FIFO Chef Work: A Recruiters Insight

What I have learnt from being in the FIFO industry 10 years...

The truth of the matter is being a chef in the mining industry in the current environment means you can literally choose your employer! Everyone is hiring, regularly! So really it is up to you to choose who you want to work for. The benefit of working for an agency is that you often get to go around to different sites, and different host employers until you find the right employer long term. Or if you prefer the flexibility of working casual, and like the idea of changing brigades every swing, then perhaps casual work is right for you long term.

What to look for when choosing an agency

There are a lot of agencies that supply the mining sector across Australia, and much like catering companies you really have your pick of the bunch! The important thing to remember when choosing an agency, it isn’t always about money. However, if this is your main priority hourly rates have certainly gone up in recent years so you can afford to shop around.

Most importantly, you want an agency that values their employees, someone that puts people before profit and whom does what they can to make you feel valued as an employee within their organisation. Remember, without you these companies wouldn’t be in business so ensure you are being well looked after. Now, I will caveat this by saying this doesn’t give you the right to be rude or arrogant, it should be of the attitude we are all in this together.

Personally, I have created a support program for our FIFO workers, in order to create a community for our candidates. Somewhere for them to find support for financial, physical and mental well-being. Now your agency doesn’t need to have their own program, but make sure they are showing signs they are aligned with looking after their candidates. The most important things to monitor are payment of wages, superannuation, and correct payment to awards. Also, make sure your employer will challenge the host client when needed. No one in a casual position should be working unpaid overtime, and this practice is in fact illegal.

FIFO Chef Life: The Pros

Fly in Fly out Chef work has a lot of benefits that local positions do not, these include.

• One full week off work (if you so desire), where you normally work a lot of unpaid overtime in local roles, casual chef work means that all hours are paid on site (or should be with the right employer)
• All flights, meals and accommodation provided whilst on site, meaning this is a great way to save money on living expense
• With COVID being an issue across hospitality in recent months, mining is one of the only industries that strengthened, providing job stability in times of uncertainty
• As a casual, if you are sent to a site where perhaps you don’t like the head chef, or the facilities aren’t that great, once you have completed that swing you never have to go back!
• Another bonus of working as a casual, if you do go to site and you don’t like it and you never want to return, you wont burn your bridges by saying please don’t send me back there

The downside to FIFO Chef work: The Cons

There is always a downside, pros and cons to anything in life, and some of the ones that I can think for FIFO work are listed below:

• You will miss special dates, all the time (unless you are casual and are really good at booking your time off). On 2/1 rosters in permanent positions you often must take a whole swing off or a whole week off to attend events, which isn’t always practical. If you like a lot of flexibility to be social, casual is likely the way to go
• Being away from family and your support network is the largest downside to FIFO work. Rarely will you find a ‘family friendly’ roster these days (8 days on 6 days off) and being away from partners and children can be especially hard. Ensuring you have thought about the impact this will have on your mental health is imperative and don’t be afraid to seek additional professional help if it is required
• Being permanent often means getting stuck on sites with people you may not like, or facilities that aren’t the greatest.

What to expect from pay working as a FIFO Chef?

How much does a Mining Chef Earn? Permanent Chef positions on the mines range anywhere from $75,000 - $95,000 per year dependant on client, swing, roster etc. As a casual you have an opportunity to work additional paid hours and longer swings. Meaning that generally you will get paid between $90,000 - $110,000 to work 34 weeks a year!

Overall, the most important thing to remember is to look after yourself, your mental health and ensure that you are working for your future. Seek good advice from trusted advisers such as financial planners to ensure your time on site is leveraged. FIFO Chef work does not have to be forever, but certainly looks appealing in today's current climate.

For more information on what it is like to work for an industry leading Mining Chef Recruitment agency with over 10 years working in this space, call the Team at Tailored Resources on 1300 NEW JOB. We put people before profit.