Mining Traineeship?

[Grover-98]

Heys guys/gals

I am currently undergoing construction management at Newcastle university. I am coming to the end of semester one and have decided it is not for me. I am considering trying to get a traineeship in the mines. I have thought of Diesel mechanic, or even the simple Dump Truck Driver or maybe OH&S...

I have selected to go with the mines for a few key reasons:

1. Money (lets be honest here)
2. Availability, they are in need and there are mines all around Aus and the world.
3. I like the lifestyle, most work seems to be 4 on 4 off. 12 hour shifts.


But i want to know what the non romanticised life is like, these sites offering traineeships make it sound great but i want an honest opinion!

So tell me what it is you do, rough pay (no need to be specific i understand privacy issues) hours etc :)

Basically i am turning to my fellow landy owners for some career advice :)

[moose]

Diesel mech's generally earn a reasonably good wage, plus if it goes pear shaped you can get a job anywhere.

[The Fish]

I am currently studying Mining Engineering at UQ and have done quite a bit of holiday work. I also took a year off uni and worked in a coal mine west of Mackay. In that time I drove the trucks, worked as a surveyor and worked as an engineer. Driving the trucks was great and I am really happy I got to experience it but at the same time I only did this for 3 months and I know a lot of people who can't handle doing basically the same thing everyday. The roster worked was 5 days on and 5 off alternating day/night shift. This would be the hardest part for me as it stuffs up your body clock. The workshop staff were also the same roster so had the same problem.

When it comes to getting a job it is not as easy as the press and others make out. You really need to know someone or have some previous experience to get much of a look. The best way that I know of people getting a job in the mines is to go through a labour hire style company first. The other problem at the moment is with all the people who were made redundant around Christmas and later are going to be looking for jobs and if they have experience they will probably get in.

While on the trucks I used to do a 12 hour shift and that was it but when I worked in the office as a surveyor and engineer my shifts ranged from 10hrs on a good day to 14hrs on a bad day. This was also a standard Monday to Friday week so I did a lot of hours.

Don't let me put you off though as I absolutely love the work and would probably still do it even if they cut the pay in half. Where else do you get to play with big tonka trucks and diggers and get paid to do it.

[Grover-98]

Yes the thought of 5 days working all night would kill me, but the pay for those shifts must be through the roof.

And i have thought it would be brain numbing doing the same thing over and over. But most work is like that...I guess at the same time its brain numbing because its not exactly hard work!? (not trying to offend! and am open to contradicting opinions as i am only just new to the field)

[The Fish]

As you say most jobs can be very brain numbing but it is what you make of it. If you start out on the trucks and stick with it you will get put on a grader and then a dozer and you can work your way up to the excavators or even a dragline if you are lucky and good enough. This keeps the job interesting and gives you something to aim for.

[Sprint]

sad fact of the mining game in CQ is if you live locally, you stand virtually no chance at getting a job in the mines unless you have qualifications and experience, which is why the non mine working locals treat the outsiders like unwelcome filth

much easier to get traineeships if you live on the coast :mad::bat::2up::rocket:

[Grover-98]

I have heard from many the idea that it can invlove a lot of travel of be mind numbing. Yet i know someone who has a very important position at the mine just round the corner from me... so maybe i will try get some work there?

[LandyAndy]

A mate of mine is doing a traineeship at the moment at the Boddington Bauxite mine,HE LOVES IT.
Although he dosnt post on here,try sending him a PM,user name is Albi (if he is still registered as a user)
Andrew

[PAT303]

Grover,the mine around the corner from you isn't at thornton is it?.Like the others have said it's not all wine and roses.I was in the mining game for 7 years and I could not get a start when I first started,I was already a tradesman but was treated like a lepper,I didn't know anyone so was no one.The money is good but I now get more working as a fixed plant fitter on day shift than in the pit,the conditions and general BS is really tiresome,it gets very frustrating having to deal with the mentality of miners as they are ''different'' especially getting things done.I found that after a few years that home life was better than work,it's no good earning money and buying toys if then you can't use them because shift work clash's with the outings,meetings.IMHO I would steer people away from the mines when it comes to doing a trade as you won't learn how things work or how to repair parts,mine workshops do servicing and change-outs and nothing more,start in a shop that works on road trucks and see if you like it first or drive a truck and see that side of it.Going up and down a haul road carrying dirt gets very old very quickly. Pat

[rigger 1]

Long hours, harsh condtions at times, very little positive feedback, long periods away from home. What more could you want.
I have been working in WA, FIFO from Melbourne for the past 7 months. Prior to that I spent 10 months in Uganda setting up a mobile crane operation to service oil exploration along the Congo border.
If you like adventure and seeing places people normally pay thousands to visit then the mining industry can certainly offer variety if you are prepared to travel and don't mind roughing it a bit.

My advice.

Fnd something you enjoy even if the money is not the best. Do the best you can in whatever you choose and be good to your parents.

Cheers

[B92 8NW]

Apply for an intermission or leave of absence from your University before the census date for the second semester. This is a better move than outright cancellation of enrolment. It'll give you up to 12 months off uni without having to pay fees, yet your place in the course is kept. If you pursue something else in the meantime, it's no problem (and free) to then cancel your enrolment during the intermission. This at the very least provides something to fall back on if you can't manage to get into something else.

I went to a careers consulting company and it helped to make a much more considered decision second time around.

It's a ****house feeling to be stuck doing a course that isn't right, and very liberating to end up in something that you're passionate about and strongly driven to succeed.

[cal415]

Hey, i work for Donaldson Coal(Tasman around the corner from you is a Donaldson mine) they are just ramping up a new mine(Abel) at black hill and they are constantly putting people on, I have worked around alot of mine sites with several different companies and Donaldson have been great although Im working in the office and not on the manual labour side of things(Im in IT) you should keep an eye on there website I know they recently put on a bunch of apprentices as I went through a corporate induction with them. They are also running a cleanskin program training guys with no underground experience but they have received thousands of applications for that apparently.

Donaldson Coal (http://www.doncoal.com.au)

[Grover-98]

Well i have pretty much made up my mind after some very serious consideration and time waiting to get all my results from my first semester at uni...

I would like to try get a traineeship in a local mine (somewhere in the Hunter Valley). I am looking for position more then likely as a Operator or a Diesel Mechanic...

I understand it is ridiculously hard to gain one of these traineeships, :(... but i think i am best of giving it a go as i deffinetly wont get in if i don't try. So this is where you guys come into play :) I am trying to get an idea of all the mines within the Hunter region so i know who i am wanting to contact.:)

Thanks guys!

[BMKal]

Just a couple of points to keep you thinking -

Diesel mechanic is a trade - you will need to do an apprenticeship rather than a traineeship, so be prepared for possibly lower wages in at least the first couple of years. The advantage is that you end up with a trade certificate which will pretty much guarantee you work anywhere - good diesel mech's are always in high demand.

An operator is just an operator (not bagging them - I was one once). But you end up with nothing in the way of meaningful qualifications, and it really is a dead-end job that you will soon be looking for a way out of if you have any "get up and go".

If you decide to look for a diesel mechanic apprenticeship, I'd suggest that you look around the mechanical service businesses in your area who service the mining industry, rather than look for an apprenticeship on the mine itself. This way, you get a much more varied experience in your training (because they generally deal with a broader range of gear, whereas on the mine you will only ever see the small number of machines they have on that site). The broader base your training, the better off you will be later on.

My son was offered two separate apprenticeships as diesel mechanic a few years ago - one at an underground mine in Kambalda, the other at a (then) fairly small privately owned workshop in Boulder. He asked me which one I thought would be the best. I told him that, at Kambalda, he would spend all day (or night) underground replacing hoses on boggers, and maybe occasionally doing a bit of proper mechanical work on one of the three different types of machines they had at that mine. The business in Boulder, on the other hand, worked day shift only, and on pretty much everything from ride-on mowers to underground mining machinery to Kenworth trucks to huge surface mining trucks and loaders.

He took the job in Boulder, and is now a qualified diesel fitter, still working for the same company (though they have since been bought out by a larger company). He's in field service now, so spends a lot of time travelling out to remote mine sites and often staying out there for up to a week, but that's what he enjoys. He has been given his own company ute (turbo Landcruiser with toolboxes etc on the back), and at 25 yrs old, is probably making more money than I do - and I've been working in mine management (now a consultant) for years.

It's your choice - however you choose, I hope you find the opening that you are looking for, and that you enjoy it.

[CraigE]

Traineeships are actually fairly few and far between in the mining industry and are in fact poor money.
Apprenticeships are the same.
As said it can be hard to get into if you do not know someone or have relevant experience.
A mining company would be more likely to pick you up with a degree. I would seriously finish Uni first even if you need to change subjects.
Not trying to put you off as there are some great jobs in mining.
I was in mining for 18 years and am finding it difficult to find another similar job after being made redundant and I know a lot of people.
Also generally in NSW Hunter Valley you will be on about 1/3 to 1/2 the wages of similar in WA or NT, just the way it is.

[Grover-98]

Times like this i wish i had the luck of knowing what i wanted from a young age and just got it straight up... but looks like life wants to be well life...

[Grover-98]

I am thinking i might follow the path of a Diesel Mechanic due to the fact there is a variety of work out there. And i can look into privatly owned places etc as mentioned before. ;)

[CraigE]

I am thinking i might follow the path of a Diesel Mechanic due to the fact there is a variety of work out there. And i can look into privatly owned places etc as mentioned before. ;)
Good choice for mining and heavy industry. Good places to work to get exposure are Cat (Westrac), Komatsu, Liebher etc
Generally Diesel Mechs, Fitters and Sparkies will find work anywhere and are in demand in the mining industry. As said previously driving trucks etc is fun for a while but does become repetative and boring.
I miss my job and hope to get back in soon, but for the time being may have a job with ARG, so get to play with a big train set. At least means we can stay in Esperance.
Seriously look at mining options at Uni, before you throw it in though, it will give you many more options.
Here is a taste anyway.
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2009/07/1262.jpg

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2009/07/1263.jpg

[isuzurover]

Seriously look at mining options at Uni, before you throw it in though, it will give you many more options.

Well said.

While it is tempting to chuck in uni and go and earn some money. Mining is very boom, bust, boom, bust.

If you have a degree behind you, you will be more likely to keep your job when things take a turn for the worst, and more likely to be able to find a good job elsewhere.

Degrees like mining/civil/chemical/environmental eng., geology, oh&s

[Tombie]

Nothing wrong with shifts...

I'm doing another block of nights right now!!!

You get used to getting up in the afternoon and going to bed in the morning...

BTW, Day 12hr shifts are 12.6hrs pay... Nights 13.8hrs pay...

Its weekends, Public Holidays and Overtime shifts that make up the big dollars you can earn!

Must mention, I'm not in mining anymore, was an Operator, now a Staff Position at Onesteel Whyalla...