workin' in the mines

It all depends on your skills and what your willing to do . If you have a trade or minebased professional degree (geo , engineer) then it should be very easy. Otherwise you could take a no brain job like a dump truck driver , field assistant,drillers offsider or mill worker. Below is some links ....Also check the West Australian saturday newspaper

Mining people
Seek
Skilled

-Depending on the mine site you may need MARCSTA , a one day course covering safety topics ....load of bullshit and most sites don't need it anymore .....about $130
-Senior first aid , 3 day course about $150- Through saint john ambulance
-Drug and alcohol testing before they let you on site, also random testing on site..... hair tests can detect drug use 90 day prior but mosty piss testing
-If a gold mine then "gold detection squad" clearance , commonly known as a police clearance to make sure your not a thief
-Mines medical , rather full on medical which takes about 2 hours
-Normal work wear is Hard Hat ,Steel capped boots, Hi Viz work wear with long pants and shirts.
-Bring your trade papers , any tickets you hold (forklift,car etc) .....
-Your own tools !!!! Some may be provided depending on the company (if your tradesperson)

Good news is that you could earn between $22 - $46 an hour depending on experience and the company. Most of the stuff above an employer will pay for....except the MARCSTA and first aid which I suggest you get straight away so your more employable.

Red Dirt Personnel are another recruiter. Currently advertising for trainee process technicians.

Most jobs are fly in/fly out from Perth.

Rosters can vary from mine to mine (8 days on 5 off, 1 week on 1 off, to really tortuous 6 weeks on 1 off). Virtually all minesites run on 12 hour shifts. Be prepared to work in arduous, dirty conditions & extremes of weather.

Another alternative is to work for one of the catering companies (eg Spotless), cleaning, kitchen hand etc.

Mining! This reminds me of when I talked to some people from one of the world's largest mining companies at a Jobs Fare. One guy was a truck driver and earned a lot of money (compared to other truck drivers at least). I thought why was I studying if I just had to learn to drive well?

They told me there's just one thing to keep in mind if you have a job interview with them: SAFETY.

$22-$46 an hour?????

that surprises me, with all the carry on about the big bucks to be earned i thought it would be a lot more than that. $22 isn't much more than you get working in hospitality.

thanks for all the info.
i think i'd be doing more the kitchen type stuff....

i've been looking and looking, but there dont seem to be any listings
in advance....

do you think that my best bet would be to just turn up in perth
and start looking then??

what are the chances of me finding a job within a couple of weeks of looking?
the reason it's so desperate, is that i have to make a lot of money before returning
to the usa to complete grad school...
grrr

For catering work try here: Topic Caterers. Or contact some of the large companies like Spotless and P&O Catering.

Mining & catering companies don't recruit in advance. They hire as & when they need staff. Staff turnover is generally quick so the chance of getting a position shortly after arrival is good.

Try emailing the links pearlsz has suggested & you could be 'on the books' before you arrive.

<blockquote>Quote
<hr>$22-$46 an hour?????<hr></blockquote>
I don't know anything about mines, but it could be true. Based on an 84 hour week (12 hrs/day, 7 days/wk), this is $1,848 - $3,846 per week. Assuming the bottom end is for grunt jobs and cleaners, that's not bad for someone unskilled.

yeah, that's what i was thinking Telephoto!!
that's why i want it SO BADLY!!!!!!!!!!