A FIFO worker turned flight attendant has told how she earns $3,200 a week after tax in Australia’s mines, but has also revealed a downside.
Ex-Virgin wrestling assistant Megan Meeke increased her weekly pay by more than 30 percent after taking a simple eight-hour online training course that gave her more recorded skills to use at workplaces.
However, she warned that it is not easy money, describing how she often has to work up to 77 hours a week, not to mention offensive comments from male colleagues.
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Megan Meeke (pictured) trained for three new tickets to land a job as a sales assistant, which saw her rise to $3,200 a week, but it’s not without its downsides.
To complete the training, Ms Meeke (pictured) took just one day, with eight hours of online training
Ms Meeke also revealed how brutal her schedule is – she works 77 hours a week
“You only got the job in the mines because you got down on your knees,” she said one man told her.
One supporter, who works in mining in north Queensland, commented: “As if we didn’t have to go through months of medicals and interviews.”
A Perth FIFO supervisor also chimed in, claiming he had fired someone “for saying that to one of the truckers”.
“There’s no place for that,” he said.
Earlier, Ms Meeke uploaded a viral post on TikTok celebrating the signing of a new contract worth $3,200 a week, after tax.
He explained to a curious follower how the pay rise came about.
Ms Meeke trained for three new tickets to get a job as a sales assistant: working in confined spaces, working at heights and a gas testing ticket.
The training included a one-day course and eight hours of online training.
Some commentators pointed out that even after her pay rise, Ms Meeke is “only” paid $41 an hour, after tax, for her brutal 77-hour week.
Megan Meeke, 27, a former Virgin flight attendant, earns $3,200 a week after tax for her FIFO work in Western Australia’s Pilbara mining region
Ms Meeke (pictured) trained for three new tickets to get a job as a sales assistant: working in confined spaces, working at heights and a gas test atmosphere ticket.
A normal day starts at 3.30 am if you work from 4 am to 4 pm, or at 4.30 am, which is a sleeper, for the 5 am to 5 pm shift.
While most Australians are still getting their last few hours of sleep, Ms Meeke is early on site for a pre-work safety briefing.
Everyone gets an hour lunch break plus two other 20-minute breaks a day.
After his 12-hour shift, he’s home for a shower, then dinner at the dry mess and, if he’s got the energy, a drink with his coworkers at the tavern.
“Or you go to my room and I pass out because I’m so tired, I try to sleep at 9 at night.”
But he noted that he can save much more than he would at the same hourly rate in a city job because everything is paid for.
“When you’re on site for those two weeks, everything is paid for: accommodation (called ‘dongas’), all your food, drinks, snacks, everything.
‘They also have games nights, bingo, gyms, pools, everything you need to be honest! And it’s all free. Not that I’ve been to the gym, but I’m always too tired for the day.
Her list, known as a ‘swing’, involves doing 14 days in a row before having a day off.
The former Virgin hostess arrived in Australia in 2019 and tried several jobs to support her travels before settling for fly-in mining jobs.
At least once a month, hop on a plane to explore another part of Australia or party in glamorous tourist spots like the Maldives, Dubai, Thailand and Bali.
Then, at least once a month, hop on a plane to explore another part of Australia or party in glamorous tourist spots like the Maldives, Dubai, Thailand and Bali.
“It’s definitely a tiring job, but also an amazing lifestyle if you’re someone who wants to travel the world and make incredible money,” he told Daily Mail Australia.
Unskilled but well paid: entry level mining jobs
Truck and Clamp Drivers: $90,000 to $120,000 (0 to 12 months experience)
Service Team: About $150,000 (6-12 months experience)
Diamond Driller: $150,000 to $190,000
Boggers and cargo: $160,000 to $200,000 (2-5 years)
Jumbo Operators: $200,000 to $250,000
Supervisors and foremen: up to $300,000
Source: Underground Training
“FIFO is something I really recommend, especially if you are young and want to travel, you earn amazing money and the lifestyle is great!
“You work hard for two weeks, then you have your week off to go to another country or explore more of Australia, then go back to work, work hard, make a lot of money and travel again.”
Since arriving in Australia, he has traveled to Bali, Croatia, Mexico, America and Thailand, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Dubai and Singapore.
The best thing about FIFO work, he said, is definitely the money.