You can get a FIFO job with no mining experience. The way in is an entry-level role: camp services such as cleaning and kitchen work, a traineeship, or a "new to industry" intake run by a mining company. What does not work is buying a bundle of tickets and hoping. Read real job ads first, get only the tickets they name, be ready for a medical and a drug and alcohol test, and apply directly to employers.
This guide covers each step, with the official source for every requirement. Everything was checked in October 2026. Nothing here is a promise of a job: these roles are popular, and employers say so themselves.
Can you really get a FIFO job with no experience?
Yes. The WA Government's training and careers service, Jobs and Skills WA, says it plainly: some entry level jobs in the resources sector do not require any particular skills or experience. It adds that for a specific occupation you will need to skill up, and that some jobs are only offered through an apprenticeship or traineeship.
Working in WA's resources sector (Jobs and Skills WA)jobsandskills.wa.gov.au
"No experience" has a narrow meaning here. It means no mining experience. Employers still look at what you have done: hospitality, cleaning, driving, farm work, a trade, the defence force, shift work of any kind. A history of turning up, working safely and coping with long days counts.
The Mining Industry Award shows what a true entry-level job looks like on paper. Its entry level classification is for an employee doing the standard induction training for the operation, covering things like mine and plant safety, first aid and moving around the site, and performing routine duties under direct supervision. What the work pays, and what is left after tax, is in FIFO salary: what workers really take home.
Which FIFO jobs can you get with no experience?
There are four doors. Each one below is described the way the employer or agency describes it on its own website.
| Way in | What it is | What an official page says |
|---|---|---|
| Camp and village services | Housekeeping, cleaning, kitchen, bar, retail and grounds work in the camp | Sodexo says it has entry-level roles and is looking for hospitality all-rounders for these teams |
| New-to-industry roles | Site jobs where you are trained on the job | BHP says roles it has hired for previously include underground nippers, truck operators, surface technicians and general service roles |
| Traineeships | Paid work plus a nationally recognised certificate | Fortescue says its programs run from 12 months to 4 years and mix on-the-job training with TAFE |
| Apprenticeships | A paid trade qualification over several years | BHP describes site-based 4-year apprenticeships where you are a full-time paid employee from day one |
Two details are worth knowing before you apply.
- Some programs are aimed at particular groups. Rio Tinto says its traineeships focus on the development of First Nations people and women, and lead to a Certificate II or III aimed at entry-level and semi-skilled roles such as plant operator or lube technician.
- Intakes are seasonal. BHP notes that apprenticeship intakes are seasonal and suggests setting up a job alert so you know when applications open.
New to industry pathways (BHP)bhp.com
FIFO opportunities (Sodexo Australia)au.sodexo.com
Camp services is the door most people overlook. A job as a utility or service attendant is a FIFO job: same flights, same roster, same camp. It also gives you the one thing other employers ask for, which is proof that you can handle a swing. If those words are new, what does FIFO mean? explains them, and FIFO rosters explained turns 2:1 or 8:6 into real days.
What tickets do you actually need?
Fewer than the internet suggests. The rule is simple: the job ad tells you what that employer requires. Read ten ads for the role you want and write down what they ask for. Then get those tickets, and only those.
Here is what the official sources say about the tickets you will see mentioned most.
Construction induction card (White Card). This is a legal requirement for construction work, not for every job on a mine. WorkSafe WA says a business must not direct or allow a worker to carry out construction work unless the worker has completed general construction induction training, and the definition of construction work is broad: building, maintenance, repair, excavation and site preparation all count. Registered training organisations deliver the training and issue the card. WorkSafe also says cards from other states and territories are recognised in WA, and that a card becomes invalid if the holder leaves the industry for two consecutive years or longer.
Construction induction training (WorkSafe WA)worksafe.wa.gov.au
Standard 11. You will see this in ads and on course websites. It is a Queensland requirement. The national training register describes the related skill set as addressing the regulatory requirements for open-cut coal mining under Queensland's Recognised Standard 11, and as meeting Queensland regulatory requirements. If you are applying for iron ore or gold sites in WA, do not pay for it unless a specific ad asks for it.
RIISS00034 Surface Coal Mine Safety Skill Set (training.gov.au)training.gov.au
Driver's licence. Check whether the ad asks for a manual car licence. If the role involves driving heavier vehicles, it will name the class. The WA Department of Transport says you can apply for a Medium Rigid (MR) licence once you have held your car licence for 12 months, and for a Heavy Rigid (HR) licence once you have held a car licence for at least two years, or an LR or MR licence for at least one year.
Upgrade or add a driver's licence category (WA Department of Transport)wa.gov.au
Everything else. Working at heights, confined space, first aid and similar short courses are role-specific. Some employers train you after they hire you. Paying for a package of them before you have read a single job ad is an easy way to waste money on the way into FIFO.
To check a training provider, look it up on training.gov.au, the national register of registered training organisations. Your local Jobs and Skills Centre can also tell you, for free, which training is worth doing for the job you want.
What happens in the medical and the drug test?
Expect both. They are part of how mine sites manage safety, and they apply to everyone.
- Pre-employment medical. Fortescue lists a pre-employment medical assessment as a standard step in its recruitment process, alongside background, police and identification checks. Rio Tinto says its screening depends on the role and location and can include identity, right to work, qualifications, references and employment medicals. WorkSafe WA's guidance to mining operations is that fitness-for-work assessments should look at whether a person can safely do the specific activities of their role.
- Drugs and alcohol. WorkSafe WA says workers must be fit and well enough to do their job, must not be under the influence of alcohol or drugs, and must not use alcohol or illegal drugs while at work. Employers must manage that risk, and WorkSafe says this might include a specific drug and alcohol policy. Mining employers set their own testing rules, so read the policy you are given. Prescription and over-the-counter medicines can affect your ability to work safely too, so declare them.
Duties relating to drugs and alcohol (WorkSafe WA)worksafe.wa.gov.au
The practical advice is dull: be honest on the medical form, and treat the test as something that can happen on any day of any swing.
Where do you apply?
Jobs and Skills WA gives the same advice a recruiter would: most jobs are advertised online, and sometimes the best approach is a direct one, because most of the major resource companies operating in WA advertise jobs on their own websites.
- Company careers pages. Go to the source, set up job alerts, and apply through the site. Fortescue, for example, says it only accepts applications submitted online through its careers website.
- Camp services companies. Apply to them the same way. Sodexo, for example, says it has FIFO opportunities in Western Australia, the Northern Territory and Queensland.
- The Jobs and Skills WA jobs board. It lists FIFO and DIDO roles, apprenticeships and traineeships.
- Recruitment agencies. Several agencies recruit for mine sites, including entry-level roles.
- A Jobs and Skills Centre. The centres give free help with your CV, your application and interview preparation. Call 13 64 64 to find the nearest one.
Who hires, which agencies list entry-level roles and how to search without wasting weeks is covered in FIFO jobs in Perth: who hires and where to look.
Jobs and Skills Centres (Jobs and Skills WA)jobsandskills.wa.gov.au
How do you make an application stand out?
Recruiters for entry-level roles are reading for three things. Put them at the top of your CV.
- Proof you can do the hours. Shift work, long days, physical work, early starts. Say what you did and for how long.
- Proof you work safely. Any job where you followed procedures, reported hazards or held a safety role.
- Proof you will stay. Fly-in fly-out means time away from home. Say that you have thought about it and why it suits you.
Then make it easy to say yes. List the tickets and licence you hold with their dates. Give your availability and the airport you can fly from. Keep it to two pages.
Be patient. Fortescue says its recruitment process can take anywhere from 2 to 8 weeks depending on the role and the number of applications, and that it cannot give individual updates because of the high volume. Apply widely and keep applying.
How do you avoid FIFO job scams?
Entry-level FIFO jobs attract scammers because so many people want them. Scamwatch lists the warning signs: a hiring process that is quick, with no interview or talk about your experience, and a request to pay a recruitment fee or to pay for training materials before you start.
Real employers do not charge you to apply. Rio Tinto says it will never ask for payment at any stage of its recruitment process and that genuine contact comes from an email address ending in @riotinto.com. Scamwatch's advice is to contact recruiters using a phone number you have found yourself, and never to send identity documents unless you are certain the employer is genuine.
Jobs and employment scams (Scamwatch)scamwatch.gov.au
A training course is not a job offer. If a provider tells you a course guarantees work on a mine, ask which employer has agreed to hire its graduates, and check with that employer.
Where will you live between swings?
Sort this out before your first flight. Employers fly you from a set airport, and for many WA sites that is Perth. Fortescue says that if you live outside its pick-up locations, you arrange your own flights to one of them at your own cost. So if you are coming from interstate or overseas, your first FIFO job usually means a move to Perth.
You will be away for a week or two at a time, and you will have early flights. Look for a room near the airport, in suburbs such as Redcliffe, Belmont, Cloverdale or Ascot, with somewhere to leave a car: the trade-offs are in where to live in Perth as a FIFO worker. Do not pay for a room you have not seen inside. The full order of jobs is in moving to Perth for FIFO work: the complete checklist, and the warning signs are in rental scams in Perth.
Kipmates is a room-share marketplace launching in Perth. Your roster sits on your profile, hosts can mark a household as FIFO-friendly, and listings show the weekly rent and the move-in date, so you can browse rooms by the date your first swing starts.
FAQ
Can I get a FIFO job with no experience?
Yes. Jobs and Skills WA says some entry level jobs in the resources sector do not require any particular skills or experience. The usual ways in are camp services roles, new-to-industry roles, traineeships and apprenticeships. Competition is strong, so apply widely.
What tickets do I need for an entry-level FIFO job in WA?
It depends on the job, and the ad will say. A White Card is required by law for construction work. A driver's licence is commonly asked for. Standard 11 is a Queensland coal mining requirement, not a WA one. Read real job ads before paying for any course.
Do I need a White Card to work FIFO?
Only if the job involves construction work, which WorkSafe WA defines broadly to include maintenance, repair and excavation. Check the ad for the role you want. The card is issued by a registered training organisation, and cards from other states are recognised in WA.
What is the easiest FIFO job to get?
There is no official ranking. Camp and village services roles, such as housekeeping, cleaning and kitchen work, are where companies like Sodexo say they hire at entry level. Experience in hospitality or cleaning helps.
How long does it take to get a FIFO job?
It varies. Fortescue says its own recruitment process takes 2 to 8 weeks from application, depending on the role and the number of applicants. Add the time it takes to be shortlisted, which nobody can predict.
Do I have to live in Perth to work FIFO?
You have to get to the airport your employer flies from. For many WA sites that is Perth, and some employers also fly from regional towns. If you live somewhere else, check who pays for the trip to the pick-up point. Fortescue, for one, says it is at your own cost.
Sources
Checked October 2026.
- Working in WA's resources sector, Jobs and Skills Centres and Jobs and Skills WA jobs board, Jobs and Skills WA, Government of Western Australia.
- New to industry pathways in Australia, BHP.
- Traineeships, Rio Tinto Future Skills, and Careers FAQs, Rio Tinto.
- Apprenticeship and Trainee Programs and Careers FAQ, Fortescue.
- Take Flight with Sodexo: FIFO opportunities, Sodexo Australia.
- Mining Industry Award 2020 (MA000011), Fair Work Ombudsman, Schedule A.
- Construction induction training, WorkSafe WA.
- RIISS00034 Surface Coal Mine Safety Skill Set, training.gov.au, National Training Register.
- Upgrade or add a driver's licence category, WA Department of Transport.
- Duties relating to drugs and alcohol and Mines Safety Bulletin No. 167: Adequate assessment of fitness for work, WorkSafe WA.
- Jobs and employment scams, Scamwatch, National Anti-Scam Centre.
