If you’ve scoured the internet for jobs in the mining and construction industry, you’ve probably seen the acronym ‘FIFO’ everywhere. FIFO is fly in, fly out work. For this arrangement, workers temporarily fly into a remote location, work for a few weeks, then fly out to return home. Is it better than sitting at a desk for 8 hours a day for 5 days a week? Not exactly.
There are advantages and disadvantages to this kind of work, and it’s not suited for everyone. If you want to know if it’s a good fit for you, we’ve compiled a list of pros and cons for you to go through:
Pros of FIFO
Compensation
The main benefit of FIFO work is the salary. To compensate for the long hours and the inconvenience of leaving home for weeks at a time, FIFO workers usually receive good pay. For a FIFO driller, you can get a starting rate of $35.00 per hour or around $100,000 a year.
Time Off
During your “off” weeks, you can spend as much time as you want with your family and friends. You can even go on relaxing week-long holidays instead of squeezing in a quick weekend trip.
Free Accommodation and Meals
At the worksite, you’re usually provided with accommodation and meals, so you won’t have to think about spending your hard-earned money.
Cons of FIFO
Missing Out on Special Occasions
Everyone who’s ever been away from home for an extended period of time knows how tough it is to be away from your loved ones. And because you’ll be away from work, you might miss key milestones or special events, like birthdays and anniversaries.
Lack of Freedom
Because you’ll be assigned to a remote location for weeks, you can’t leave anytime you want. If you lose your sense of freedom, you might end up feeling trapped or constrained which might lead to mental health problems.*
Health Issues
You’ll often be subjected to extreme weather conditions and long hours, which might lead to fatigue and burnout, so it’s important that you are physically fit before you go into a FIFO job.
*If you need support for mental health problems, please reach out to these national mental health helplines & support groups.
Final Thoughts
We hope that list of pros and cons helped! Keep those benefits in mind, and don’t let the challenges discourage you. In fact, you can even take it a step further and get an actual taste of what to expect with FIFO work with the help of the Aston JobFit™ Challenge.
This was designed to help job seekers step into their next role with confidence and recruiters figure out which individual is the right fit for the job.
For more insights and tips on the mining and construction industry, check out our other articles here.
