A COUPLE have revealed how their job comes with great wages, lots of time off – and free food, accommodation and entertainment.
Italian chefs Chris and Ceci have spent the last two years working at mining camps across Australia – and one site stands out as the best office on the planet.
Sitting in Western Australia is the Mulla Mulla mining site – more like a mini city than a place of work.
Within the endless outback, the camp site has a three-storey cafe, state-of-the-art gym, library, virtual golf course, entertainment stage, swimming pool and several sports courts from tennis, squash and basketball.
But the highlight for many is the unlimited and free flowing drinks from the pubs and rooftop bars at the site.
For the near 3,000 workers who pile into the site for their bi-weekly shifts, even fancy hotel standard accommodation is laid out for them to enjoy at no cost.
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Each comes with a private bathroom, air conditioning and high-speed internet.
It was the best one we saw and we’ve seen like 10. Mulla Mulla was the most precious
Ceci Azzolini
Mulla Mulla is a famous hotspot for Fly In Fly Out (FIFO) workers who can earn hefty wages – and have the time of their lives.
Ceci Azzolini, 25, told The Sun: “It was the best one we saw and we’ve seen like 10. Mulla Mulla was the most precious.
“They have virtual golf, massage chairs, swimming pool, the gym – a massive, massive, massive gym, basketball field and squash courts.”
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According to the adventurous duo, the mining camp is popular with workers as it is seen as a VIP venue for guests and has “the most fancy things” for them to enjoy.
As an added bonus, everything in the camp is free – making it perfect for a young couple with a lot of spare time.
“We usually start work at 4am in the morning and we do our 12 hour shift and finish at 4pm,” Ceci explained.
“But we get to decide what we want to do.
“We manage our work through the day and as long as everything is prepped before dinner service and breakfast service, then we’re all good to go.
“We’re pretty much free. We have freedom because we can actually modify what we do so we can always do something different if we want to, which is not normal for a chef.”
The couple moved to Australia from Italy four years ago to live a new life and stumbled into FIFO work based on suggestions from pals.
“We wanted to try something different,” Ceci said.
“We had some friends that were already working in the mines as utility workers or housekeepers and they were telling us that they were actually hiring.
“They’re always looking for someone. So we were like, ‘okay, let’s try something different, let’s see if we can work together’ and so we did.”
We’re happy with the money and we’re happy with the stress level
Chris Scaramuzza
Chris Scaramuzza, 27, worked as a chef in an Australian restaurant before moving into the world of FIFO – but now he can’t imagine going back to a busy 9-5 job in the city.
He said: “Its better because it’s less stressful compared to the rhythm of the city when you work in a restaurant.
“We work two weeks at the camp but then we have a week off so we can enjoy our time and it’s just completely different.
“We’re happy with the money and we’re happy with the stress level.
Ceci and Chris went from earning around £55,000-a-year in their old jobs to getting a whopping £104,000 working at various mining sites across Australia.
And as they get free accommodation, food and entertainment when away at work they end up keeping a lot of that new-found cash for themselves.
Getting an extra £45,000 in the bank meant they started to look at life differently and began to fulfil some of their wildest dreams.
Ceci broke down their finances saying: “When I was working full time in Perth as a pastry chef I was working roughly 40 hours per week.
“I was getting roughly $27 (£14) per hour each and Christian was doing five days a week doing 38 hours maximum and was getting $31 (£16) per hour, which was roughly $63,000 (£33,000) per year.
“But now we’re getting paid $99,165 (£52,000) on the same wage but we can also get a few extra few bucks an hour for working an early start.
“And we can work bank holidays and we get $60 (£31) an hour.
“But the thing that we were interested in was not just the money but the time that you actually have off.”
For us it’s more like rainbows and unicorns over there. It’s just a different feeling like you’re in a bubble kind of thing
Ceci Azzolini
The couple work two weeks at a campsite and then have a week off to go home to Perth.
“We’re working half of the hours but we’re getting the same money,” Ceci said.
“We love travelling, we’ve been to Thailand and Bali recently and are already planning a trip at Christmas.
“Now I don’t have to think twice about money, and I know that I can buy a plane ticket and be there without worrying ‘oh, my God! I don’t have enough money I’m gonna have to eat bread and water for the next two months’.”
When asked if FIFO working had any downsides, Ceci and Chris struggled to think of any.
“I would say that right now, the only negative point is that obviously you’re there for two weeks, there’s no escape and you can’t go anywhere else,” they said.
“So obviously, it’s a bit weird because it feels like you’re living in another world.
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“The time goes really, really quick and sometimes you don’t really realize how quick it is and that people in Perth actually keep going with their lives.
“For us it’s more like rainbows and unicorns over there. It’s just a different feeling like you’re in a bubble kind of thing.”
What are FIFO jobs?
“Fly-in-fly-out” (FIFO) jobs involve workers being flown out to a remote location, often large mining regions in Australia and Canada, to work for a set amount of time before returning home.
This saves families relocating to somewhere with very limited resources and facilities.
Workers usually work a two weeks on, two weeks off period, where all days off are spent at home rather than at the work site.
Mining is the most common form of work, where employees can endure 12 hour shifts for a number of continuous days.
The work is certainly challenging but it can be incredibly rewarding – and the pay is often higher than regular 9-5 office jobs.
The average FIFO salary in Australia is $109,279 (£56,784) per year or $56.04 (£29.12) per hour.
Workers will also have their accommodation and food paid for when working in these remote locations.
As the employee’s work days are almost entirely taken up by working, sleeping, and eating, there is little need for any recreation facilities at the work site.
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Georgie English
