Offshore Oil Rig Jobs – Do You Need Experience?

If you are looking for a high paying, challenging and rewarding career there is no better industry than the offshore oil industry. To get a job on an offshore oil drilling rig without experience is possible, you just need the right information, good attitude and the willingness to do some hard work.

You have two main options if you want to get a job on an offshore drilling rig, the most common approach people think of is to get on board as part of a drilling crew. If you have drilling experience you can start as a pumpman or derrickhand. If you don’t have any prior experience like most other industries you will have to learn the skills and prove yourself.

The best place to start without experience is to get a roustabout or roughneck position, which is basically a general laborer before you work your way up to Driller which is 2nd in charge from the rig manager. Even though roustabouts are only general laborers you still earn around US$50,000 per year for about 6 months work.

As a roustabout or roughneck unlike a normal laborer, who never gets the chance to move up to manager position, a roughneck with the proper attitude, has a reasonable chance to become a manager on an oil rig. However, first you will have to work your way through derrickhand and driller.

Drilling jobs are not the only way to a lucrative career on an oil rig, if you have a electrical or mechanical trade you can get a job in the motor room or in the electrical department. Chefs are always needed as well along with a medic. Despite the modern technology an oil rig is a hazardous place and accidents can occur and a medic is required on board.

When looking for employers many people only think about the big players like Esso, Shell, BP, etc however what a lot of people don’t realize it that these companies rarely do their own drilling these days. The big companies usually contract out to smaller players like Diamond Offshore (Houston, USA), Frigstad Offshore (Singapore), Offrig Drilling ASA, Songa Offshore and Thule Drilling ASA, Dolphin Drilling (Tananger, Norway) or Scorpion Offshore just to name a few.

The offshore oil industry is a great place to get a lucrative career and you don’t need drilling experience to get started. The big companies are not your only option and with the right attitude and the will to do some hard work you can you can get in as part of the drill crew, or as a tradesman.

To get the latest information and the best help to get you employed on an offshore oil rig.