As global demand for oil increases, the oil industry is continually looking for sites to drill to unearth new fields, both on land and offshore. Oil companies are exploiting host countries' lax laws and technology development to maximize production. The new plants need men to make them work. A drilling rig offers physically exhausting and often dangerous jobs; but wages are good, promotions are possible and working for an oil company can be an opportunity to travel the world. If you want to work in this field you have to make choices and meet certain requirements: read this article to get an idea.
Steps
Step 1. Make sure you can work in particularly harsh conditions
Entry-level workers such as unskilled workers or general workers must expect very strenuous working conditions.
- The shifts. They are usually nerve-wracking 12-hour shifts, both on land and at sea. In most cases, the rotations are every two weeks: two weeks of work and two weeks of paid vacation.
- The effort. Entry-level jobs are physically demanding, such as unloading material or moving pipes.
- The climate. Most of the mining activities in the US are located in the Southwest, where summer temperatures regularly exceed 37 ° C. In Canada, drilling occurs mostly during the cold winter months, when the frozen soil is more suitable. to support exploration machinery and operations. The North Sea platforms are plagued year-round by strong winds and relentless waves, while the plants that dot the US coast on the Gulf of Mexico are on high alert during hurricane season (June 1 to November 30).
- Accidents. An oil well contains very high pressure substances, but this is only one of the dangers that a worker faces every day. Cranes continuously move pipes from one side of the platform to the other, while highly combustible gases are regularly used for operations such as cutting and welding.
Step 2. Take a recognized training course
While it is true that less skilled jobs are plentiful and in theory require no experience, very few companies will hire a novice with no experience in their multimillion-dollar platforms. In theory, you only need to be of age, have a high school diploma and pass a drug test to work in a drilling rig. Candidates who have privately taken a training course or who have developed transferable experience and skills while working in other fields are usually hired. However, there are some mandatory prerogatives, including:
- A Work Visa: It is usually the oil company that provides visas for workers who are sent to work in foreign countries.
- Vaccines: There are mining activities in some of the most exotic places in the world, such as the coasts of Africa and the waters of Southeast Asia. For workers who are not local it is mandatory to have the necessary vaccines.
- Graduate Courses: Many vocational schools and colleges of higher education (in the US) offer courses of study that focus on various aspects of the oil industry, including professional start-up. A course of this type includes a part of study combined with field experiences. Oil companies often offer specialized courses for entry-level employees who aspire to more specific jobs.
- Certifications: All marine platform workers must have obtained a certificate after completing a course on offshore safety and emergency measures in case of fire ("Offshore Survival & Firefighting certificate"). Skilled workers such as electricians, scaffolding workers and welders must have a government-issued license to work in the oil industry.
Step 3. Decide which job is best for you
This industry offers the ambitious worker the opportunity to specialize. Most crane operators or shift managers started with lower level jobs: they improved their position by taking specialization courses and accepting additional assignments. The entry level jobs are:
- General Worker: Usually works on the platform. He moves equipment and supplies, often also has to clean machinery and work area.
- Manual worker: takes care of drilling operations. It often moves sections of pipes and cleans up spilled oil. A laborer aspires to become a shift supervisor someday.
- Helper: assists specialized personnel, can be an electrician's apprentice, lead welder or follow heavy machinery operators.
- Painter: especially the installations in the sea need continuous protection from corrosive agents such as salt water. It is a risky job that the painter sometimes carries out by lowering himself using a rope and harness to reach otherwise inaccessible areas.
- Machinist: takes care of the maintenance and repair of all the equipment, generators and machinery present on the platform.
- Hub: prepares tow cables to secure barges and ships to the structure for easy loading and unloading.
- Steward: takes care of tasks such as washing clothes and cleaning services, which is essential to ensure that the extraction operations take place with serenity.
- Assistant cook: a large staff works around the clock to prepare meals for the entire team of workers. This is a job where you can transfer the experience gained on your own directly into the oil industry.
