Work on an Oil Rig

shaz00

Hi Guys, hoping ye can help me out - Im an electrician and Ive decided to look for work on an oil rig. I seem to be going around in circles on the net looking for agencies and those i've seen want to charge.Just wondering do you, or do you know of anyone working on a rig and how they went about getting their job.i'd really appreciate any info you can give me.

experiMental

Work like that spreads by word of mouth in the engineering community. I heard of some person who was offered work on an oil rig in Kazakhstan while working in IBM.

shaz00

Tnx. Unfortunatley could be waiting a long time to hear word of mouth. do you know of any agencies in ireland who specialise in it?

Jarren

shaz00 wrote: »

Tnx. Unfortunatley could be waiting a long time to hear word of mouth. do you know of any agencies in ireland who specialise in it?

Will this help?

http://www.oilcareers.com/content/jobsearch/job_search.asp?from=topnav

Good luck

Tabnabs

Two bits of bad news, job cuts in the industry and also you will need safety and survival certification. In this economic climate, it's unlikely they will be taking on newbies. I would look instead at the Corrib installation as a way into the industry.

Vadrefjorde

Corrib Installation has already caused uproar among irish offshore workers by not actually employing any of them.

The job cuts article is the usual RMT sabre rattling :-)

You will need the BOSIET (if working in the UK sector), for Norwegian sector you need seperate certification. Most of the UK colleges that do this training offer courses in either. Working further afield involves even more bits of paper..
www.rigzone.com is a more realistic approach than the many rip off sites that just want your money and don't actually have any jobs..
Consider doing these courses in Aberdeen and spend a week there, you'll need to do some legwork around the place, find employer's offices etc.. A Previous post pointed to it being a "word of mouth" industry and in some respects it is, but you'll find after a few days in Aberdeen that there isn't a limitless supply of Scots who are willing and qualified for the amount of jobs on offer :-)
There is one or two drilling companies that are Irish owned/ managed but can't remember their names now.
Also go through the jobs on rigzone and get the companie's webpages etc.. the ones that look like they might have a position suitable for you, then send them a C.V. every month. They get loads and usually only look when they need someone, hence why people usually send them once a month.
And good luck!! I hope you get sorted. Be prepared to go anywhere, i know dozen's of Irish working for Petrobras (Brazil) ATM 3 weeks on and 3 weeks off and they live in Ireland still and fly down all expenses paid :-)

Ginger

If you consider relocation have a look in Norway

http://www.finn.no/finn/job/fulltime/result?JOB_CATEGORY/CATEGORY=5414&WT.svl=maincategory

That is the main off and on shore work category. Gives you an idea of the hiring companies etc etc..

You do need certification to work offshore but that is probably covered as part of the training

jimmycrackcorm

Read in the local rag about this crowd doing training for oil rig jobs in Donegal. They help place people in jobs after the training.

http://www.effectiveoffshore.com

haven27

You could try Schlumberger, http://www.slb.com/content/careers/index.asp? they have workers on rigs/vessels etc all over the world but they also did cut staff by about 5000 recently as their profits were down.

badboyblast

Aberdeen is the place to base yourself, I have a freind from Limerick who lives and works there on the rigs, the place is expensive because of the oil but all the major companies are based there.

Tabnabs

Plenty of cheap accommodation in Aberdeen, the various oil & shipping companies don't like to part with their cash Also it's a big university town so has a good night life and plenty of cheap pubs etc. It's a good place once you don't stray into the wrong parts.

steifanc

i served my time as an electrician and went on to be an engineer , i worked and still work in the oil and gas sector and have been all over the world doing it, first off dont pay any of theis companys that say they will get you in ,because you dont have to and they are normally recruiting for are american or canadain, to work for these you will need your red seal, its a lience that will let you work your trade, i done mine in boston ,to sit this exam you need a work permit and your company has to sponcer you to do it.
to work in any petro chemical envoirment as a spark you will need a compex cert its usless applying with out one , it certs you to work with ex equipment rgit montrose in aderdeen is the closest place to do it costs about 1500stg and lasts 3/5 days ,after that you will need a survial ticket you can do that in the same place costs about 800stg lasts for 1 yr your first time and covers you for the north sea ,to work in the norweign sector you will need a different survail ticket can do it in the same place also you will need lv/hv certs to work in the norweign sectors, with out these you wont be concsidered for the jobs ,
its not a very easy thing to get into , your best option is to find work on a land rig then progress into the off shore , or find a vender that contracts to the oil companys, what kinda electrician are you , if you know generators ups systems , controlls , instruments , esds , this will all help you , i can give you any info you need ,

Vampireskiss

In Generla how good is the money for working on these rigs?

steifanc

like every thing else you get made an offer form what the company think you worth

Vampireskiss

Im asking in terms of comparing to the same jobs that are on land

steifanc

3/4 times as much , but there not the same jobs, and there is a lot more training involved

Vampireskiss

steifanc wrote: »

3/4 times as much , but there not the same jobs, and there is a lot more training involved

So basically if someone earns 40k on land they will get 70k on a rig

Is it high risk working conditions? How dangerous is it?

shaz00

jarecki1976 wrote: »

Will this help?

http://www.oilcareers.com/content/jobsearch/job_search.asp?from=topnav

Good luck

Hi Jarecki, thanks for the link, have been on and registered and has given me alot of info. Cheers

shaz00

Dyflin wrote: »

Two bits of bad news, job cuts in the industry and also you will need safety and survival certification. In this economic climate, it's unlikely they will be taking on newbies. I would look instead at the Corrib installation as a way into the industry.

Hi Dyflin, would you believe got talking to an employee on the corrib and he is looking into a postition for me - said there have been cuts alright but with him been in he might be able to put in a good word. unbelievably hard to find any kind of work. Thanks for the heads up!

shaz00

Vadrefjorde wrote: »

Corrib Installation has already caused uproar among irish offshore workers by not actually employing any of them.

The job cuts article is the usual RMT sabre rattling :-)

You will need the BOSIET (if working in the UK sector), for Norwegian sector you need seperate certification. Most of the UK colleges that do this training offer courses in either. Working further afield involves even more bits of paper..
www.rigzone.com is a more realistic approach than the many rip off sites that just want your money and don't actually have any jobs..
Consider doing these courses in Aberdeen and spend a week there, you'll need to do some legwork around the place, find employer's offices etc.. A Previous post pointed to it being a "word of mouth" industry and in some respects it is, but you'll find after a few days in Aberdeen that there isn't a limitless supply of Scots who are willing and qualified for the amount of jobs on offer :-)
There is one or two drilling companies that are Irish owned/ managed but can't remember their names now.
Also go through the jobs on rigzone and get the companie's webpages etc.. the ones that look like they might have a position suitable for you, then send them a C.V. every month. They get loads and usually only look when they need someone, hence why people usually send them once a month.
And good luck!! I hope you get sorted. Be prepared to go anywhere, i know dozen's of Irish working for Petrobras (Brazil) ATM 3 weeks on and 3 weeks off and they live in Ireland still and fly down all expenses paid :-)

Excellent thanks a million for all dat info, will do some searching this wkend so on aberdeen, see a good few electrician jobs advertised for scotland alright on various sites. Could def be the way to go, to get a leg in the door. At this stage both myself and the OH have agreed ill take a job whereever to get a foot in the door and start bringing in money to support the family. Cheers again for the info really helpful

shaz00

steifanc wrote: »

i served my time as an electrician and went on to be an engineer , i worked and still work in the oil and gas sector and have been all over the world doing it, first off dont pay any of theis companys that say they will get you in ,because you dont have to and they are normally recruiting for are american or canadain, to work for these you will need your red seal, its a lience that will let you work your trade, i done mine in boston ,to sit this exam you need a work permit and your company has to sponcer you to do it.

to work in any petro chemical envoirment as a spark you will need a compex cert its usless applying with out one , it certs you to work with ex equipment rgit montrose in aderdeen is the closest place to do it costs about 1500stg and lasts 3/5 days ,after that you will need a survial ticket you can do that in the same place costs about 800stg lasts for 1 yr your first time and covers you for the north sea ,to work in the norweign sector you will need a different survail ticket can do it in the same place also you will need lv/hv certs to work in the norweign sectors, with out these you wont be concsidered for the jobs ,
its not a very easy thing to get into , your best option is to find work on a land rig then progress into the off shore , or find a vender that contracts to the oil companys, what kinda electrician are you , if you know generators ups systems , controlls , instruments , esds , this will all help you , i can give you any info you need ,

Hi thanks a million for all dat, have 12 years experience but in industrial, commercial and domestic wiring. Work has just dried up and finding it impossible to get anything, a few possible leads but the more i learn about the rigs the pay and then having time at home with the kids has me very interested. Have already applied for a few jobs but nothing back. have no experience so I guess I may start looking into these courses. Did you do them before you started applying for jobs? I also have my name on a reserve list to do an instrumentation and calibration course in a local college - If I don't get in on this course may wait till the next round.

steifanc

there isnt much out there at all , even in the oil , with the price of oil falling all is quite every where , you will need your compex and survival to be even considered for petro work , your best optin if your heart set is to get a compex and try and find somthing in the land refinerys ,get to know the workings of the plants and all there equipment , the work is very different to what you would of worked on here , even cable and glands are very different , a lot of the cables being used would be lead lined swas and then using ex glands and equipment , somtimes you can get a big push on a project and they will be recruiting 200/500 sparks at the one time , watch for stuff like that , they will send you out if there stuck and train you there or you will be on cable crews , not gerat work but you have your foot in the door, land rigs a normal shift patteren would be 4/8 weeks on 2 weeks off depending on where in the world you are , all flights , digs , and food is always paid for ,look around north alberta in canada , there is always lots going on out there , harsh weather conditions -30 in the winter , but its the first step into the refinerys is the hardest , it took me about 2 years to get in , look for companys like suncor, suncrude , crnl petrofab theis operate in canada , sun core have a new up grade going to start this year and i heard there looking in the region of 2000 sparks , you will need to get your trade papers evaulated by the alberta goverment before you can work in the country. and then six your seal exam with in six mounts and pass it , or you will loose your visa, take note that all us / canadain oil companys drug and alcohal test you before you start work and then you can be randomly test on site ,

cadete

Hi i know this is 6 weeks old but im 27 and have been offshore since september it will cost you between 3 and 5 grand sterling for the courses but you should have a start fairly quickly with them, money is about 250 to 300 per day sterling before tax so that actually works out 165/200 after tax. your first job is the hardest but after that your flyin i usually have at least 1 job offer every week. you will be ad-hoc for maybe 2/3 years cause core positions are hard to come by but work is work, if you need more info eg names courses etc pm me and i can fill you in, work will be picking up now for the shutdowns aswell so you should have no hassle

steifanc

fair play , where you workin ?

cadete

ive been in the brae field now since october, was on bravo till january and im on alpha now for a while, finished on bravo as the buget for the year was used up (new 1 in april) and im doing sick cover on alpha now for maybe 6 months on a 2/3 but who knows how long ill be there, thats just the nature of the game. I personally have seen no cutbacks because of the ressession as most of the work has to be done to apply with insurance and HSE rules, so as long as the platform is operational work will remain more or less the same. with the current value of sterling though if i could work at home i would probably make close to the same money but without the time off,

steifanc

ive found it slowing , alto i havnt been off shore in many years ,iv been on the land rigs , that has slowed a bit , dosnt seem to be much about at the minute , the last place i was in was mongstad statoilhydros plant in norway ,
was ok and lots to do then there was a stop put on everything

cadete

Yeah? i was there in 2007 cant say i liked it much to be honest we were on the VOC project, hours were bad rotation was 10/11, which worked out 12/9 when we travelled, and money was just ok, i hear that job is kickin off again in the next few weeks.

steifanc

its surpose to of started in jan , i dont know whats happening , i think the contractor changed to ata im not sure tho , there looking to do a 4/2
thats no fun !! its a shocken expenctive place too

cadete

4/2 is long trip but ya know yourself more money, it is expensive but i think ya just have to spend nothin if ya can, I didnt like the mentality of mongstad at all and the weather does tend to be rainy, 2 or 3 trips there would be enough for me, but when i was there there was good net access and the food was ok, which helps alot. I heard ata were looking for guys but ive not worked for them before so dunno what they like but i know a guy who used to be with ESS/Natural resources is there recruiting for this job so it could be dodgy with money/tax

steifanc

not sure about ess now, any of the lads i talked to working for them were getting shafted on tax and there rate, messing with flights and the like , there was a lot of rain coming into the winter ,i might see about getting my tickets in order and go on the shutdowns off shore , not sure what to be at any more !

cadete

Tax is the big problem, i was offshore last year with aibel on sleipner and although i was gettin nailed for tax at least i knew it was all correct and gettin paid! saw this ad today http://www.orangegroup.no/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=58&Itemid=72 have a look or give them a call dunno how long the ad is on but worth a shout for sure and looks like they are doing reasonable rotations. i would prefer to work for a scandanavian outfit rather that a maybe dodgy uk/irish company ya know yourself like

steifanc

cheers for that , ill get in touch and see whats going on , 12/16 sounds good to me ,i must find my dsb clearance now !
ive never worked direct for a norweigan firm , always subbied , the last crowd i was with were ok ,paid well , plus they were bouncing the wages threw 3 companys in diffrent countries meaning when it got to our bank accounts we only had to pay 10 % tax , quite plesent ,before i went to norway i went out to the oil sands project in nt alberta in canada to see what was going on out there , one trip was egnough out there , it was a circus ! and we were getting stoped 30% on the funds , allto we didnt do a whole lot ,

cadete

the good thing about bein direct is ya get 12.5% of yor gross wage as holiday pay so thats a nice bonus when it comes, plus most will just give ya the flight money eg 500 each way and get your own flights so ya can make a few quid on that as well as gettin flights that suit ya best like fly from shannon or belfast or whatever, and they treat ya far better no hassle with wages on time etc. i been talkin to aibel but not much goin with them but will have work comin up offshore i think there a major upgrade on Ekofisk soon so that might be ok and it will be 14/21

steifanc

has there been any changes to ticket requirements for offshore ?

cadete

naw dont think so, survival medical. for uk compex, for norway you need the offshore competance(ex) which you can do online costs 200 i think and electrical safety rules (100ish) online course aswell but the companies will usually pay both of those.

mac_iomhair

cadete wrote: »

naw dont think so, survival medical. for uk compex, for norway you need the offshore competance(ex) which you can do online costs 200 i think and electrical safety rules (100ish) online course aswell but the companies will usually pay both of those.

i've just done the compEx course in Falkirk last week cost £960, now waiting on my offshore survival course and medical will cost 1000. cadete just wondering is your name Shane by any chance?

cadete

lol:) know shane alright pm me

tony36

cadete wrote: »

Hi i know this is 6 weeks old but im 27 and have been offshore since september it will cost you between 3 and 5 grand sterling for the courses but you should have a start fairly quickly with them, money is about 250 to 300 per day sterling before tax so that actually works out 165/200 after tax. your first job is the hardest but after that your flyin i usually have at least 1 job offer every week. you will be ad-hoc for maybe 2/3 years cause core positions are hard to come by but work is work, if you need more info eg names courses etc pm me and i can fill you in, work will be picking up now for the shutdowns aswell so you should have no hassle

Iam a fitter looking to get into the oil business,what courses do i need to do to get a start ,and where did you do them.

cadete

survival and medical definately needed, can do in donegal at www.effectiveoffshore.ieor in uk, as for other courses not sure for a fitter, best to call around the companies and they will fill ya in

el diablo

It's very quiet at the moment in the oil & gas industries and probably very difficult for an outsider to get in at the moment.

To go offshore you'll always need previous experience.

cmf22

Does anybody know if things have picked up on the rigs? How hard is it to get into the industry? I have looked into doing a couple of courses at effective offshore up in donegal. Would it be worth doing these or would it be a waste of money?

el diablo

cmf22 wrote: »

Does anybody know if things have picked up on the rigs? How hard is it to get into the industry? I have looked into doing a couple of courses at effective offshore up in donegal. Would it be worth doing these or would it be a waste of money?

As far as I know it's very quiet at the moment and I know of a lot of people who have all the qualifications (Offshore Survival/ COMPEX etc) and experiece but cannot find work. What trade are you anyway?

cmf22

el diablo wrote: »

As far as I know it's very quiet at the moment and I know of a lot of people who have all the qualifications (Offshore Survival/ COMPEX etc) and experiece but cannot find work. What trade are you anyway?

I'm a sparks. I was away at christmas and talking to a lad who works on the rigs and he said only do the offshore survival course because if I do find someone to take me on they'd send me on the other courses anyway

el diablo

cmf22 wrote: »

I'm a sparks. I was away at christmas and talking to a lad who works on the rigs and he said only do the offshore survival course because if I do find someone to take me on they'd send me on the other courses anyway

Honestly, I think you'd be wasting yuor time and money doing the Offshore course at the moment. It's very difficult to get offshore at the moment if you don't have previous experience. if you have a look at this forum you'll see what imean.

http://www.electriciansforums.co.uk/electricians-unite-jobs-your-area/

Richie..Galway

i have done the mist course and am awaiting to be called for the Bosiet course in Donegal at effective offfshore. I'm a tower crane driver/Banksman for the last 10 years now and want to get offshore, If i have my Bosiet finished is there any chance of getting roustabout work? i intend to do the rigging/banksman course and the crane course for offshore work but it's pointless doing them now i'm told as with no exoeriance i will not get work involved with cranes straight away which i understand. I want to hopefully get on as a roustabout or similar and then see if i can work up to banksman/slinger jobs and then onto cranes. anyone know of agencies. as soon as the bosiet is finished i intend to travel to aberdeen for a few days and see whats happening. It's hard to know what to do really but i'm determined to get out on a rig. any help appreciated

galway guy4444444

cadete wrote: »

Hi i know this is 6 weeks old but im 27 and have been offshore since september it will cost you between 3 and 5 grand sterling for the courses but you should have a start fairly quickly with them, money is about 250 to 300 per day sterling before tax so that actually works out 165/200 after tax. your first job is the hardest but after that your flyin i usually have at least 1 job offer every week. you will be ad-hoc for maybe 2/3 years cause core positions are hard to come by but work is work, if you need more info eg names courses etc pm me and i can fill you in, work will be picking up now for the shutdowns aswell so you should have no hassle

.....WOULD LOVE ANY KIND OF WORK,,ALSO WOULD YOU LET ME KNOW ABOUT THE COURSES YOU DID AND OTHER INFO ,,,THANKS LOT ,,,

galway guy4444444

Richie..Galway wrote: »

i have done the mist course and am awaiting to be called for the Bosiet course in Donegal at effective offfshore. I'm a tower crane driver/Banksman for the last 10 years now and want to get offshore, If i have my Bosiet finished is there any chance of getting roustabout work? i intend to do the rigging/banksman course and the crane course for offshore work but it's pointless doing them now i'm told as with no exoeriance i will not get work involved with cranes straight away which i understand. I want to hopefully get on as a roustabout or similar and then see if i can work up to banksman/slinger jobs and then onto cranes. anyone know of agencies. as soon as the bosiet is finished i intend to travel to aberdeen for a few days and see whats happening. It's hard to know what to do really but i'm determined to get out on a rig. any help appreciated

hey hows the craic ,im in the same boat im 20 yrs old ,,have mt bosiet and mist done effective offshore are supposed to help with the recruting side??

Richie..Galway

they may help with recruiting side but it's up to you to start sending out cvs and making some calls. i'm going up to do the bosiet on the 5th may have mist done. did they not give you as list of agencies to contact?

mac191

is there work for carpenters on rigs or wood i have to start at the bottom and work my way up in to some kind of other job. any help wood be great.thanks

Richie..Galway

mac191 wrote: »

is there work for carpenters on rigs or wood i have to start at the bottom and work my way up in to some kind of other job. any help wood be great.thanks

ASFAIK there is work for carpenters on rigs mostly in the accomodation sections also for plumbers, you would have to have the mist and bosiet courses done the same as any other rig worker. I wouldn't rely on others helping you get work though it's a fairly tough industry to break into. you need to get a company who will take you on as a greenhand roustabout first and then go from there, everywhere i look they all want people with offshore experience already but even they had to start with zero offshore experience at some stage so thats whats keeping me upbeat

mac191

do you know of any body takeing on greenhands at the moment. i will be doing my mist and bosiet corse hopefuley in the next few weeks.thanks for the reply galway