I work in the world’s most luxurious mining camps with free pubs, rooftop bars and golf courses – and I earn £100,000 a year
A COUPLE have revealed their jobs come with high wages, lots of free time and free food, accommodation and entertainment.
Italian chefs Chris and Ceci have worked for the past two years mining fight about Australia – and one location stands out as the best office in the world.
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Sitting in the West Australia is the Mulla Mulla mining site – more like a small city than a workplace.
In the endless outback, the campsite has a three-storey café, a state-of-the-art gym, a library, virtual golf course, entertainment stage, swimming swimming pool and various sports Courts by tennissquash and basketball.
But the highlight for many is the unlimited and free-flowing drinks from the site’s pubs and rooftop bars.
Luxury hotel accommodation has even been set up for the nearly 3,000 employees who enter the site for their fortnightly shifts for them to enjoy free of charge.
Each room has a private bathroom, air conditioning and broadband internet access.
It was the best we saw and we saw about 10 of them. Mulla Mulla was the most precious
Ceci Azzolini
Mulla Mulla is a well-known hotspot for Fly In Fly Out (FIFO) workers who can earn a good wage and have the time of their lives.
Ceci Azzolini, 25, told The Sun: “It was the best we’ve seen and we’ve seen ten already. Mulla Mulla was the most valuable.
“They have virtual golf, massage chairs, a pool, the gym – a huge, huge, huge gym, basketball court and squash Courts.”
According to the adventurous duo, the mining camp is popular with workers because it is seen as a VIP location for guests and there are “the most luxurious things” for them to enjoy.
As an added bonus, everything at the camp is free – making it perfect for a young couple with a lot of free time.
“We usually start work at 4 a.m. and we do our 12-hour shift and finish at 4 p.m.,” Ceci explains.
“But we get to decide what we want to do.
“We manage our work during the day and as long as everything is prepared for dinner and breakfast, we are all good to go.
“We’re pretty much free. We have freedom because we can adapt what we do so we can always do something different if we want to, which is not normal for a chef.”
The couple moved from Italy four years ago to live a new life and came across FIFO work based on suggestions from friends.
“We wanted to try something different,” Ceci said.
“We had some friends who were already working in the mines as utility workers or housekeepers and they told us that they were actually recruiting people.
“They are always looking for someone. So we were like, ‘Okay, let’s try something different, let’s see if we can work together,’ and 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 at an Australian restaurant before entering the world of FIFO, but now he can’t imagine working a busy 9-5 job in the city again.
He said: “It’s better because it’s less stressful compared to the pace of the city when you work in a restaurant.
“We work at camp for two weeks, but then we have a week off so we can enjoy our time and it’s just very different.
“We are happy with the money and we are happy with the stress level.
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Ceci and Chris earned around £55,000 a year in their old days jobs to get as much as £104,000 to work at various mining sites across Australia.
And because they get free accommodation, food and entertainment while they’re at work, they end up keeping much of that new-found money for themselves.
Getting an extra £45,000 in the bank made them look at life differently and begin to realize some of their wildest dreams.
Giving an overview of their finances, Ceci said: “When I worked full-time in Perth as a pastry chef, I worked about 40 hours a week.
“I earned about $27 (£14) an hour each and Christian worked a maximum of 38 hours five days a week and was paid $31 (£16) an hour, which was about $63,000 (£33,000) a year.
“But now we get paid $99,165 (£52,000) on the same wages, but we can also get a few extra dollars an hour if we start working early.
‘And we can work public holidays and we get paid $60 (£31) per hour.
“But what we were interested in was not just the money, but also the time you actually have free.”
To us it looks more like rainbows and unicorns there. It’s just a different feeling like you’re in some kind of bubble
Ceci Azzolini
The couple works at a campsite for two weeks and then has a week off to go home to Perth.
“We work half the hours but get the same money,” Ceci said.
“We love to travel, we recently went to Thailand and Bali and are already planning a trip Christmas.
“Now I don’t have to think about money anymore, and I know I can buy a plane ticket and be there without worrying ‘oh, my God! I do not have enough money. I will have to eat bread and water for the next one two months’.”
When asked if there were any downsides to working with FIFO, Ceci and Chris struggled to think of any.
“I would say the only negative at this point is that you are obviously there for two weeks, there is no escape and there is nowhere else to go,” they said.
“So obviously it’s a bit weird because it feels like you’re living in a different world.
“Time goes very, very quickly and sometimes you don’t really realize how fast it is and that people in Perth are actually getting on with their lives.
“To us it looks more like rainbows and unicorns there. It’s just a different feeling, like you’re in some kind of bubble.”
What are FIFO Jobs?
Fly-in-fly-out (FIFO) jobs involve flying workers to a remote location, often large mining areas in Australia and Canada, to work for a period of time before returning home.
This saves families moving to a place with very limited resources and facilities.
Employees typically work a two-week on, two-week off period, with any days off spent at home rather than in the workplace.
Mining is the most common form of work, with workers able to endure several consecutive days of 12-hour shifts.
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.
Housing and food for employees working in these remote locations will also be paid.
Because the employee’s working days are almost entirely taken up by working, sleeping and eating, there is little need for recreational facilities in the workplace.
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