Getting Yourself Hired as An Offshore Roustabout
The true entry-level jobs on an oil rig are Roustabout jobs. The roustabout jobs are normally classified into semi skill or unskilled manual laborer. This position form an indespensible role in any part of the oil rig’s operation. Their working hours are undoubtfully long, working hours can be 12 hours a day, 7 days a week for 2 to 3 weeks at a stretch. And without a doubt they work long, hard hours day after day, in often difficult conditions. High or very low temperatures. Wind. Rain. Snow.
Working as a roustabout is back-breaking and dirty – you do everything from cleaning and painting the oil rig to mixing the drilling mud and even moving supplies and equipment around the oil rig. On the other hand, practically everyone who matters on board the oil rig starts out as a roustabout, so you have no right to complain.
For English-speaking workers, there are three main places which hire people for roustabout jobs – Canada, US and UK. Alberta in Canada is still short of people, so it is easiest to get hired there. As long as you are tough enough and show the right attitude, many companies will be willing to pay for any courses or certifications which are required.
At the moment, it is also fairly easy to get offshore roustabout jobs in the US, especially in the Gulf Coast region. In some places, it is as simple as showing up at the temp agency. As in Canada, many companies badly need workers and are willing to pay for any training and certifications required. As a rough guide, your employer will send you to get your in offshore medical certificate, offshore survival certificate and helicopter underwater escape training certificate before you even set foot on the oil rig. After that will probably be a 2 or 3 week course induction course on your duties aboard the oil rig.
UK residents have it tougher. Most employers want you to show your BOSIET offshore survival training certificate, offshore medical certificate, and what the Brits call a GreenHand course. All told, taking getting all of these could set you back 3500 pounds, depending on where you take these course, and there is no guarantee of a job. The offshore scene there is surprisingly small – you really need to know the right people. Most of the jobs are off Aberdeen, so if you live elsewhere you really do not have a chance at all. For new hires without connections, the ex-armed forces personnel find it easiest to break in. British servicemen have a kind of skills conversion course which helps them get offshore oil jobs. Frankly, UK residents who want to break into the oil industry are better off looking for jobs in Alberta or the US Gulf Coast states.
The demands for roustabout jobs are higher hence the success rate will be comparatively higher. Some of good pointers to remember while applying roustabout jobs are as follows:-
1) Highlight your relevant working experience
- Put all relevant working experience involving mechanical and manual work .
- Put up relevant training such as Survival training or relevant certificates like BOSIET or HUET certificates,
- Undeclared your education achievement if you are university graduate because roustabouts in essential is a Blue-collar worker job. Your potential employer may reject your application upfront for being overqualified. However, basic education achievement like your high school certification should be provided as some oil companies make that as compulsary
So, how much salary can Roustabout earn ?
On average, the salary ranges from $310-$345 per day, or $42,000 to $46,000 per year. Of course, most Roustabout jobs also receive fringe oil job benefits like
- airfare fully fully paid by the oil rig company
- medical insurance
- meals, room and board
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Posted under Offshore Oil Rig Jobs
