[liam.carroll00]

Hi everyone,

I am a joint Irish/Australian citizen who has unfortunatley never been to Oz. However, I'm going to join you all for a year between September 2012 and September 2013. My aim is to make enough money to pay my final two years in law school in Ireland when I return. I'd LIKE to make approx $140,000 (which I know sounds ridiculous given that I am completly unqualified) however I have some casual experience in Irish mines and id like to head out West Oz which I hear pays very well. Does anyone know if it is at all possible to make money near this amount or am being an idiot? If so how much could I make and where do I start?

 

[IrishAussie]

I'm not sure if this is a joke or of you've been listening to too many fairy tales in the pub but no there is no way on earth you are going to make €140,000 (or even close) to it with no qualifications.

Yes the mines in western Australia do pay well but getting into the mines is quite difficult. It's all about contacts and if you don't have any what most people would do is find an employer in Perth and work for them for a few months to 'show them what you're made of' with the hope of impressing them enough to be sent to one of their mine sites. So this will eat into your year in Oz too.

There is more money to be made in Oz than in Ireland at the minute, that's for sure, but nowhere near what you're dreaming of. I apologise if i sound abrupt but I've heard of a lot of people coming to Oz recently with unrealistic expectations only to complain then that it's not all its made out to be and heading home complaining that there's no work in Oz/ it's too expensive. Western Australia is lovely, we have a great standard of living here and are so glad we made the move but please be realistic. You would barely get €14,000 working unqualified on a site at home at the minute so why would someone pay you ten times that to do the same in Oz?

Just out of interest can I ask where these Irish mine sites that you've worked on are?

 

[Zultan]

Just to add, I am pretty certain there are numerous health & safety courses and licences required to work in the mines - that you'd need before you could be taken on even casually.

 

[naoto]

I thought there were no mines in Ireland.... Did they discover any recently !?

 

[sophiesarah]

I'm not sure about what people get paid to work at the mines, I believe the money is good, but the hours are long, and often monotonous.
I presume you were meaning 140000 AUD, which is still enormous. We had a couple of friends recently move to QLD to work in mines, but when they got there the jobs didn't eventuate. I believe having a heavy truck license helps too.
To give you some idea of wages in Oz, I'm a senior nursing manager and run a ward on a hospital and get paid half that (and I am well paid), so if you can find a job in a mine for 140K please let me know, as I'm willing to change industries.
My brother and his wife are in IT in senior positions and they earn good six figure salaries (100-200K) but they both have over 10 years experience with the same company.

 

[liam.carroll00]

Ok, thanks for all the replies. I had just tended to believe these stories as I have read on numerous pages throughout the net about unskilled individuals earning $100,000 a year on FIFO in the mines. I just innocently presumed there was some truth to these stories. And just to clarify, we do have mines in Ireland, they are largely lead and zinc mines and most are underground. I have worked with an external engineering firm in Tara, Galmoy and Lisheen mines.

 

[Weebie]

Earning 100k Aussie is like earning 30k euros.

Stay in Ireland and complete your LLB.