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Oil rig jobs pay well, especially those located offshore in deep water. They often pay double or more for equivalent jobs on land. However, those with no experience usually have little chance of getting a piece of the action unless they have the connections (e.g. a father or brother who is already a veteran oil worker).
The problem is that an offshore oil rig is a complicated piece of machinery that costs billions of dollars to build and at least half-a-million dollars a day to operate. A careless or clueless worker could easily cause an accident that could derail operations for several days, costing the offshore drilling company hundreds of millions of dollars in losses. This is not just the cost of repairs, but could include the loss of profits, penalties from the oil company that hires the oil rig, penalties from the government and work stoppage from inspections and investigations into the cause of the accident. The worker himself could well lose his life or be horribly mutilated. This is the same reason oil drilling contractors are so strict about not hiring workers who are drug addicts or users.
Nevertheless, there are ways to get hired for offshore oil rig jobs with no direct experience. One way is if you have a relevant and useful trade skill, e.g. if you are an experienced welder, electrician or mechanic. Another is if you have a specialized certification or qualification like a Registered Nurse or certified radio operator.
One option if you have absolutely no job experience is to get on board as a roustabout or steward. Stewards usually work indoors. They clean the crew quarters, do the laundry and help the cook. There is not really much room for advancement, and normally those with related experience, e.g. those who have previously worked on a cruise liner would have a strong advantage.
In theory, a roustabout does not need any experience. All he needs is guts, a lot of brawn, a good dose of common sense and the ability to follow instructions. In practice, if you really have no experience, you should spend some time in related jobs. What kind of jobs? A sailor in the Navy or Coast Guard, a laborer in a construction yard, a dock hand, a fisherman on a trawler, a roustabout on a land-based oil rig, etc.
As you can see, these are all jobs where you have to work outdoors even in bad weather. The best is to combine a stint on the sea as a sailor with a stint on land working as a roustabout. Then you can more easily convince the drilling company to hire you.
Does this mean you have no way of working on an oil rig right after graduating high school? Not necessarily. There are ways to find roustabout job vacancies without going through the job boards. If you can find the hiring manager and directly get an interview, you might be able to talk him into giving you a job. But this does require a certain amount of luck. Of course, it is easier to get lucky in good times when oil companies are desperate for workers.
However, those who favor making their own luck should first join the Navy or Coast Guard. While serving their nation, they should make sure to work as a real sailor at sea and pick up some other useful skills at the same time. That way, they have more options of getting hired when they finish their service. For example, a sailor with welding skills and skill in operating the radio has three options for getting an oil rig job. He can become a roustabout, with the possibility of promotion to roughneck, derrick man, and driller. He can become an oil rig welder. He can become a radio operator. If he chooses not to work at sea, he also has plenty of options on land.
There are many ways to get no experience oil rig jobs. If you have the patience and are willing to work hard, fill up the gaps in your experience by getting easier and lower paid jobs. As you gain experience, you can then move on to a more difficult job. Ultimately, getting a high paid job on a deep water oil rig should not be a problem. Like it or not, drilling in deep waters is the future of the oil industry.
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This entry was posted on Monday, September 6th, 2010 at 10:31 pm and is filed under Oil Rig Jobs Articles. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.
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