We moved to Australia to work down the mines! British women reveal how they’re raking in £4,400 for two weeks of work – and still find time for sunbathing

British women are flocking to Australia to work in mines and earn up to £4,400 for just two weeks of work.

As an increasing number of young people complain about the lack of career opportunities in the UK, others have found a solution Down Under as FIFO workers, which stand for Fly In Fly Out.

FIFO, an employment type where professionals fly to and from remote locations for shift work, has grown in popularity in mining and resources sectors, particularly in states such as Queensland and Western Australia, according to Bravus. 

While it may not seem like a typical career path, multiple individuals have left their lives behind in England and Ireland to work a blue-collar mining job in sunny Australia.

Hardcore manual labour might not be for everyone, but the hefty sums of cash on offer after just hours working on the sites have lured countless Britons to give the job a go.

After struggling to find opportunities with her Film Degree from Queen’s University in Belfast, Caithilín Hughes, 26, left Ireland’s Derry for a machine operator job in Perth’s mines.

The lifestyle change was admittedly not a passion but part of the ‘money game’, she told the Irish Independent.

Caithilín told the newspaper, ‘The average hourly wage for a machine operator is around $55. We work 12-hour days for 14 days straight. That’s around $9,240  before tax.’

‘Aussie girl’ Faith (pictured) shares footage from the mines to her 40 thousand followers on TikTok 

An increasing number of young people, including Faith Isabel (pictured), from Australia, have traded office work for mining jobs Down Under

Aimee Gale (pictured), from England, shared her top tips for others look to get into Australia’s mining industry

Given that she’s on a working holiday visa, she’s taxed 15 per cent on her first $45,000. 

She added, ‘Now I spend my days driving huge machines in the mines of Western Australia, earning in two weeks what would take some at home in Ireland, nearly two months to earn.’

Caithilín further explained her earnings on TikTok, saying, ‘Most jobs are probably going to range from $30 an hour to maybe $60 or $70 an hour.

‘I work as a machine operator, so I can only really talk about what a machine operator makes. Most people who come on a holiday working visa tend to work as machine operators. So, you’re probably going to get paid from $45 to $65 an hour.

‘Probably most people will make the $50 to $55 range. So based on $55 an hour, 12 hours a day, you’re going to get paid $660 a day.’

Caithilín’s daily schedule sees her rise at 3.30 am before grabbing some breakfast and heading to the site at 5 am to start driving a 777-dump truck for around 12 hours at a time.

On TikTok, she revealed how her daily itinerary changes when she shared a clip of herself turning up to work one day only to discover that she’d be operating a digger despite having no previous experience with the machinery.

‘This was not on my card for today,’ she said on TikTok, adding, ‘I’ve been thrown on the digger, I’ve never driven a digger in my life before.’

The TikTok user told others that she contacted around 30 different agencies before securing a job

An increasing number of young people, including Caithilín Hughes (pictured), 26, from Derry, have left their lives behind in the UK for mining jobs in Australia

When she’s not working 12-hour shift on the mines, Caithilín enjoys the nightlife that Perth has to offer

Before getting to work, she added, ‘This is mental, what am I doing?’ But she soon managed to get into the swing of things and added in the caption, ‘How fun.’ 

She spends time between her Perth apartment and the mines, where she spends two weeks at a time before enjoying a six-day break.

In the long term, the machine operator sees herself moving back to Ireland to pursue a career in investigative journalism, but in the meantime, she’s enjoying the ride Down Under.

When she’s not hard at work, Caithilín appears to be making good use of her earnings and has shared clips of enjoying overnight island stays as well as splashing out on new beauty purchases and clothes.

Having shared her experience on TikTok, individuals keen to follow in her footsteps regularly inundate her inbox asking for tips.

Elsewhere, English Aimee Gale took to TikTok to explain her journey into becoming a miner in Australia despite having no experience in the industry.

Aimee said, ‘I must have contacted around 30 different agencies, maybe even more, just calling them, emailing them, and if I didn’t get a response, I would go up to the recruitment agency and show my interest that way.

‘A lot of people didn’t even respond,’ she admitted, adding, ‘They also said they were looking for somebody who had a year experience or at least six months.’

‘However, there are so many companies out there that will take you on with zero experience as long as you have the basic tickets to get you into the mines. They are your white card, working at heights, confined spaces, and gas testing. Those are the only ones I had. 

Aimee continued, ‘My first shutdown was doing rollers; if anybody knows rollers, it was awful. Then, I was doing TA and hose tech, so [it was] simpler, but still hard. Those were 12-hour days.

‘It’s not for everybody, don’t get me wrong. It’s hard being away from home. Being eaten alive all the time for work is hard work… Mosquitos love me, and the heat, oh my goodness, it’s so, so hot, and you’re in your full PPE all day.

‘So, you’ve just got to go in open-minded. You can’t go in thinking, ‘Oh my gosh, this is going to be amazing, and I’m going to meet so many new people’, which you do, and it’s amazing, but there are downsides to things as well. It’s not all sunshine and rainbows.’

After receiving an influx of questions from viewers, Aimee continued her explanation in a second video. ‘So, before even entering Australia, you will need a working holiday visa, and this will give you rights to work in Australia. I had the 417.

‘Then, once you’re in the country, you can apply for your licenses. These are your working in confined spaces, working at heights, gas testing, and your white card. You will need these as a basic requirement to enter the mines.

‘Don’t get me wrong, there’ll still be a lot of companies that won’t appreciate those tickets, they’ll expect you to have higher tickets and more experience, [but] there are companies out there that will take you on with no experience.

‘Like I said before, you can’t expect to get accepted straight away. There’s going to be a lot of people in the same boat as you, so don’t get deflated.’

Mariah Fishwick (pictured), 28, from Perth, opened up on the reality of working in the mines – and said it can be hard to see friends and family 

TikTok user Jess Riches (pictured), from Essex, has relocated to Perth to operate machinery in the mines

When she’s not donning work attire, Jess is glammed up and enjoying Perth’s rooftop bars and nightlife

‘One last thing I’ll say is that some companies might as you for a police clearance report, so that’s basically saying about no criminal record. Not every company will ask for that, but just to give you a heads up, some will.’ 

She concluded, ‘Just to clarify, you could be applying for months and still have no luck. You could be applying for weeks and get in straight away. It really does depend on who you speak with on that day.’

When she’s not working in the mines, Aimee is making the most of the Australian lifestyle. In addition to snorkelling in the Great Barrier Reef, she’s also spent many days soaking up the rays on Australia’s sandy beaches.

Meanwhile, Jess Riches, from Essex but now working in Perth, has also shared insight into her lifestyle in Australia.

She wrote on TikTok, ‘Life is weird. One minute I’m in the UK living the Essex girl life. The next I’m in Western Australia working as a FIFO bus driver in the mines.’

Jess added in the caption, ‘We just be out here breaking the stereotypes whilst living my best life.’

Her lifestyle isn’t just hard work. Jess also shares footage of her time outside the office, including her enjoying jet ski rides and looking all glammed up while making the most of Perth’s nightclub and rooftop bar offerings.

Meanwhile, Tom Gisbourne, 24, has shared his experience of mining on TikTok. He left England at the start of 2024 for sunny Australia.

Tom Gisbourne (pictured) claimed to have made $8,000, the equivalent of £3,804, after just two weeks of working in the mines

Tom said he rejected his school’s expectations of going to university to work in the mines. 

He believes it’s the right decision for him and he claimed to earn a staggering $8,000, the equivalent of £3,804, after just two weeks of working in the mines.

Elsewhere, Australian Faith Isabel shared insight into what daily life is like working in the mines.

She wrote, ‘Day 11 of 14 and your personality is 70 per cent sarcasm [and] 30 per cent caffeine’.

Faith also regularly uploads glamorous content on TikTok, posing in bikinis and sharing glimpses of her rural ‘Aussie girl’ life to her 40 thousand followers.

Aussie-born Mariah Fishwick, 28, who works in Perth, also shared a dose of reality for others looking to get into the industry.

‘Three things about mining you should know before starting. One, you will lose friends. Being away from work does make it hard to see family and friends, relax and do things on RnR.

‘Two, the issues you hear about mining are a minority. Don’t let it scare you away from a career.

‘Three, you will miss out on special occasions. Be prepared to miss birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, and even final goodbyes.’

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