In 2015 I came back to the UK after 4 years in Australia doing a job I enjoyed, we had just had a little boy so came back for family stuff. I used to work fly in fly out in the mining sector. When we came back I found a job which I have been in ever since, I hate it, sitting at a desk all day for rubbish money. The place is slowly destroying my soul and I need to get out for my own space, I feel like i’m stagnating with no motivation, I don’t feel like myself any more.

So, I have been offered 4 months to a years worth of work in the sector I used to work in on a 6/3 roster (done 6/3 before so the time away is not an issue) one full rotation will pay more than my current annual salary. I am just waiting for my contract to come through before had in my notice but it feels good to have light at the end of the tunnel at last.

Boast post

But well done for landing a good gig

Do it, like you say if 1 rotation pays the same as your current salary what have you got to lose. If you find the time away too much ( as i would) then you have some breathing room financially to sort something else out.

Nervous as the initial contract was just two months & no guarantee of any extensions. But that was balanced against the imminent prospect of no work at all, having been made redundant.
Nearly three years later, i’m still here…

I’m sure the rotations will be fine, and the food and accommodation on site is supposedly good which always makes things easier. My main concern is what I do after, but if I think like that I won’t get anywhere.

Worse case you end up back in a crap job, but having had a break, a change and with a little extra money in the bank

I did 12 and 3 for nearly three years – can’t say it was easy but the tax free money made up for it somewhat. The issue with working overseas for a long time is that its not so easy to get back into work in the UK as in my field at least employers see you as being out of touch with UK legislation etc.

Is it back in Oz ? If so dont discount the time difference being a strain in relationships (as I assume you were both in Oz previously)

I’m a 5-5 FIFO in the same time zone you couldn’t pay me enough to do 6-3 in a different time zone (have done stints like this in the past) especially with young kids

It is definitely the break that I need, can’t keep plodding on as I am much longer. Most of work in my specialist field is overseas, if I were to come back it would be work in consultancy dealing with projects overseas anyway. I’m not going to do domestic works again.

Oz is possibly easier than some where 7-8-9hr out of sync. I did a short stint like this and one would be staying up late and the other getting up early to talk.

Did a couple of weeks 11 or 12 different and it was more chat during breakfast and dinner. Easier.

its not Oz but still a 8hr+ timezone change, when I was in oz we were both there. The longer swings I have done were in the Middle East and Africa.