Becoming a roughneck on an oil rig. - Page 2

i'd love to work even further up north. i saw a ad of a guy hiring people to insulate wire up in inuvik for 2 months paying $500/day, accommodation included.

I Calgary, AB .. lived in Regina, SK .. I know more people that worked the rigs then I do people who work in the office.

Barriers to entry:
1) Housing. The biggest barrier to most work in the Canadian Oil Fields is finding a place to live near the work. There are very few (and very competitive) jobs in the major cities, but smaller centers have more jobs then they have houses.
2) Certifications. Most employers will list what certifications they want on their websites.

So. The question is .. how much money do you want to make? I know people who clear 6 figures, with minimal experience, and a few weekends of safety training.

The work isn't for everyone. You live in shitty little camps, working very long hours .. but you get paid for it. And you do get time off. Lots of guys have houses in Calgary, and will spend a their off time partying in the city for a few weeks before heading back to camp.

I also met a guy while travelling Australia. He spent a few years working the Saskatchewan Oil Fields, then got a job in Australia. Makes his 6 figures, has his home in Brisbane, and spends his off time travelling the Gold Coast partying with backpackers.

If you're dedicated - you can transition into sales. I am taking the Dale Carnegie Course with a bunch of oil services salesmen .. and they live a pretty rock-and-roll lifestyle. Living in the city, lots of hookers and blow, with 6+ figure incomes, and still only a few weekends of safety training.

So ya .. find out where you think you might want to work .. and see if you can find a place to live there. Don't fret to much about "finding a job" and "having the right certifications".

Not true.

There is lots of work for people to do very simple tasks. Hold signs .. surveying .. etc. It's not all that "physically" demanding. I'd say .. it's a very "emotionally" different lifestyle. Long hours, in isolated camps, often doing very repetitive tasks. You do a lot of physical work .. so don't get me wrong. But you don't have to be some 6'6 250lb machine of a man to do it.

as for housing, head out to the Williston man camps - if they're full up give teacher or rube a call.....

This is a tough way to make a living, but this is a booming area now. It's just south of San Antonio, easily an hour or so commute by car. That's considered close in Texas where we have counties that are bigger than some states..

"The Eagle Ford Shale (EFS) is quite possibly the largest single economic development in the history of the state of Texas. The play had more than a $25 billion dollar impact on the local South Texas economy in 2011."


http://eaglefordshale.com/jobs/

It is a common job here in south Louisiana. Offshore rigs require lots of support, the actual rig workers, engineers, catering, etc. They work 7 and 7, some even longer shifts. Easy way for a single individual to save some major money, as you can't spend when on shift. American workers on overseas rigs make even more money, longer shifts, some tax breaks.
But rough on relationships

hi there all any of you guys have any english friends working up there our know of agencies that will take on from uk ive got shed load of land based experience eng plant fitter I have a hard work ethic would like to get to ab and work my arse of for a few years any help would be great
again thanks

basically looking for roughneck work but can do a lot more
ps nice info on forum so far

If you want to be a teacher I'd look into Teach for America if you are in the USA and that English degree is from a decent school.