Underground miner shares tip to snag high-paying job with no experience

An Aussie underground miner has shared how he landed a sizeable six-figure salary job despite having no prior experience

An Aussie underground miner has shared how he landed a six-figure salary job despite having no prior experience, claiming that in industries like mining, connections often matter more than qualifications.

The miner, who spoke with the GetAhead app on the streets of Melbourne, explained how he broke into the industry thanks to a connection with a friend’s father.

“Didn’t really have any idea I was going to get into underground mining,” he said.

“I just got asked at a barbecue off a mate’s dad, who was a foreman in mines.”

The job has since brought him a contract worth around $200,000 annually.

His advice? Be persistent.

“Just keep trying. It’s one of those industries where it’s not what you know, it’s who you know,” the miner said.

HR expert Lara Nercessian spoke to a mining worker who makes over $200k.

Analysis conducted in 2024 by insurance brokerage Trade Risk found the average gross salary for a tradie last year was $90,940 – an 11 per cent increase on 2019 figures.

“We believe it is the best representation of how much Aussie tradies are really earning, as it uses the taxable incomes provided to us by thousands of self-employed tradies from around Australia,” Trade Risk said in its report.

Coming in at top spot were boilermakers, with an average income of $112,535, followed by electricians on $96,338 and plumbers on $95,507.

But those numbers can vary wildly depending on the position.

One self-employed FIFO worker in Queensland, who also works underground, revealed he makes an eye-watering $300,000 a year.

Miners need to complete a Standard 11, a mandatory training module about safety in the mines.

However, while anyone can do it, not just anyone is cut out for it, he pointed out.

“I don’t get scared but there are other people that have come down for the first time and wanted to get straight back out because they couldn’t handle it,” he said, adding that sometimes he can be working up to one kilometre underground.

“It is a dangerous job obviously.”

Around 4.2 per cent of the nation’s tradies earn more than $150,000 and only 0.3 per cent more than $250,000.

Around 4.2 per cent of the nation’s tradies earn more than $150,000.

But FIFO workers have reported some serious drawbacks to working in their lucrative careers.

Earlier this year, one miner earning six figures revealed how quickly his pay cheque disappeared thanks to the cost of living crisis.

Carpenter Jared Deacon, who is from the UK but worked on remote mining sites in Australia, told news.com.au that he earned $100,000 per year after tax, meaning he got around $1900-a-week in his bank account.

But money was quickly be eaten up by basics like $500 in rent, $400 in child support, and other financial obligations.

By the time the 24-year-old paid for all his necessities, he left with around $500 to spend weekly.

After a video about his dwindling income went viral, Mr Deacon told news.com.au that everyone thinks that working in the mining industry is a financial dream, but the reality is often different.

“All that happens is you cram all your hours into one or two weeks, and you get a week or two weeks off,” he said.

The 24-year-old said that his hourly rate was $60 which he could have earned working in a major city.

The benefit is that when you’re working away, you don’t spend money on food, but all your other bills are still flowing in.

“I don’t think people you realise how much you sacrifice in FIFO,” he said.