New to FIFO?

What FIFO and DIDO mean

FIFO stands for fly-in fly-out. Instead of moving to a remote town, you fly from a city or regional airport to the work site, stay there for a block of days or weeks, then fly home for a block of time off. Most FIFO work is on mine sites, oil and gas projects, and big construction jobs in places like Western Australia, Queensland, South Australia and the Northern Territory.

DIDO means drive-in drive-out. It works the same way, but the site is close enough that you drive (or are bussed) there at the start of each swing instead of flying. You might also see BIBO, bus-in bus-out.

Some ads say residential or local hire. That usually means you need to live near the site, and flights aren't included. Always check where the job flies out from before you apply.

How rosters work

A roster tells you how long you're on site and how long you're home. It's written as time on / time off. Whether the numbers are days or weeks depends on the roster, so it's worth reading the ad closely.

2/1

Two weeks on site, one week at home. One of the most common mining rosters. Some ads write it as 14/7.

8/6

Eight days on, six days off. Popular because you're home almost as long as you're away.

14/14

Fourteen days on, fourteen days off. Equal time on and off, often seen offshore and on some oil and gas projects.

Swing

One block of time on site, from the day you fly in to the day you fly out. You might also hear it called a hitch.

R&R

Rest and recreation: your days off at home between swings. If you're paid by the hour, you're usually paid only for the days you work. A salary is spread across the whole year.

Shifts on site are often around 12 hours a day, every day of your swing, including weekends. Many rosters have day shift and night shift, and you may swap between them during a swing or from one swing to the next. Travel days at the start and end of a swing count differently from job to job, so check the ad or ask.

Common entry-level roles

You don't need a trade to start in FIFO. Plenty of people get their first swing in camp services or as a helper on site, then pick up tickets and experience as they go.

• Utility. A general all-rounder role, often in the camp: cleaning, restocking, moving supplies, helping in the kitchen or laundry, and whatever else needs doing.
• Cleaner. Keeping offices, crib rooms, ablutions and common areas clean, on the mine site or in the camp.
• Kitchen hand. Washing up, food prep and keeping the kitchen clean. Camp kitchens feed a lot of people, so the work is busy.
• Camp attendant. Servicing rooms, changing linen, laundry and looking after the accommodation village.
• Trade assistant (TA). Helping tradespeople such as fitters, electricians and boilermakers by carrying gear, setting up, cleaning up and learning on the job. A common first step into maintenance and shutdown work, and usually the best-paid of the unskilled roles.

On FIFOWorks, tick Entry level jobs in the filters to see roles like these that don't ask for tickets or licences in the ad.

See entry-level jobsBuild a resume

Common tickets and requirements

Every employer is different, so read each ad. These are the ones that come up most often:

• White Card (CPCWHS1001). The general construction induction, "Prepare to work safely in the construction industry". A short course, and most sites will ask for this.
• Working Safely at Heights (RIIWHS204). "Work safely at heights". A one-day course covering harnesses, fall arrest and ladders, and commonly asked for on mine and construction sites.
• First Aid (HLTAID011). "Provide First Aid". Handy for lots of roles, and required for some.
• Driver's licence. A current car licence is often required, even if you won't drive much on site.
• Pre-employment medical and drug & alcohol test. Most employers arrange these before you start. Expect a general fitness check and a drug and alcohol test, and random testing on site.
• Police clearance. Many employers ask for a recent National Police Check.
• Sometimes RSA or food safety. Bar (wet mess) roles may need your Responsible Service of Alcohol, and kitchen roles may ask for a food safety or food handling certificate.

Before you pay for a course, check the ads you want to apply for. Some employers provide training, and site inductions are done by the employer once you're hired.

What camp life is like

On most FIFO jobs you live in an accommodation village, usually called camp. Standards vary, but you can generally expect:

• Your own small room, often with a bed, TV, air-con and either an ensuite or shared bathrooms. On some sites you get a different room each swing.
• Meals in a shared dining room (the mess), plus a crib or lunch room for packing food for your shift.
• Common facilities such as a gym, laundry, and sometimes a pool, sports courts or a wet mess (a bar with limits on drinks).
• Rules you'll need to follow: fitness for work, alcohol limits or dry sites, random drug and alcohol testing, and quiet hours for people on night shift.

Days on swing are long: work, eat, sleep, repeat. Phone and internet coverage can be patchy. A simple routine, staying in touch with home and looking after your sleep go a long way. Many employers offer a free, confidential Employee Assistance Program, and Lifeline is on 13 11 14 any time, day or night.

How to read FIFOWorks pay circles

Every job on FIFOWorks has a pay circle, and the board is sorted by it. The number in the circle is an hourly figure, so you can compare jobs on the same footing even when one ad gives an hourly rate and another gives a salary.

• A real hourly rate. When an ad states an hourly rate, the circle starts from it and adds allowances only when the ad states them. The caption reads "Average rate after allowances". A pay range shows low to high.
• Salary converted by roster. When an ad gives an annual salary along with the roster and paid hours, we divide the salary by the hours you'd actually work on that roster. The caption reads "Salary broken down into hourly rate". A big salary on a long roster can work out lower per hour than it looks. If a salary can't be converted, the circle shows the yearly salary instead.
• Assumptions are labelled. If an ad leaves out the shift length, a typical shift is assumed and the job says so, for example "Paid hours assumed: 11h".
• Super and sick leave excluded. The circle doesn't include superannuation or sick leave, so it isn't padded out with money you don't take home each week.
• Net income estimates. On a job's page you'll also see an estimated net income (after income tax and the Medicare levy): per week averaged over the year, off weeks included, for ongoing work, or for completing the job when it has an end date. It assumes you're an Australian resident claiming the tax-free threshold.

These are estimates worked out from what the ad says, not offers or promises. Your actual pay depends on your contract, the hours you work and your own tax situation. For the full detail, see how pay is estimated, or put your own numbers into the pay calculator.

Tips for applying

• Tailor your resume. Keep it short and match it to the role. Any work in cleaning, hospitality, labouring, warehousing or farming shows you can handle physical work and long days. The FIFOWorks Resume builder is made for mining and FIFO jobs.
• Put your tickets up front. List your White Card, licence, First Aid and anything else near the top, with ticket numbers and expiry dates where they apply.
• Be contactable. Recruiters often fill roles fast. Answer unknown numbers, check your email and voicemail, and say when you're available to start and where you can fly out from.
• Apply to several jobs. Entry-level roles get a lot of applicants. Keep applying, and follow up politely if you haven't heard back.
• Be wary of anyone asking for money. Legitimate employers don't charge you to apply or guarantee you a job for a fee.