Find your realistic fit
Match your experience, licences, physical capacity and location to suitable roles.
Your first FIFO job • AustraliaStop guessing.
Stop guessing.
Start prepared.
Find the roles that suit your actual experience, understand which tickets matter and leave with a practical next-step plan.
Built from real drilling, heavy-haulage, shutdown and mine-site experience.
Groundwork before the first swing.No hype. No guaranteed jobs. Just a clearer path forward.
Your pathway starts before your first swing.
A practical route from “where do I start?” to focused applications for roles that match your background.
Close the right gaps
Identify what employers actually require before spending money on training.
Build your application
Translate your work into a clear, safety-focused mining application.
Work a weekly plan
Target employers and recruiters, track applications and follow up.
Free starter assessment
Where should your groundwork begin?
Answer thirteen practical questions. Essential requirements carry more weight and your result suggests realistic pathways—not a job guarantee.
Assessment progress0 of 13
1. What Australian driver’s licence do you hold?
2. Do you hold a current White Card?
3. Are you confident you can complete a medical and drug-and-alcohol screen?
4. How much hands-on or physical-work experience do you have?
5. Have you worked under safety procedures, permits or pre-start systems?
6. Do you have machinery, tools, warehouse, trade or transport experience?
7. Can you work 12-hour shifts and spend extended periods away?
8. Are you near a FIFO departure point or prepared to relocate?
9. Which additional tickets do you already hold?
10. Is your resume tailored to FIFO and safety-focused work?
11. Which background best matches your strongest experience?
12. Do you hold a dogging or rigging high-risk work licence?
13. Which pathway interests you most?
Answers stay on this device and are not submitted.
Common entry pathways—not one-size-fits-all jobs.
Your background determines where to start. These examples show who each pathway may suit.
Driller’s offsider
Demanding manual work supporting drilling crews in heat, dust and long shifts.
Useful: labouring, fitness, mechanical exposureUtility worker
Housekeeping, cleaning, kitchen and village-support work.
Useful: hospitality, cleaning, customer serviceTrade assistant
Supports tradespeople with materials, tools and basic mechanical work.
Useful: construction, workshops, toolsStoreperson
Receives, tracks and dispatches parts using warehouse systems.
Useful: forklift, inventory, SAP or ProntoRigger
Supports crane and lifting work on shutdowns, construction projects and mine sites. Employers regularly recruit suitably licensed riggers, making this a practical pathway for people who are safety-focused and comfortable with physical work.
Useful: DG/RB high-risk work licence, heights, construction experienceMC and haulage
Site and regional haulage for experienced heavy-vehicle operators.
Useful: MC, road trains, CoR, DGProcess trainee
Trainee roles monitoring fixed plant and supporting operations.
Useful: production, plant, mechanical aptitudeShutdown labour
Short-term maintenance support that can build site exposure.
Useful: trades, labouring, working at heightsTraineeships
Structured pathways into plant, processing and site roles.
Useful: reliability, safety, transferable skillsDon’t buy tickets without a target role.
There is no single “mining ticket.” Requirements change by employer, site and job.
Often useful foundations
- A driver’s licence appropriate to the role
- White Card where construction work is involved
- Forklift, HR/MC or trade qualifications when relevant
- First aid or working at heights when the vacancy asks
Pause before paying
- Expensive “guaranteed mining job” packages
- Plant tickets without practical experience or demand
- Courses that cannot name the vacancies requiring them
- Training bought before choosing a realistic pathway
A pathway worth checking
Rigging tickets can open a real door
Riggers are used across shutdowns, construction, maintenance and lifting operations. Wayne’s current company is actively looking for riggers—one practical example of genuine demand for people with the right licence and attitude.
- Dogging (DG): commonly the starting point for directing crane loads and selecting lifting gear.
- Basic Rigging (RB): the usual entry-level rigging class; check current prerequisites before enrolling.
- Intermediate (RI) and Advanced (RA): higher-scope licences for more complex rigging work.
- Also check vacancies for Working at Heights, White Card, confined-space and site-experience requirements.
Before paying: review current rigger vacancies and confirm the exact licence class employers repeatedly request. Training alone does not guarantee work.
Why FIFO Groundwork exists
Advice built on what FIFO actually feels like.
Founder Wayne Jennings started in drilling and later worked across heavy transport, logistics, shutdowns and FIFO operations. He understands the difference between the social-media version of mining and the reality of early starts, long shifts, medicals, mobilisation, camp life and repeated applications.
This platform is for people willing to work but tired of conflicting advice. Its purpose is to identify sensible roles, avoid unnecessary spending and approach the industry with a clearer plan.
“I won’t promise anyone an easy six-figure job. I will help them stop wasting time on the wrong pathway.”
Questions beginners ask.
Clear answers before you spend money or submit another generic application.
Can I get FIFO work without mining experience?
Some employers recruit trainees and people with transferable experience. Competition is strong, and the best target depends on your background and readiness.
Do I need to live in Perth?
Not always, but many WA roles fly from Perth only. Workers often need to reach the nominated departure point at their own cost.
Which tickets should I get first?
Choose the role first, then check current vacancies for repeated requirements. Avoid buying a broad package without a clear target.
Does the assessment guarantee a job?
No. It is an educational starting point. Recruitment decisions belong to employers and depend on vacancies, checks and suitability.