Requirements for Entry Level Offshore Jobs
The requirements needed to gain employment in the Offshore Oil Industry have more to do with your willingness and ability to work hard, be a team player, and learn new skills quickly, rather than experience, training, or education. Oil Rigs, both Onshore and Offshore, will always be willing to hire the right person. The available job openings aren’t limited to just drilling jobs, either - there is a strong need for cooks, painters, crane operators, platers, and electrical and mechanical technicians and engineers, medics, and supply managers, just to name a few. This article will discuss the requirements for getting hired in an entry level offshore job, as well as the major work locations and expected salaries wages for entry level offshore personel. For the most part, much of the information applies to onshore work as well.
Entry Level Offshore Requirements
The first and foremost requirement for working offshore is that you be in sound physical condition. You will be required to pass a thorough physical examination, including a spinal X- ray, before you can be employed. Answer all questions truthfully. You will also be given a drug screening.
In most cases, you must be at least 18 to work offshore for a drilling contractor. You need only be 16 to sit for Coast Guard endorsements. The average age for offshore workers is 27.
The better your experience in your particular field or profession, the closer prospective employers will look you at. If you do not currently have any skill or experience that relates to the offshore industry, it does not mean you will not be hired. There are many entry level positions available which require no previous offshore experience, these can be quickly learned. The most important thing is honesty.
The majority of entry level rig jobs do not require a formal education as the employer is more interested in your ability to do your job well and learn quickly than in how many years you went to school. Some jobs, such as a ballast controlman, mud engineer, etc., require at least a high school education. Other positions, as they get more complex, will naturally require higher levels of education.
One of the foremost concerns of offshore employers is dependability. Regardless of how good a hand is, he isn’t much good if he isn’t there! One of the quickest ways to lose your job is not to show up for crew change. When you hire on with a company, you become part of a team, and it is difficult to operate when any member of the team is not present.
Your interest and ambition will play a very important part in your getting and keeping a job, whether it be offshore or anywhere else.
Entry Level Salary Expectations
For someone with no experience in oil industry work, starting salaries today are ranging from $50,000 to $60,000. When you consider this pay level is for working only 6 months out of the year, the appeal of oil field or offshore work becomes very understandable. Entry-level positions start at $800 to $1,000 per week. Stewards and Galleyhands (the guys who clean the living quarters, dining hall, wash dishes, stock inventory and do general kitchen help) earn $700-800 per week. General labor, or Roustabouts make from $900 to $1100 per week. Some of the other jobs available for entry level personel include deckhands, oilers, welder helpers, cleaner painters and more.
Locations and Current Job Openings
There are many job openings, in particular in Canada and Nigeria, as well as Dubai UAE (United Arab Emerites). In Canada, several new offshore platforms are being put into place off the coast of Nova Scotia, and they are now hiring for all postions, no offshore experience required. Also in Canada, the Alberta tar sands projects generate a huge, constant hiring demand; if you are willing to get a work visa, you can get a job just by driving out there). The Nigeria offshore projects are always hiring, and the pay is extremely high, among the highest in the world.
Some of the other locations currently hiring include Texas (Houston being the main hiring center), Louisiana, the North sea United Kingdom, Louisiana (offshore and onshore), the Gulf of Mexico (offshore), Norway, Alaska (both offshore and on the North Slope), Florida, Kuwait, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia (always hiring), and the favorite of many, Australia (offshore). Australia is a particularly great work location of many, as the pay is among the highest in the world, yet the cost of living is relatively low in Australia. Guys that get on Australia rigs typically don’t come home for a very, very long time.
If you would like to get hired in a hurry, the best way to go about it is to utilize the services of an offshore job finding service such as Rigworker. Rigworker is a great resource, in particular for those just starting out, as they will both create and send your resume to the companies that are hiring. They do work directly with many companies and recruiters that hire beginners for offshore work, and most of their services are free, so people can try them out and see if their services will work for them.