Salaries on oil rigs

Salaries on oil rigs rise while the demand for oil rig workers grows

There has been really so much discussion as to whether an oil rig job seeker can get hired for offshore oil rig job, even if he doesn't have any prior experience, yet the issue all the same remains hot topic. Opinions differ, but the truth must be somewhere in the middle, and, probably, the chances and the hopes of landing that dream roustabout or electrician job are valid for people without experience. Not for every next Joe from the street, though.

The applicant's education, training, and working background are very important, taking for granted candidates for oil rig vacancy should be honest on their oil rig job application. That's where the differences within the terms of chances to be hired for offshore oil jobs begin to differ and channel off the groups of candidates that apply for offshore jobs with "no experience needed".

If someone in their thirties has never done hard labor nor has got related professional education or experience, for such individuals applying for whatever job on oil rigs would be mere waste of time. Under such circumstances claiming in his resumé he is a physically fit, determined, purposeful, hard working guy with guts to work in challenging and often dangerous environment would hardly sound convincing to the hiring officer. The preference of getting shortlisted for an interview will be, of course, awarded to a young and healthy high school graduate just because a young man has not had so far an opportunity to have worked and gained experience, whereas the first candidate was merely loosing time rather idly instead of caring to gain professional experience.

Oil & gas companies don't lack the candidates, with or without experience, to choose the most suitable for giving them a chance to prove themselves. The chance is to be won. Under all other conditions being equal for all entry level oil rig job contesters, meaning all of them had never worked offshore, the likely applicants to be put ahead of the rest must be:

• former military, especially those who served in the Navy or in the Coast Guard
• who previously worked on land based oil rigs at least as simple roustabout
• good candidates are those holding transferrable training and skills: welders, radio operators, medics, rock climbers, retired sailors, IT professionals, crane operators, electricians, motormen etc.
• former commercial fishermen, construction workers, dock laborers skills would certainly be noticed either
• high school graduates who cared to take an oil industry related course or cerfification like NEBOSH International Certificate in Oil and Gas Safety. This 6 day course doesn't require any formal education at all, just basic knowledge of English. The other recommended course is BOSIET - Basic Offshore Safety Induction & Emergency Training that normally includes Helicopter Safety and Escape Training (HUET)

Relevant, though not direct oil rig experience or signs showing you are doing your best to get if not practical skills, then knowledge pertinent to working on offshore platforms increase applicant's chances he would be given chance to try. It is because of very high financial risks involved that oil and gas companies are so choosy about who they hire for every single position, from the lowest ranking dish washers and galley hands to drillers and offshore installations managers. It is imperative that the entire team of the offshore oil drilling facility works smoothly and without accidents, considering one day of leasing or operating oil extraction platform or offshore oil exploration drillship, may cost the company $US 1,000,000 or even more than that. Should any accident occur, the rig might be mandated to be stopped for the investigation by authorities, involving multi million losses in profits and fines. The same also explaines strict drug and alcohol control over the existing staff and the new applicants, regardless of the level of their responsibilities aboard offshore oil rig.

Certification & Accreditation

Needless to say, certification is important and can put yourself ahead of the competitors vying for the same oil rig vacancy. Moreover, stating in your resumé you have achieved this or that type of certification will tell employers you take steps to start achieving competence, which means you take your oil and gas career seriously and are willing to work hard and do whatever needed to successfully pursue it.

There are various certification or accrediatation programs for jobs in oil and gas, including entry level, some of them run for free by professional associations or industry establishments. Becoming certified in a certain aspect normally includes attending courses, passing tests, doing drills under the supervision of instructor etc. Technician jobs on oil rigs, both in onshore and offshore sector, often require certification and/or licensing.

One of such popular certification programs available in oil & gas industry in Canada is Petroleum Competency Program (PCP).

Continuous learning and certification, both basic and advanced is characteristic for upstream oil industry job. It is essential for entry-level jobs that you could start without prior experienced (roughneck, roustabout, welder, mechanic, subsea engineer, electronic technician, apprentice electric, motorman, scaffolder) as well as for advanced specialized positions on offshore oil rigs that require professional education and training, such as derrickman, driller, toolpusher, control room operator, safety coordinator, helicopter pilot, barger engineer etc.

tags: APEGGA, geophysics jobs in Alberta, Canada. ASET.

The issues related to positions on oil rigs to be covered soon: Roughneck job description; What does a roughneck do; Kow to become a roughneck; Oil rigs jobs salaries

According to CNN Money, average oil rig worker makes around $100,000 a year. The median salary for rig workers and other oil drilling industry personnel in 2011 statistically was definea $US 99,175 per annum, while 67K was what an oil rig worker with less than 12 months experience in the field would earn. As for the salary of roustabout, one of the lowest ranking positions on the platforms requiring very little prior training, those people's salary was $34,680, which is equal to the average salary of all American workers regardless of their work experience, training, or certification. Regardless of the general recession in the world's economy, oil drilling boom in the USA and Brazil is again there, meaning more vacancies for workers with technical knowledge and skills that allow operating heady duty mechanisms - even if they don't have any direct previous experience in oil exploration industry.