Fifo - not a fabulous lifestyle for some!

[chiara]

Unlike most of my blog posts, I've written a rather serious one about fifo, from the perspective of someone new to Australia.

http://www.chroniclesofatrailingspou...bout-fifo.html

[keily]

Unlike most of my blog posts, I've written a rather serious one about fifo, from the perspective of someone new to Australia.

http://www.chroniclesofatrailingspou...bout-fifo.html

brilliant blog ...i take my hat of to mothers with young kids whose hubbies are doing fifo ....i struggle and i have no dependent children .....as you so rightly say its seems the norm in oz particularly wa for the men to be working away ...and people think you must have a great life with all the money they make ....i can assure everyone that is NOT the case ....but for us its a means to an end at the mo and we take it one step at a time ...if it were to become unbearable for either one of us then we would need to reconsider

mrs keily

[Candygirl]

Wow Chiara I love the honesty of your writing. Your last article made me chuckle about the rental situation in Perth, but this latest one is incredibly poignant.

[scottishstacey]

brilliant blog ...i take my hat of to mothers with young kids whose hubbies are doing fifo ....i struggle and i have no dependent children .....as you so rightly say its seems the norm in oz particularly wa for the men to be working away ...and people think you must have a great life with all the money they make ....i can assure everyone that is NOT the case ....but for us its a means to an end at the mo and we take it one step at a time ...if it were to become unbearable for either one of us then we would need to reconsider

mrs keily

Good post! I know im going to struggle if we come over but we're going to give it a year and if i cant handle it or if we dont find a better roster/new sponsor then we'll come home.

[scottishstacey]

another great blog btw!

[SaffanZimbo]

OH is adamant that he does not want to do FIFO when we get to Oz.

I desperately do not want to have to go back to work fulltime.

I've missed out on being at home with my girls aged 3 and 5 since they were babies as we both had to work full time to meet our financial commitments.

FIFO however does pay a lot more than other regular jobs in OH's trade and friends who have moved there and are doing FIFO are coping on the one salarly alone.

I would like OH to try the FIFO first before dismissing it out of hand. If he can do it for 3-6 months and then decide I am more than prepared to accept that I have to go back to work but I would like him to give it a go. I don't want FIFO to be an indefinite way of life but 1-2 years to allow us to get our financial footing would be a huge step forward.

Am I being selfish?

[chiara]

Saffan, no you're not. It depends what you consider to be 'selfish'. For me, having dh away is hard and doesn't feel 'selfish' from my perspective at all. But then I'm lucky, dh has always earned enough that my 'career' is a bit of a folly. If you have to face leaving your small kids in daycare because you have to work, well that is very different. I can totally understand why someone would opt for fifo if that is their only option. Good luck with it.

[Longtime Lurker]

Good read.

TBH FIFO is very similar to having your OH in the Armed Forces; you just learn to keep going and hopefully have a network of friends for support. Longtime ago we moved to Germany and within days DH was away for a few weeks, back for a couple. and then off to NI for six months with a weekend break inbetween. In the two years we were there I saw him for 9 months at most. It isn't easy but can be done although I am not sure I would want it to go on more than a few years - depends how well I was getting on with my DH!

[stevie ellis]

well if a get the chance o a job away al take it, am sure mrs e wud be delighted tae see the bac o me for a few weeks. Great post BTW and very honest from the heart at lass

[scottishstacey]

well if a get the chance o a job away al take it, am sure mrs e wud be delighted tae see the bac o me for a few weeks. Great post BTW and very honest from the heart at lass

me and mrs e are going to send yous off to work and then paint the town red while yous are away only joking. so you considering a FIFO job when you go over?