Choosing a career in petroleum exploration can present you with a rewarding and challenging occupation that offers a wealth of opportunities for career development and progression. Working on an oil rig can be physically and mentally demanding, but the rewards in terms of pay and conditions are some of the highest in heavy industry. Accommodation on the platform includes all food and laundry, as well as the standard hotel board, and travel costs are also covered by the employer. The work schedule is organized around a 14/21 day rotation where employees work for 14 days and then have 21 days off before their next shift.
Beginning a career in the industry is usually done by working in an onshore oil field and then progressing to jobs on offshore oil rigs. Once you have experience in a particular onshore discipline, you can move on to higher paying drilling jobs and offshore positions. Drilling jobs fall into several categories based on experience and qualifications, with the position of driller being the highest paying. This is a senior level responsibility position and the driller is responsible for activities on and above the rig floor, including operation of the rig. General wages for drillers are around £46,000 a year.
Working under the driller’s supervision are Derrickmen and ‘Roughnecks’. Tower operators operate the pumping mechanism and other machines used in the platform pump room. They also assist the Roughnecks on the rig floor and spend much of their time in the derrick or ‘Derrick’ (hence the term Derrickmen). The average salary for a Derrickman is £35,000. Goons typically work on the drill floor and have an average salary of £28,000. Their duties include the maintenance and operation of the machines and equipment used for the drilling operation, so welding and mechanical experience is highly sought after in these positions. All of these hands-on drilling jobs are physically demanding and require good experience in a wide range of disciplines, including chemical work, radio operators, heavy engineering and mechanical engineering techniques.
Drilling on the oil rig is done by the ‘Pawn’. They operate alongside the Roughnecks and also take responsibility for a variety of other operations, including offloading supplies from support vessels and maintaining well units. The average salary for a laborer is approximately £25,000.
There are many other opportunities in oil rig jobs, from engineering to catering. The platforms are small communities, so any eventuality must be attended to, since contact with the outside world can be sporadic, especially if weather conditions prevent transport from the mainland from reaching the platform. Salaries can change with the position of the platform, depending on whether the platform is located abroad or in the country.
Despite the current global economic crisis, jobs on oil rigs remain some of the most sought after positions in engineering. The world’s reliance on oil resources means that new drilling rigs and operations are being developed, including the massive Sea Dragon drilling rig and continued operation to decommission and recycle rigs that have stopped producing, such as the North West Hutton oil rig. The industry is constantly looking for new deposits and those who are prepared to work hard and have the relevant skills and experience are in high demand by the industry. Choosing an oilfield job could be a very attractive option for a workforce that might otherwise have a hard time finding work in other areas of heavy engineering.