Drillers Offsider: What the Job Is, Pay Floors and How to Get a First Start

What a drillers offsider does

The national Certificate II in Drilling Operations describes its role as assistant drillers who carry out a prescribed range of functions involving known routines and procedures. Its core units are a useful picture of an offsider’s day: loading, securing and unloading drilling equipment and materials, setting up and packing up drill sites, supporting drilling processes, conducting local risk control, and working safely and following WHS policies. That is the plain-English job: help the driller get the rig set up, running and packed away safely, and keep the work moving.

Job ads can add to that. The qualification lists collecting routine site samples and drilling industry operational maintenance among its elective units, so you may see them in some roles. Read each ad for the actual list.

RC, diamond core and blast hole drilling

“Drilling” in mining means several different methods, and the offsider work changes with them. EarthSci.org explains two common exploration methods. Diamond core drilling uses a rotating diamond bit that cuts a solid cylinder of rock, called core, which geologists log and split for analysis. It keeps intact rock but is slower and more expensive. Reverse circulation (RC) drilling uses a double-wall pipe so compressed air carries rock chips up the inner pipe to a cyclone, where samples are collected. It is faster and cheaper but does not preserve structure.

Blast hole drilling is a third category used in production mining. The Certificate III lists “Conduct surface blast hole drilling operations” (RIIBHD301E) as an elective unit, which shows it is a recognised drilling skill, but we have not found a published description of the offsider tasks on a blast hole rig, so we do not give one.

What the national qualification covers

The Certificate II in Drilling Operations (RII20920) has 12 units: 8 core and 4 elective. At least one elective must come from Group A, which includes “Assist diamond core drilling” (RIINHB208E) and “Assist with reverse circulation drilling” (RIINHB219E). Group B includes units such as Provide First Aid (HLTAID011), Perform dogging (RIIHAN208E) and Conduct wheel loader operations (RIIMPO304E). Those Group B units show what the industry bundles with drilling training, not what any employer requires.

In Western Australia, WA Jobs and Skills lists the Certificate II as a low fee course, delivered online with practical training and assessment on the rig by Advanced Mine Performance Training Services, which it says offers it as a traineeship program for drillers’ assistants. It says no WA TAFE currently offers it. The same department lists a Drillers’ Offsider Job Ready Skill Set as fee-free, subject to eligibility, that combines training with hands-on experience and a chance to meet employers. At the time we read it, it said no provider was currently offering it. Courses and places change, so check before planning around either.

Tickets and entry requirements

The Certificate II lists nil entry requirements and states that no licensing, legislative or certification requirements apply to the qualification at the time of publication. That is about the qualification, not about job ads. Employers choose their own requirements, and they often ask for common site tickets. Our directory covers the usual ones: white card, first aid, working at heights and dogging. If an ad lists one, get it. If it does not, do not assume it is required, and do not spend money on tickets an employer has not asked for.

Pay: what is published

SEEK’s Offsider salary page (October 2026) reports an average advertised salary of $87,667 for offsiders in Mining, Resources and Energy, from 207 openings. SEEK says it comes from salary ranges employers disclosed in job ads, that some include super and some do not, and the category covers offsiders across industries rather than drilling alone. Treat it as a guide to what ads show, not a promise.

The floor is the Mining Industry Award 2020. Its classification table shows minimums of $26.44 an hour at Entry Level, $27.56 at Level 1 and $28.58 at Level 2, excluding the industry allowance. The award also has allowances that apply only to employees who perform drilling, prospecting and exploration duties. Which level an offsider sits at depends on the employer and competency, and many sites pay above the floor. Our driller offsider salary page sets these out with sources, and the salaries hub covers other roles.

Getting a first job with no experience

There is no single entry route. The usual advice is to meet the ad’s basics, show you can work in remote conditions and shifts, and apply widely. Our mining jobs with no experience guide covers the general approach, and FIFO role pages show how related entry roles are described. Work through this list.

Career path to driller

The national Certificate III in Drilling Operations (RII31820) is described as the role of drillers who work across a broad range of skilled applications and may use some discretion and judgement in selecting equipment, services and contingency measures. It has 13 units: 8 core and 5 elective, with at least one Group A elective titled “Conduct”. Those include Conduct reverse circulation drilling operations (RIINHB304E), Conduct conventional core drilling (RIINHB307D), Conduct wireline core drilling (RIINHB308D) and Conduct surface blast hole drilling operations (RIIBHD301E). It also lists nil entry requirements.

What we could not source

We did not find a published source we could cite for typical offsider rosters, a standard ticket list across drilling employers, or site-specific duties, so we have left them out. Ask your recruiter, and compare patterns with the roster calculator. For the wider tickets picture see all tickets.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

Last updated 13 October 2026. Facts on this page come from the sources below.

• training.gov.au: RII20920 Certificate II in Drilling Operations, Release 4 (read 13 October 2026)
• training.gov.au: RII31820 Certificate III in Drilling Operations, Release 4 (read 13 October 2026)
• WA Jobs and Skills: Drillers' Offsider Job Ready Skill Set (read 13 October 2026)
• WA Jobs and Skills: Certificate II in Drilling Operations (read 13 October 2026)
• SEEK: Offsider salary (read 13 October 2026)
• Fair Work Ombudsman: Mining Industry Award 2020 MA000011 (read 13 October 2026)
• EarthSci.org: Drilling (read 13 October 2026)

All figures and course details come from the pages above, read on 13 October 2026, and may change. We could not find a published source for typical offsider rosters, site-specific duties or employer ticket lists, so this guide does not state them. The Award floor is a minimum, not a market rate. MiningReady is independent and not affiliated with any drilling contractor, training provider or government body.