Anybody interested in working on an offshore oil rig will have two potential career paths open to them; signing up early for a manual role and attempting to work their way up through the ranks, or gaining the appropriate educational qualifications and experience and joining up at a higher rank.
Which path you decide to take largely depends on your level of education and experience in the gas and oil industry, or a similar field such as construction. Here we’ll take a look at some of the requirements you will need to get started in this industry, so you can start making the right choices in your career path to end up where you ultimately want to be.
The Basics
In theory, it couldn’t be simpler to become an oil rig worker. On paper, all you need is to be aged over 18 years and impress the recruiting party. This could be enough to earn anybody a role as a Roustabout, but in many cases some kind of experience is also sought for such a job. Not necessarily on an oil rig – after all, most people that have served their time in such a role would be looking for a step up in their career after such a prolonged stint of manual labour. Work on a building site, however, may set somebody up for life in such a role.
Alternatively, anybody desperately keen to bypass this phase may prefer to simply study under an apprenticeship and move straight into work on an oil rig. It may take a few applications to manage to find a placement, but the chances of doing so eventually are quite promising.
Showing You Can Stay Safe At Work
Working offshore can be dangerous, so there will also be a number of health and safety qualifications that must be earned before somebody can start their duties on an oil rig. Some of the essential skills that must be learned include survival skills in the event of freak weather conditions or a mishap on the oil rig, and the ability to fight fires – an occupational hazard that has led to more than one oil rig disaster in the past.
Oil rigs are typically safe places to work, and its only when something goes wrong that we hear the question how to make a accident at work claim – much the same with a car or plane crash. Common sense is needed for working around volatile and flammable materials, and you need to be able to stay alert at all times when you’re on duty because hundreds of lives are at stake each day. If you cause an accident because you were careless causing injuries or even fatalities then it’s highly likely you will be taken to court in a personal injury lawsuit.
Being Physically Fit
There may also be a physical examination necessary to ensure that your body can withstand the pressures of working on an oil rig, and certain roles may have restrictions on height before an applicant be accepted. You will find more information about this in our segment on the level of education required for the many and varied roles available on an oil rig.
Allow us to reiterate, however; working on an oil rig will have a impact on anybody’s health, so ensure that you are capable of such a job before considering a career in this industry. Such work can take a toll, both physically and mentally, and nobody should select such a career path lightly. Not only will working shifts and patterns frequently involve 12 hours at a time of gruelling manual labour, but it will also involve working away from home for prolonged periods of time. It’s called offshore working for a reason, after all.
This means that, while the rewards associated with working on an oil rig can be great, it’s not particularly a life for anybody with strong family ties such as young children or elderly family members. Likewise it’s a physically demanding job, so if you have a body prone to back problems or any other kind of health complaint then it’s probably not going to be suited for you. Also bear in mind that working at heights will be involved, hovered a few stories high over the sea below, sometimes strapped to a harness, so anybody acrophobic need not apply.
On the plus side for anybody keen on joining the industry, these working conditions are not for everybody and means that turnover is quick high. If you feel that you’re made of the right stuff and enjoy employment on an oil rig, there will rarely be a shortage of opportunities to find it or progress your career.
Where To Find Work As An Oil Rig Worker
Of course, this begs another pivotal question – just where does one look for work for an oil rig? There are a number of recruiters that offer placements in such an environment, both generic and specified. With roughly 26,000 UK-centric jobs in this industry from 6,000 employers, the odds are certainly in your favour of tracking down a vacancy sooner or later.
Traditional online job portals such as Indeed will be advertise oil rig positions of all levels from time to time, though naturally you may need to look into a more particular search engine if you’re seeking a more senior role. Sites such as Oil and Gas Job Search are self-explanatory and will provide all kinds of links to opportunities, as news resources that specialise in oil rigs such as Rigzone (although as a worldwide portal, it will be trickier to locate a UK vacancy on the latter site).
Alternatively, anybody looking for a job in the oil and gas sectors could check in directly with the major companies that provide such work, many of whom will have a careers page on their website. Finally, check in with the UK government’s job portal – as these industries are so critical to the nation’s economy, you may find some insights as to how to find a job within.
