Working at a Dropzone in Australia

[TheDoctor2608 0]

Hey, on the 15th i am going to australia for 8 month. Because i really love skydiving so much, i did think about working at a dropzone, maybe as a packer for student gear oder tandems (i did around 4 packjobs so far, and it's not a big deal), working at the manifest or do other jobs. It seems like there is really a need for people to work at dropzones there. Can you guys recommend a dz where i can work (best would be around sydney, i think Picton might be worth a try, but i'm very flexible), or do you know where they are currently looking for workers? Are there any qualifications i need?

Blue Skies and thx for any answer :-)

[davelepka 4]

Australia is a big place. Depending on where you'll be based, you might be 1000's of miles from any one DZ or another, so you need to be more specific.

Beyond that, I'm not sure it's going to be that easy to get a DZ job (or a good DZ job).

Do you really have 4 pack jobs? It's going to take more experience than that to get a packing job. Despite what you might think, those are good paying jobs on the DZ, and you need to be skilled and fast to get a spot on a packing mat. Some DZ require you to be a rigger in order to pack for them.

You might be able to get a job in manifest or grounds keeping, but those are generally low paying hourly type jobs. Packers and jumpers get paid 'piece work' in that the more they work, the more money they make, but most other jobs on the DZ are close to minimum wage.

Without some experience and references, you should not expect much just walking in off the street. If you were to hang out and jump for 6 months or a year, and they got to know you (and your skills/abilities) you might get an opportunity, but short of that you'll be lucky to get a slot moving the lawn or cleaning the bathrooms.

If you do end up working hourly, you might see if you can take some it out in 'trade' for jumps. If they want to pay you $10/hr, maybe you can get $12 or $14/hr put on your jump account in trade. You can get cash for half of your hours, and jumps for the other half.

[TheDoctor2608 0]

Thx for the answer. Most of the time i will be around sydney. The 4 pack jobs are on Tandem gear (Sigma), and i think it's quite easy to pack them. On normal sport gear i got around 150+ packjobs. I'm especially good at packing student gear or other moderate canopies. I don't mind working at a manifest or do other ground jobs, because the salary isn't the most important thing for me. It's more important for me to do enough jumps (did over 100 jumps in the last 2 month), but for that the salary also mustn't be too bad :-) 10-14$ an hour doesn't even sound that bad, if i get a little bit of a discount on jump tickets :-D blue skies

[Squeak 17]

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Thx for the answer. Most of the time i will be around sydney. The 4 pack jobs are on Tandem gear (Sigma), and i think it's quite easy to pack them. On normal sport gear i got around 150+ packjobs. I'm especially good at packing student gear or other moderate canopies. I don't mind working at a manifest or do other ground jobs, because the salary isn't the most important thing for me. It's more important for me to do enough jumps (did over 100 jumps in the last 2 month), but for that the salary also mustn't be too bad :-) 10-14$ an hour doesn't even sound that bad, if i get a little bit of a discount on jump tickets :-D blue skies

Jumps here are $45ish per jump, and to pack student or tandem rigs you need at minimum a Packer "B" rating.. But don't let that dissuade you. Call Sydney Skydivers and ask them directly.
http://www.sydneyskydivers.com.au/

You are not now, nor will you ever be, good enough to not die in this sport (Sparky)
My Life ROCKS!
How's yours doing?

[TheDoctor2608 0]

I've heard a lot about Sydney Skydivers, and that is the first dropzone i will contact. How do you get the Racker "B" rating? Are there courses or can any rigger give you that licence?

[richardw38 0]

here's a little info :

http://www.apf.asn.au/Members/Overseas-Visitors-and-Non-APF-Members/Converting-Military-and-Overseas-Rigger-Qualifications/default.aspx

[nigel99 568]

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Thx for the answer. Most of the time i will be around sydney. The 4 pack jobs are on Tandem gear (Sigma), and i think it's quite easy to pack them. On normal sport gear i got around 150+ packjobs. I'm especially good at packing student gear or other moderate canopies. I don't mind working at a manifest or do other ground jobs, because the salary isn't the most important thing for me. It's more important for me to do enough jumps (did over 100 jumps in the last 2 month), but for that the salary also mustn't be too bad :-) 10-14$ an hour doesn't even sound that bad, if i get a little bit of a discount on jump tickets :-D blue skies

Jumps here are $45ish per jump, and to pack student or tandem rigs you need at minimum a Packer "B" rating.. But don't let that dissuade you. Call Sydney Skydivers and ask them directly.
http://www.sydneyskydivers.com.au/

Squeak, don't you need a packer B to pack anybody else's rig? Not that there is.much packing going on for up jumpers.

Not skydiving paperwork, but what about visa work restrictions? Dz's don't let you pack for cash outside the system. Just something else to consider.

Experienced jumper - someone who has made mistakes more often than I have and lived.

[hcsvader 1]

What do you normally do for work? There are a lot of very well paying jobs available in Australia. Minimum wage is around $17-18 hr I think. Shouldn't be to hard to make 25-30 doing construction work.
Jumpin in Australia is exspensive. Yes you can make a lot of money packing tandems if you are skilled at it, but at dropzones like picton you are going to be stuck in the packing room while everyone else is jumping.
You would be better off in my opinion to get a real job and jump on the weekends.

Have you seen my pants?
it"s a rough life, Livin' the dream
>:)

[TheDoctor2608 0]

With the visa, it's no problem. I got a working permission there. I'm also doing a farmwork course and already got a job on a good paying farm, but i really like the idea working at a dropzone at least for some time, being as close to skydiving as possible. I'd really like to pack student gear, but tandems are also ok.

[Squeak 17]

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With the visa, it's no problem. I got a working permission there. I'm also doing a farmwork course and already got a job on a good paying farm, but i really like the idea working at a dropzone at least for some time, being as close to skydiving as possible. I'd really like to pack student gear, but tandems are also ok.

if you work as a packer in OZ you will pack student and tandem, and some instructors gear.

You are not now, nor will you ever be, good enough to not die in this sport (Sparky)
My Life ROCKS!
How's yours doing?

[CharlieMae5 0]

Hey there,
I know a few people who could be looking for a good packer in Sydney.
Send me your email and I will get you some details direct.

[TheDoctor2608 0]

So did i get it right? You can do your Packer B licence with every rigger oder Chief instructor?

http://www.blis.tas.gov.au/BLIS/prod/licence?licence=6332

[Squeak 17]

ALL the info you need is on this site, surf through and read up on it.

http://www.apf.asn.au/

You are not now, nor will you ever be, good enough to not die in this sport (Sparky)
My Life ROCKS!
How's yours doing?

[TheDoctor2608 0]

Just to finish this thread: everything worked fine so far, your information was really good. Already worked for 2 month on a dz as a tandem packer, got my packer B and got 2 new jobs on other dropzones. It's a dream! Thx a lot. Blue Skies! :-)