FIFO workers in high-vis carrying duffel bags as they board a charter plane at dawn in the Pilbara

Getting into FIFO

Role first.
Tickets second.

A realistic Australian pathway from “I want a FIFO job” to an application an employer can assess.

A practical pre-flight plan

Start with the right question

“How do I get into FIFO?” is too broad.

Ask: “Which FIFO role can I become credible for, and what evidence does that employer need?”

FIFO describes how you travel to work. The actual jobs range from licensed trades and plant operation to drilling, camp services, logistics, technical services and business support. Each path has a different threshold.

More tickets do not automatically make a stronger candidate. Relevant capability, honest evidence and reliability do.

Choose an entry route

Six starting points. Different proof.

Use the pathway closest to your current background. Requirements vary by employer, state, site and task.

Qualified trades

Electricians · Fitters · Boilermakers · Auto electricians

Lead with your trade, industrial environment, assets worked on and verifiable scope. A qualification opens the door; relevant evidence strengthens the application.

Explore this pathway →02

Operations

Mobile plant · Process plant · Control room · Rail and port

Employers look for safe, consistent operation and evidence on the relevant machine or process. Trainee and entry programs can be more realistic than applying above your experience.

Explore this pathway →03

Shutdown contracting

Trades · Riggers · Scaffolders · Trade assistants

Short campaigns can build site exposure, fixed-plant familiarity and referees. Work is time-critical and continuity is not guaranteed.

Explore this pathway →

Drilling entry

Drillers offsiders · Field assistants · Trainee crews

Often promoted as an entry route, but the work can be remote and physically demanding. Read the licence, manual-handling, travel and roster requirements closely.

Site services

Utilities · Cleaning · Catering · Stores · Logistics

Relevant hospitality, cleaning, warehousing, logistics or customer-service evidence can transfer. The role still requires roster reliability and site-specific onboarding.

Graduate and technical

Engineering · Geology · Survey · HSE · Business support

Use graduate programs, vacation work and junior technical roles to build operational context. Explain the decisions, systems and stakeholders behind your study or work.

Explore this pathway →

Applying on a visa?

Check work rights before tickets, rosters or sponsorship.

A visa can allow you to work in Australia, but it does not replace the qualification, state licence, high-risk work authority or site evidence needed for the role. Working Holiday, Student, Graduate, skilled and employer-sponsored pathways also carry different conditions.

Open the visa & work-rights guide

01Compare visa pathways

Working Holiday, Student, Temporary Graduate, Skills in Demand, regional, permanent and points-tested options.

02Find realistic roles

See the likely fit across entry support, qualified trades and technical or professional mining work.

03Understand sponsorship

Separate a genuine skilled vacancy, employer nomination and visa assessment from a simple job offer.

04Prepare secure evidence

Use a current passport, VEVO check, work-rights consent, licences and skills records in verified systems.

Lower-barrier shutdown roles

Easiest on paper. Not effortless on site.

Trade Assistant work has the lowest formal qualification threshold in the supplied examples. Rigging removes the trade-certificate barrier, but replaces it with licensed high-risk work and practical responsibility.

01 · Lowest formal barrier

Mechanical Trade Assistant

Entry threshold: No trade certificate appeared in the supplied Trade Assistant shutdown example.
What the role contributes: Stages tools, parts and consumables; supports fitters and boilermakers; helps with preparation, materials and work-area housekeeping under direction.
Evidence that helps: Workshop, mechanical assembly, construction labouring, stores, tools, manual handling, shift work and a referee who can verify reliability.
Important boundary: A Trade Assistant supports the trade. Do not claim trade work, licences or sign-off authority you do not hold.

02 · Lowest formal barrier

Electrical Trade Assistant

Entry threshold: The assistant role may not require an electrical trade qualification, but the work boundary matters.
What the role contributes: Prepares materials, cable, tools and consumables; supports access, labelling, housekeeping and other permitted tasks under a licensed electrician's direction.
Evidence that helps: Electrical labouring, cable handling, industrial construction, accurate materials control, safe tool use, documentation and attention to detail.
Important boundary: An Electrical Trade Assistant does not perform electrical work that requires an electrical licence.

03 · Licensed entry route

Rigger

Entry threshold: No trade certificate appeared in the supplied Rigger example, but a Basic Rigging high-risk work licence was mandatory for that scope.
What the role contributes: Supports controlled lifting, prepares and checks rigging equipment, guides loads, communicates clearly and works within the lift plan and licence class.
Evidence that helps: Current relevant HRWL class, recent practical lifting exposure, inspection discipline, exclusion-zone awareness, teamwork and a credible referee.
Important boundary: Basic, intermediate and advanced rigging are different licence classes. The lift scope determines the class required.

04 · Qualified trade

Boilermaker

Entry threshold: An Australian Boilermaker trade certificate was mandatory in the supplied shutdown example.
What the role contributes: Completes fabrication, welding, structural repair and wear-related maintenance within the approved shutdown scope and quality system.
Evidence that helps: Trade certificate, welding and fabrication scope, fixed-plant assets, drawings, repairs, quality records, shutdown conduct and supervisor verification.
Important boundary: This is a skilled trade pathway with a higher qualification and evidence threshold than Trade Assistant work.

Accessible does not mean automatic: A candidate still needs to meet the exact job pack, demonstrate safe behaviour, pass the employer's screening and work reliably in long, remote shifts. Entry criteria vary between maintenance, construction, port and mine-site assignments.

An anonymised shutdown example

What one supplied port-maintenance pack expected.

The three role sheets described the same shutdown setting but different formal thresholds for Trade Assistants, Riggers and Boilermakers.

Shift pattern12-hour days and nights

Point of hirePerth, Western Australia

Onboarding estimate1-2 weeks after medical

Before mobilisationOnline and site inductions

Port accessMSIC where required

Illustrative supplied rates

Qualification and responsibility changed the example rate.

RoleDayNight

Trade Assistant$50.00/h$60.00/h

Rigger$60.00/h$72.00/h

Boilermaker$72.00/h$86.40/h

Boundary: These are anonymised figures from supplied 2025 assignment sheets. They are not market averages, current vacancies, award rates or guaranteed offers. Always read the rate with super, overtime, allowances, travel, stand-down and employment conditions.

Example mobilisation layers

Identity and work rights

Passport or birth certificate
Current driver licence
VEVO evidence where relevant
Clear front-and-back licence copies

Construction and work-front

White Card for construction work
Working at Heights
WP high-risk work licence for the specified EWP scope
Confined Space, Gas Test and first-attack firefighting where requested

Role-specific evidence

Basic Rigging HRWL for the supplied Rigger scope
Australian trade certificate for the supplied Boilermaker scope
Relevant tools and practical work history
Referees who observed the work

Site and port access

Medical and screening completion
Police clearance where the employer specifies it
Employer and site inductions
MSIC where the work area requires maritime access
Travel, camp, PPE and tooling instructions

Do not copy this list into every application: The supplied pack was for a particular shutdown and port work area. Ticket currency, EWP class, access card, inductions, PPE, tools and travel conditions must be confirmed for the actual employer, task and location.

The FIFO entry roadmap

Six gates between interest and mobilisation.

Move in order. Each step should make the next one more focused, cheaper and easier to verify.

01
Choose the role
Pick one or two job families. FIFO is a travel arrangement, not a job title, so start with the work you can realistically perform.
02
Read the market
Collect current ads for the same role and mark recurring must-haves, point of hire, roster, experience, licences and mobilisation requirements.
03
Close real gaps
Check the regulator and the employer, then pay only for training that is legally required or repeatedly requested for your target work.
04
Build your evidence
Record employers, dates, assets, tasks, responsibility, safety systems, outcomes and supervisors who can verify the work.
05
Apply by pathway
Target mine operators, contractors, labour-hire firms, shutdown providers and service companies that recruit your role family.
06
Prepare to mobilise
Keep clear documents, answer screening honestly and understand the medical, travel, camp, roster and conduct expectations before accepting.

Career changer preparing a FIFO application at home with a laptop, trade documents, high-vis shirt and packed work bag

Prepare before you pay

Before buying a course

Run the three-source check.

01
The regulator
Does the work require a licence, registration or legally recognised training?
02
The current job ad
Is the item listed as essential, desirable or simply part of later onboarding?
03
The employer or recruiter
Will they accept that exact unit, provider, issue date and currency for the work?

Training check: Confirm the provider is a current Registered Training Organisation and that the relevant training product appears on its scope at training.gov.au ↗.

Tickets without the fog

Four layers that people often mix together.

The same card can be essential for one task, useful for another and irrelevant for a third.

01Legal authority

Licence or registration

The authority required to perform regulated work: for example, the relevant trade or high-risk work licence. It must match the task and jurisdiction.

Check the regulator

02Work environment

Role-specific training

Working at heights, confined space, gas testing, first aid or other units may be requested because of the actual work front—not because every FIFO worker needs them.

Check the job ad

03Construction boundary

General induction

A White Card is required when the person is carrying out construction work. A mine site location alone does not make every role construction work.

Check the work scope

04Employer and site

Mobilisation evidence

Medical and drug-and-alcohol screening, identity and work-rights checks, site inductions, licences, travel details and other documents can form part of onboarding.

Check the mobilisation pack

Do not buy the “standard FIFO ticket bundle” on faith.

High-risk work licences authorise specific classes of work. Other training may support competence or access, but it does not replace the correct licence, employer verification or site-specific instruction.

NEW PRACTICAL DIRECTORY

Compare common tickets by code, cost and duration.

Then investigate current training providers by state, with direct supplier links and a seven-point booking check.

Open the tickets & training guide

Decode the job ad

Read the conditions, not just the hourly rate.

A strong applicant understands what the advert is asking and what still needs to be confirmed in writing.

Advert saysWhat it controlsWhat you should check

Point of hireWhere travel starts and ends

Can you reliably reach that city or airport at the required time, and who pays for any travel before that point?

RosterThe work-and-rest cycle

Compare shift length, days and nights, swing length, travel days and whether the roster is ongoing or campaign-based.

Must haveThe shortlisting threshold

Show the exact licence, experience or work right clearly. Do not bury it in a long ticket list.

DesirableEvidence that may separate applicants

Use it when genuine. Do not claim exposure you cannot explain to a technical interviewer or referee.

Employment typePermanent, fixed-term, casual or labour hire

Read the rate, super, allowances, overtime, leave, stand-down, cancellation and notice conditions together.

Experience wordingAssets, industries and time

Match your real transferable experience to the work. Similarity is useful; pretending it is identical is not.

Build the application

Make the evidence easy to find.

Your resume should help a recruiter answer three questions quickly: Are you eligible? Have you done relevant work? Can someone verify it? The guide now includes ATS-compatible Word templates and a separate project-history table.

Open the guide & templates

01
Target line
State the role family, location or point of hire and the work environment you are targeting.
02
Licence block
Put current, relevant licences and expiry dates where a recruiter can verify them quickly.
03
Evidence bullets
Use asset + task + responsibility + outcome. Make it clear what you personally completed.
04
Roster proof
Show remote, shift-work, shutdown, regional or travel reliability only when you can support it.
05
Referees
Use supervisors who directly observed your conduct and capability and have agreed to be contacted.
06
Document pack
Keep readable copies of identification, work-rights evidence, licences and statements of attainment ready for secure employer systems.

Two readiness questions

Can you clear the process—and fit the work environment?

Police screening and underground capability are separate gates. Neither one replaces licences, medicals, inductions or role competency.

01 · PRE-EMPLOYMENT

National Police Clearances for FIFO and Gold Mining

Understand the check name, accepted provider, point-in-time validity, record disclosure, privacy and secure submission.

Open the clearance guide →02 · WORK ENVIRONMENT

Underground Mining versus Surface FIFO Work

Compare access, equipment, ventilation, ground control, emergency systems, shift travel and transferable experience.

Open the underground guide →

Medicals, PEM and screening

Know what is being tested—and what happens next.

A pre-employment medical, functional assessment, drug-and-alcohol screen and exposure health-monitoring program serve different purposes. Requirements and frequency vary by employer, client site, role, jurisdiction and risk.

Open the medical & testing guide

01PEM and function

See the history, clinical, hearing, vision, lung, movement, lifting and job-specific checks that may be commissioned.

02Medication declarations

Use the authorised confidential channel, keep an accurate list and never stop prescribed treatment simply to pass a test.

03Instant vs Lab DAS

Understand why a non-negative screen is not a confirmed positive and where laboratory and medical review fit.

04Gate, site and camp

Testing may be pre-employment, at access, random, for cause, post-incident or part of return-to-work monitoring.

FIFO onboarding checklist

From offer to first swing without the last-minute scramble.

Adapted for FIFO workers from the supplied onboarding checklist and the three role-specific mobilisation sheets.

01Offer

Verify the whole arrangement

Employer and job title
Employment type and pay conditions
Roster, shifts and start window
Point of hire, travel and stand-down rules

02Documents

Build one clean mobilisation file

Identity and work-rights evidence
Front and back of every licence card
Statements of attainment and expiry dates
Current contact and emergency details

03Screening

Complete medical and checks promptly

Book the medical when instructed
Confirm the exact police check and accepted issuer if required
Prepare an accurate medication list
Use the required confidential declaration channel
Allow for screening, confirmation and medical review before flights are confirmed

04Inductions

Finish every assigned module

Use the correct employer portal
Complete online and site modules
Save proof of completion
Confirm whether induction time is paid

05Access and travel

Prepare for the actual work area

Start MSIC or other access checks early
Confirm flights, camp and ground transport
Check supplied PPE against what you bring
Pack only the requested tools and documents

06First swing

Know the people, scope and systems

Meet the supervisor and buddy
Confirm work boundaries and expectations
Learn emergency and communication arrangements
Check timesheets, payroll and required follow-ups

What good onboarding should feel like

Clear people, clear scope, clear systems.

An induction schedule before mobilisation
Working access, logins and communication channels
A named supervisor, buddy or reliable contact
A first-day explanation of role boundaries and expectations
Check-ins during the first swing and a way to raise training gaps
Feedback on progress, conduct, paperwork and next steps

Timing varies: The supplied shutdown sheets estimated one to two weeks from medical completion to mobilisation and noted substantial online induction time. Treat both as one employer's example. Do not book travel or resign from another job until the actual employer confirms mobilisation.

Where to apply

Follow the employers that hire your role.

Do not limit your search to the largest mine operator. Contractors, maintenance providers, labour-hire agencies, camp-service businesses and project teams employ a large share of FIFO crews.

01Mine operators and company profilesExplore companies →02Contractors, labour hire and suppliersExplore the directory →03Workforce Australia job searchSearch vacancies ↗04Shutdown or rostered maintenance?Compare the routes →

Before accepting an offer

Get the whole arrangement in writing.

Employer, job title, employment type and start conditions
Point of hire, flights, ground transport and travel time
Roster, shift length, days and nights, and expected swing dates
Rate, super, overtime, allowances, leave and pay cycle
Medical, drug-and-alcohol testing, police clearance, licences and induction requirements
Accommodation, meals, PPE, tools and personal costs

Protect your identity and your money.

Verify the employer through its official website and contact details. Scamwatch warns jobseekers to stop and check offers that require payment to make money or arrive through unexpected social or messaging contact.

Read the official job-scam guidance ↗

Official checks

Use the source closest to the requirement.

Source-checked 30 August 2026. Employer programs, licence rules and vacancies can change.

Safe Work Australia — rigging licence classes

Official definitions of basic, intermediate and advanced rigging high-risk work licence classes.

WorkSafe WA — high-risk work

WA guidance on high-risk work licences, applications and recognised licence classes.

WorkSafe WA — construction work on mine sites

When general construction induction training is required on a mine site.

National Training Register

Confirm that an RTO is current and approved to deliver nationally recognised training.

Home Affairs — VEVO

Check current visa details, conditions and work rights.

WA Government — electrical licensing

WA electrical licences, permits and recognition information for interstate and international workers.

Fair Work Ombudsman — Pay Calculator

Check minimum pay rates, allowances and penalties where the Fair Work tool applies.

Scamwatch — jobs and employment scams

How to identify fake job offers and protect money and identity information.

ACIC — criminal history checks

Official process, accredited-provider and point-in-time validity guidance for employment police checks.

WorkSafe WA — mining safety guides

Regulator guidance covering underground ventilation, ground control, refuge, diesel emissions and emergency preparedness.

Method and independence: The supplied role sheets and onboarding checklist were anonymised and synthesised for this guide; employer, client, site and internal code names were removed. The FIFO Hub is not a mine operator, regulator, police agency, medical provider or Registered Training Organisation. Confirm current role, licence, training, screening, medical and mobilisation requirements with the relevant authority and employer before paying or applying.

Role first.Tickets second.