subject: 5 Ways To Start A Career In Oil Rigs [print this page] With the ongoing boom in the oil industry, there is a perpetual demand for workmen on oil rigs particularly offshore ones. In fact, such is the need of the hour that manpower development experts predict that in the next two decades, oil jobs will get precedence over IT and finance jobs. The inevitable question that now arises is: Are you prepared to be one of those fortunate few to start your career in the oil industry where future prospects are very bright? The basic fact is that if you are physically fit, young and willing to put in hard physical labor, the oil rig is just the place for you to belong. Here's how to get started.
*Always start with a land-based rig if you are a green horn or as the saying goes, an oil rigger with no prior experience. You start as a roustabout or general laborer who is expected to train on the job for the next six months.
*It is after these six months of training or probation that you are promoted to the level of a roughneck. This also requires hard manual labor as also supervising a few juniors or roustabouts. Your job profile at this point also includes helping out more specialized professionals like drillers and derrickhands. This is also the right time to start looking for suitable openings in offshore oil rigs where the pay and benefits are definitely more.
*It's only when you have truly proved your worth as a junior in an offshore oil rig and keep at it for the next five years that you will make it to the position of driller, which is the second highest rank in any oil rig.
*It also pays to have a mechanic or electrician's technical diploma or certificate to get started in an offshore oil rig even though a university degree is not necessary. This could also land you with a job in the electrical department or the rig's motor room.
*Even if you are not technically qualified or capable, you could be a part of the auxiliary workforce as a cook or medic also. They too, have their important functions in the day-to-day operations of the rig and medics are required specially for their training and skills in handling injuries which happen due to accidents that happen often on the rig which is a hazardous place to work in.
Always remember that an offshore oil rig functions according to maritime law. Hence, it always pays to have a basic knowledge of the same and to know how it protects or affects you. You must also know about specific skills and vaccinations that are applicable to certain oil rigs according to their location. For instance, the law in the UK stipulates that firefighting and offshore survival courses are mandatory for all personnel working in their rigs. Canadian law stipulates that all workmen are trained in first aid.
