Offshore Jobs - Is It For Me?
Considering working offshore in the oil and gas industry there are many issues to be considered and you must be willing to do what average and ordinary people are not willing to do. Traditionally the perceived image of the offshore oil rig worker is of long shifts, weeks away from your family and friends, unpleasant weather conditions and the sheer remoteness from civilization.
The offshore life is not for everyone, many citing helicopter travel and harsh weather as lead factors.
However many offshore oil job workers do find their shifts on rigs and platforms refreshing, with the regular two-week on and two-week pattern an appealing alternative to the nine-to-five routine.
The lot of an offshore oil job, what to expect.
When working on an offshore oil platform, the facilities offered to shift workers vary from installation to installation. Your typical North Sea oil production platform will typically have a core of 50-100 people.
Whilst accommodation may be basic, the shared living quarters on an offshore oil job are sufficiently comfortable, with 2 or more per unit. The oil companies look after their teams and food is both abundant and of fairly high standard, however be prepared for lots of soft drinks, alcohol is strictly forbidden on all offshore platforms and installations.
Downtime for an offshore job offers a range of relaxation activities from DVD movies or satellite television, computer facilities (where available), PC games, snooker or just chill with other members of the team.
You will need to be fit, there's no getting past this point. If you get an offshore oil rig job or a platform job, you will need to be physically and mentally fit and aware and this is underpinned by the stringent safety issues and measures you will need to undertake. Before you set foot on an oil platform, you will need to have a medical and complete the standard offshore survival and safety courses (many of them conducted onshore with induction programmes and safety awareness courses). The oil industry has had its share of well publicised safety issues in the 70s and 80s, however things have improved dramatically, and the culture offshore has changed. The oil industry is proud of its safety record over the last few years, and workers are encouraged to report any health, safety or environmental problems, so a proactive safety approach is adopted widely.
There are a few additional points to consider before launching into an offshore oil job, mostly restrictions with what is unacceptable. These include:
Disadvantages of an offshore job or career
Whilst the money can be good, there are some obvious downsides to living and working for 2 weeks (or more in some cases) with the same people. Living and breathing with the same work colleagues, means that as an offshore worker, you have to be able to work and get on with the members of your team and room-mates: disagreements need to be resolved quickly.Being separated from your families for extended periods of time can cause tension and strain especially for young families, with occasional birthdays being missed because of the way the schedules pan out.
How to get started with an offshore job or career.
Experience is everything, don't be fooled into thinking that as you have 5 years experience as an engineer within a factory that you can walk into an engineering position which "looks the same" in an offshore role. Oil companies and recruitment agencies get hundreds of wannabes seeking to earn a good salary by promoting themselves as experienced in the multitude of tasks which befall an offshore engineer. There is induction training, safety training, survival training, travel abroad more often than not and this is only if your CV gets the recognition it needs. It would pay to speak to specialist advisers such as Omega Resources, but only if you have the necessary experience in a related industry.
The offshore life is not for everyone, many citing helicopter travel and harsh weather as lead factors.
However many offshore oil job workers do find their shifts on rigs and platforms refreshing, with the regular two-week on and two-week pattern an appealing alternative to the nine-to-five routine.
The lot of an offshore oil job, what to expect.
When working on an offshore oil platform, the facilities offered to shift workers vary from installation to installation. Your typical North Sea oil production platform will typically have a core of 50-100 people.
Whilst accommodation may be basic, the shared living quarters on an offshore oil job are sufficiently comfortable, with 2 or more per unit. The oil companies look after their teams and food is both abundant and of fairly high standard, however be prepared for lots of soft drinks, alcohol is strictly forbidden on all offshore platforms and installations.
Downtime for an offshore job offers a range of relaxation activities from DVD movies or satellite television, computer facilities (where available), PC games, snooker or just chill with other members of the team.
You will need to be fit, there's no getting past this point. If you get an offshore oil rig job or a platform job, you will need to be physically and mentally fit and aware and this is underpinned by the stringent safety issues and measures you will need to undertake. Before you set foot on an oil platform, you will need to have a medical and complete the standard offshore survival and safety courses (many of them conducted onshore with induction programmes and safety awareness courses). The oil industry has had its share of well publicised safety issues in the 70s and 80s, however things have improved dramatically, and the culture offshore has changed. The oil industry is proud of its safety record over the last few years, and workers are encouraged to report any health, safety or environmental problems, so a proactive safety approach is adopted widely.
There are a few additional points to consider before launching into an offshore oil job, mostly restrictions with what is unacceptable. These include:
- You must be at least 18 years of age
- You must never be under the influence of drugs or alcohol, this applies before you begin your tour of duty right through the spell offshore. This cannot be stressed enough, there are reports of people having a last minute drink being forbidden access to the helipad whilst onshore due to alcohol on their breath. You may also be subject to random drugs testing, so a rational frame of mind is definitely a must for offshore workers.
- Tempting though it is, you will never, under normal circumstances, be allowed to spend more than 21 days offshore on any one trip, any one trip is managed by virtue of Vantage POB cards (a tracking tool which being adopted by a lot of operators and service providers covering all your basic training and certification, essential for offshore work.
Disadvantages of an offshore job or career
Whilst the money can be good, there are some obvious downsides to living and working for 2 weeks (or more in some cases) with the same people. Living and breathing with the same work colleagues, means that as an offshore worker, you have to be able to work and get on with the members of your team and room-mates: disagreements need to be resolved quickly.Being separated from your families for extended periods of time can cause tension and strain especially for young families, with occasional birthdays being missed because of the way the schedules pan out.
How to get started with an offshore job or career.
Experience is everything, don't be fooled into thinking that as you have 5 years experience as an engineer within a factory that you can walk into an engineering position which "looks the same" in an offshore role. Oil companies and recruitment agencies get hundreds of wannabes seeking to earn a good salary by promoting themselves as experienced in the multitude of tasks which befall an offshore engineer. There is induction training, safety training, survival training, travel abroad more often than not and this is only if your CV gets the recognition it needs. It would pay to speak to specialist advisers such as Omega Resources, but only if you have the necessary experience in a related industry.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=M_Lawson |
Offshore jobs little bit tougher than any other jobs.You have sharing a lot of information with us and concerned about the major issues.Still it's a secured job than any other.If you are looking for a great job with benefits, this is where you might want to start looking.
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Offshore Jobs