Drilling employment

Over the last year or so I have been investing in myself. I have keen interest to gain employment in mining. My direction has been exploration drilling hence why I completed

Cert 11 drilling operations
HR licence
and a swag of other licences, endorsements, tickets

My experience for the last 10 years has been in construction-bricklaying.

I have spent the last couple of weeks on rig out near Brisbane learning how to be an offsider / assistant.

So I figure there is nothing further I can do except get a job. I'm really hitting brick walls at the moment in regards to getting to speak to someone in the industry who may be in a position to hire people. So my question is

Does anyone work in the drilling industry that could maybe point me in the right direction?


I don't care where in Australia.
 
dude - i put "drill" into seek and got a fair few matches?!

mining employment agencies are good, you may find you will start on water bores for 6 months....
 
I don't care where in Australia.

I would say that is your first problem.
Drillers are a bit of a dime a dozen imo. There are lots of them, and many guys have years and years of experience drilling difficult wells all around the world. Australia is seen as their semi-retirement. These guys all know each other and have often worked all around the world with each other.

You on the other hand are one of a thousand 'newbies' looking for work in oz. tickets unfortunately count for little in the Oil and Gas industry. Its experience which everyone wants. Usually experience comes from doing tough yards in shitty places.

If possible try and look further a field.
 
I would say that is your first problem.
Drillers are a bit of a dime a dozen imo. There are lots of them, and many guys have years and years of experience drilling difficult wells all around the world. Australia is seen as their semi-retirement. These guys all know each other and have often worked all around the world with each other.

You on the other hand are one of a thousand 'newbies' looking for work in oz. tickets unfortunately count for little in the Oil and Gas industry. Its experience which everyone wants. Usually experience comes from doing tough yards in shitty places.

If possible try and look further a field.

Can I send you my resume? I reckon Kazahkstan would be fascinating.
 
Can I send you my resume? I reckon Kazahkstan would be fascinating.

My Mr's sent some workers over the Kazahkstan recently, one actually the father of an old school friend. He was complaining that the when one of guys had a slight graze and needed for it to be treated, the 'hospital' where it was bandaged up had no windows.. As in holes in the wall there, just no glass! :D

They didn't like the team leader being a female much, either....
 
you need to start kicking around with some blokes that do this sort of work. a lot of people do it now so joining a footy club might be a good start. I reckon half my team have jobs in the mines, most starting as offsiders and scoring work through word of mouth. not all had mining related experience either one was a horticulturalist and now is drilling for gold in tanami desert, simply through word of mouth.

I agree too though with being crazy doing fifo with wife and kids
 
Despite all the talk of mining boom, it's a pretty tough gig to get in to.

I've got a mate who had been working as a drillers offsider for 5 years and just got made redundant with 1 week notice. I know lots of qualified tradesmen that have been trying to get jobs in the mines for many months with no luck.

Your best bet is to drive/fly up to Karratha/Kalgoorlie/Gladstone/Orange or wherever and show your face, otherwise you're just another guy with a CV who lives hours away.
 
I forgot to mention before - also register with a couple of recruitment agencies and see what they think. You will actually have to go in and meet them face to face for this to work at all - but go in prepared (as if it is a job interview).

Its tough to get into, but once your in its a massive 'boys club'. Most jobs are not even publicly advertised, and if they are it is just to complete the internal process. The person who they are going to employ has already been selected.

Ill repeat my statement before - I believe you are crazy.
 
find out every drilling company you can and call there office and ask to speak to the HR girl and keep calling eventually you will get in.
 
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