup:

Re: Try another state, Work in mines, or return to UK ?!
 

Good point about the real friends, I have several good friends here that I believe I can count on, well in fact in the past - have counted on.

I find it easier to make friends here than in the UK.:o

Re: Try another state, Work in mines, or return to UK ?!
 

I talk to anyone any everyone, not fussed me:rofl:
We have some very good friends, and a LOT of people who think they're our friends;)

Re: Try another state, Work in mines, or return to UK ?!
 

I know exactly what you mean about jobs here. I've been struggling to get admin work for the last six months and the replies I did get stated that they'd had over 150 applicants per job! Like you say how do you compete? The chances of landing an interview are near on impossible!