How to get a FIFO job with no experience
You can get a FIFO job with no experience, but almost always through an entry-level door: a trainee or apprentice program, a camp or cleaning role (utility, kitchen hand), a trade assistant role, or a labour hire firm that places new starters. Right now 65 of the live roles we track on employers' own careers sites are marked trainee, apprentice, graduate or entry level (checked 6 Nov 2026).
Which FIFO jobs don't need experience?
The realistic first jobs are camp and hospitality roles (utility, cleaner, kitchen hand), trade assistants, trainee operators on company programs, and apprenticeships. Mining companies and contractors run trainee intakes at set times of year, so the number of openings changes a lot from month to month.
Entry-level roles open right now, read from employers' careers sites:
What tickets do you need first?
Get a white card (the construction induction card) first, because many site roles ask for it and it is a one-day course. A first aid certificate (HLTAID011) and a heavy rigid (HR) licence widen what you can apply for, especially for driving and labouring roles.
In the 1,793 live ads we track, 42 ads mention a white card and 0 mention an HR licence. Ads don't always list tickets, so treat these as a floor.
Details on each ticket: FIFO tickets explained.
Should you apply direct or through labour hire?
Do both. Apply direct to the miners' trainee programs (BHP, Rio Tinto, Fortescue, Roy Hill and others), and register with labour hire firms, which place new starters on shutdowns and casual swings. Casual labour hire work is often how people get the site experience that direct employers ask for.
Start with the companies hiring now; each page links straight to the employer's own careers site.
What happens after you apply?
Expect an online application, often an online assessment, an interview, then a pre-employment medical and a drug and alcohol test before you are mobilised. Large miners can take several weeks from application to first swing.
How do you avoid FIFO job scams?
Never pay anyone for a job. Courses sold with a "guaranteed FIFO job" or a "job placement" promise are the most common trap in this industry: real employers and labour hire firms don't charge you to be hired. A legitimate RTO sells you a ticket, not a job.
Check that a training provider is a registered training organisation on training.gov.au before you pay for a course.