Mining Oil and Gas Internships and Vacation Programs

Mining, Oil & Gas Internship and Vacation Program

Mining, whether for coal, iron ore, jewels and minerals, oil or natural gas, contributes in a major way to Australia’s national economy. Currently it is the biggest industry in the country, with the states of Western Australia and Queensland being the main drivers of this boom. The mining companies operating in Australia are extremely successful, and offer graduates (especially engineers) some of the nation’s highest starting salaries. The mining industry demands a range of jobs so wide that they almost constitute a whole separate economy. Graduates of engineering, science, ICT and business are all crucial to the functioning of a mine. However despite the mining boom and the comparatively high demand for these jobs within this industry, it is still very competitive to obtain a graduate position, let alone a place in a graduate program. Employers look for evidence of being able to apply skills in real life situations. In this case it is advisable to obtain work experience – either in the form of an internship or a summer vacation program – before graduation.

Vacation Programs

Vacation programs are highly desirable, challenging, lucrative internships that take place usually in the summer between late November and early May, in the student’s penultimate year. Good performance in a vacation program virtually guarantees the intern a spot in the company’s graduate program. They function as recruitment and training activities – in mining vacation work usually involves practical hands-on participation in the functions of the mine, real responsibility, mentoring, team-building, and a taste of what life is like on-site. Of course, the type of work will depend on the job – mining companies typically offer several streams of work, such as engineering, geoscience, environmental science, ICT etc.

The experience at a mine is often quite different from a vacation program at another type of organisation. The main reason for this is that mines are generally situated in remote rural locations. Because a lot of a vacationer’s work is likely to take place on-site, mining vacationers usually undertake “fly-in, fly-out” assignments, whereby they spend a certain amount of time (such as a week) at the mine, living on the site, and are “flown out” for a few days break before the cycle begins again. Vacationers are paid a high hourly rate (usually a fraction of a graduate salary), and are in addition to this given food and travel allowance. The regional nature of mining means that many mining companies will only offer vacation positions to state residents. Fortunately mining takes place on all Australian states and territories, (though some to a much smaller extent than others). Other major mining companies offer vacation positions across several states.

According to AAGE (2014) ranking of the Best Internships and Vacation Programs in Australia, a significant amount of the top 30 are mining companies, including Fortescue Metals (ranked 1^st),  Chevron Australia (ranked 2^nd),  BP, Arrium and Shell (ranked 10^th, 11^th and 12^th respectively), as well as others.

For more information on the differences between internships and vacation programs, and for tips on how to successfully apply to these programs, check out our general internships and vacation programs guide.

More information about graduate programs in mining, oil and gas can be found here.