# [OT]Summer Job: Offshore Oil Rig?



## DWARF (Mar 5, 2003)

Okay, I'm looking for a good summer job.  And by good, I mean lots of money.  From what I've heard, this industry can be an excellent place to make a good amount of cash.

In fact, when I'm done my degree next year, I'd even consider working in this capacity for several years to make some good money to start a life with.

I'm smart, strong and a dedicated worker; so does anyone have any experience and insight into this sector, and any advice on how to succeed at obtaining a job and advancing your career, specifically working on offshore oil platforms?


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## Cedric (Mar 5, 2003)

It ranks high on the list of workplace injury, dismemberment and death...

But yes, it pays a lot, and no, I have no prior experience. Just what I see on TV.

Cedric


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## Sixchan (Mar 5, 2003)

Hmm...months on a concrete island...nah, that just isn't for me.

OTOH, Think of all the people you can teach D&D to, and think how long you could play it for!


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## DWARF (Mar 5, 2003)

It's not actually month's, it's a rotation, usually 2 weeks on, wokring every day, then 2 weeks back on shore.


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## Mishihari Lord (Mar 5, 2003)

If you have a technical education, contact Schlumberger.  I hope I spelled it right.  They fix non-functional oil wells and the pay is amazing right out of school.  Not my cup of tea since you don't get much of a life outside of work, but it may be just what you're looking for.


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## Sixchan (Mar 5, 2003)

DWARF said:
			
		

> *It's not actually month's, it's a rotation, usually 2 weeks on, wokring every day, then 2 weeks back on shore. *




It's still not my thing.  I need my house and my bed to sleep properly at nights.


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## DWARF (Mar 5, 2003)

Note: I do not have any technical training in this field, and will probably start as a roustabout (general worker).


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## RangerWickett (Mar 5, 2003)

Just don't take the job of _cleaning_ oil rigs.  My brother did that briefly (and by briefly, I mean about a month) before he lost his will and gave up entirely, not working again at all for nearly three years.  Then again, my brother's a lazy ing bum who dropped out of school and whose primary impact on my life has been to drain money away from my family that could have gone to my college education.  But still, the job was horrible.

He'd spend all day out in the sun, scrubbing the things down or something to make sure they didn't rust in all that saltwater-filled air.  He'd end up pulling 10 or 12 hour days, just doing pure crap manual labor.  He decided to quit when he spent an afternoon working beside an old-timer who'd been there three years.  His fingernails were all practically solid black, and he looked 60 years old (but was only in his 40s).

I don't know what the real job entails, but it's most likely much easier.


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## Shadowdancer (Mar 5, 2003)

RangerWickett said:
			
		

> *I don't know what the real job entails, but it's most likely much easier. *




No, the hours are just as long, the work is harder and more dangerous. I had a couple of guys I went to high school with get jobs on oil platforms in the Gulf of Mexico after school. Yeah, they made lots of money, but said it was hell. They were working three weeks on, one week off. Their off week, they were on call in case they had to go back out for some reason, so the company paid for them to stay in cheap motels near the coast so they could be flown back out at a moments notice. So they just sat around all day, drinking and playing poker.

Not only is the incident of serious injury and death high while working, even going to and from the oilfield was very dangerous. They have to fly in and out on helicopters. Sometimes the wind is so strong, it lifts the helicopters right off the landing pad and takes them over the edge. Or the winds will cause the copter to crash against the metal structure during takeoff or landing.

Neither of my friends kept their jobs for longer than a year. And while they were making lots of money, they weren't able to save much of it (that most likely was their fault, though). I don't know if any companies will hire you just for the summer -- I seem to recall that they had to sign contracts for a certain length of employment. If you do pursue this, at least don't tell the company up front you're just looking for a summer job. With the training involved, even at entry level, they probably aren't likely to hire you just for 3-4 months. About the time they get you trained properly, you'd be leaving.


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## Kilmore (Mar 5, 2003)

Not to spread rumors or misinformation, but I've heard from the news that oil workers near some countries may face harrassment, kidnap or worse from resentful locals.  I don't really know about this, but I would look into it.

I hear Alaskan crab fishing is another lucrative if dangerous job.


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## jdavis (Mar 5, 2003)

Worked a rig off the coast of Alaska a while back (12 years ago actually), it was in no way fun or interesting or anything resembling easy. I made a lot of money but I only did it for 5 weeks, then decided to head back to school. There is a reason they pay a lot of money to these people it is hard and dangerous work. I had pull to get the job (Dad is welding engineer who got his start on the pipeline in the early 70's). If you know somebody in the industry to help get you on that's great but they normally are not too keen on just sticking any old person out there (it's skilled labor and it's dangerous work). I have never worked rigs in the gulf (although I may be soon) but I am sure it's pretty much the same as it is in Alaska, it's the kind of job that takes over your life, the three weeks on one week off sounds about right, as does the fact that they don't want you to go to far on the off week. 


As far as Crab fishing in Alaska, you would be safer shooting yourself out of a cannon at the circus. Commercial fishing in Alaska is one of the most dangerous jobs in America.


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## Piratecat (Mar 5, 2003)

Most oil rig jobs are 2 weeks on, 2 weeks off, 12 hour shifts. Typically you spent half of those 2 weeks working day shift and half working night shift, with a short turnaround that causes dangerous levels of fatigue and performance impairment. Be warned.


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## Drawmack (Mar 5, 2003)

Head down south, hook up with a carnival and travel with them all summer.

You don't make much per hour but you don't have any time to spend the money either. Three of my friends did this the year we graduated and in the fall they came home with about 6 grand each. And that was 10 years ago.


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## alsih2o (Mar 5, 2003)

DWARF said:
			
		

> *and any advice on how to succeed at obtaining a job and advancing your career, specifically working on offshore oil platforms? *




 i have a friend who was doing just this last i checked, former navy man. he is an electrician on the rigs, 1 month out 1 month off, but he usually spends part of his month off on the rig for extra pay.

 email me and i can hook you up with him if oyu wish, i unfortunately do not know you well enuf to reccomend you, but it may be a good start


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## jester47 (Mar 5, 2003)

If you want somthing thatpays well, and is a good summer job, and is outdoors and is marginally dangerous, I would suggest wildlands firefighting.  

http://www.wildfirenews.com/fire/articles/jobs.html

but then again oil rigs might be your thing.

hrm. nap time.

PS>> "pays well" is always relative...


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## MarauderX (Mar 5, 2003)

Dude.  You can type.  You can get around on a computer.  Become a CAD drafter for a summer.  You can lend yourself out to any design firm in the area and work as much or as little as you want, and rake in a good amount of dough in the process.  Also, it's something you can do at home if the company will let you, and you can keep doing it while you are in school if you want (just scale back a bit).  I got 10k in one summer that way before I graduated, and before I started I hadn't even seen the drafting program they use.  Not sure how much loot you are looking to shovel in, but I know drafting isn't as dangerous, eventhough it can get deadly boring.


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## shouit (Mar 5, 2003)

I have a friend who works on the boats that bring supplies and people to those rigs.  I know his job pays well, but they work on a month on/two weeks off cycle.  He works like a dog, but seems to enjoy it.  As for on the oil rigs, no idea.  He is based out of New Orleans, so Fat Tuesday is always an idea.


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## jester47 (Mar 5, 2003)

MarauderX said:
			
		

> *Dude.  You can type.  You can get around on a computer.  Become a CAD drafter for a summer.  You can lend yourself out to any design firm in the area and work as much or as little as you want, and rake in a good amount of dough in the process.  Also, it's something you can do at home if the company will let you, and you can keep doing it while you are in school if you want (just scale back a bit).  I got 10k in one summer that way before I graduated, and before I started I hadn't even seen the drafting program they use.  Not sure how much loot you are looking to shovel in, but I know drafting isn't as dangerous, eventhough it can get deadly boring. *




Wow, thats pretty good for a cat.  Do you tink they are hireing disembodied skeletal heads?  

In all truth this sounds interesting.  Granted I am in the PNW where jobs are farts in the wind, but we do have some design firms here.  I might give that a shot.

Aaron.


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## Conaill (Mar 6, 2003)

Then there's teh Alaskan salmon processing plants of course... stand on a freezing concrete floor for hours on end with an extremely sharp knife and up to your elbows in fish guts.

Keep in mind that most of these jobs are SOOO boring that many people just drink away all their earnings in their off time!


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## Wippit Guud (Mar 6, 2003)

I've heard working on a pipeline, rather than a rig, pays well.


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## Kriskrafts (Mar 6, 2003)

jester47 said:
			
		

> *Do you think they are hiring disembodied skeletal heads? *



This is a great example of why I love EN World.  Where else would you: (a) Ever hear the above comment (b) Pass it off as normal conversation.


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## MarauderX (Mar 7, 2003)

> This is a great example of why I love EN World. Where else would you: (a) Ever hear the above comment (b) Pass it off as normal conversation.




(c) Hire the disembodied skeletal head for 10 silver a day.


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## Azure Trance (Mar 7, 2003)

jdavis said:
			
		

> *As far as Crab fishing in Alaska, you would be safer shooting yourself out of a cannon at the circus. Commercial fishing in Alaska is one of the most dangerous jobs in America. *




I'm sorry about the tangent, but this caught my attention. Fishing? Is the weather out there that bad to cause serious, frequent harm to the ship? (Like the Perfect Storm, except less dramatic)


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## Single Malt (Mar 7, 2003)

Azure Trance said:
			
		

> *
> 
> I'm sorry about the tangent, but this caught my attention. Fishing? Is the weather out there that bad to cause serious, frequent harm to the ship? (Like the Perfect Storm, except less dramatic) *




Now, I'm no expert on the subject, but I thought the main concern was people falling overboard, not damage to the ships. Granted, the weather is probably the main danger, but mostly because you are working on a slippery deck with little or no railing, poor visibility, high winds and an unhealty amount of lines/wires/hooks/nets lying around your feet. If you fall overboard you can only hope that someone notices in time and even then the chances of finding and rescuing you are pretty slim.


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## Acmite (Mar 7, 2003)

DWARF, have you thought about working in Leduc or in Fort McMurray on the Oil Sands?

They both use a similar 2 weeks on/ 2 weeks off rotation, and they both have very well paying jobs that require little training.

Syncrude and Suncor (the two main companies in the Oil Sands) pay very well and generally have a ton of summer work. Both have web pages with contact info.

If you want to work the fields around Leduc, your best bet is to look for pipeline companies and stuff in the Edmonton and Calgary Yellow Pages and go from there.

These options pay almost as well, and are much closer to home, and are a hell-of-a-lot safer.


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## jdavis (Mar 7, 2003)

Azure Trance said:
			
		

> *
> 
> I'm sorry about the tangent, but this caught my attention. Fishing? Is the weather out there that bad to cause serious, frequent harm to the ship? (Like the Perfect Storm, except less dramatic) *




"Each year in Alaskan waters, an average of 34 fishing vessels and 24 lives are lost in the commercial fishing industry, which equates to an occupational fatality rate of 140/100,000 workers/year, 20 times the national average."

From NIOSH (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health) study on commercial fishing in Alaska. 

http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/fishfor.html

Shellfishing (crabs/lobsters etc....) is by far the worst type of fishing there.

http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/fishfat.html

I'm sure NIOSH has a similar report on Oil Rig safety too.


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## Dr Midnight (Mar 7, 2003)

DUDE- seriously- make sure BEFORE YOU GO that it's not an offshore shark study facility with a focus on a cure for Alzheimer's.
Because you will die. Those sharks are smarter than normal sharks, with, like, problem solving abilities.

If you choose to go, though, and Sam Jackson starts yelling, tell him to duck.


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## Azure Trance (Mar 8, 2003)

Dr Midnight said:
			
		

> *
> If you choose to go, though, and Sam Jackson starts yelling, tell him to duck. *




Ducking wouldn't cover that at all. I'd just tell him to avoid open pools of water from the beginning.


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## Azure Trance (Mar 8, 2003)

jdavis said:
			
		

> *
> 
> "Each year in Alaskan waters, an average of 34 fishing vessels and 24 lives are lost in the commercial fishing industry, which equates to an occupational fatality rate of 140/100,000 workers/year, 20 times the national average." *




You know, I'm reading this (and thank you for the links, I find it quite informative). Those rates sound -I think- similar to getting a nasty reaction to the Smallpox vaccine. It's a bit hard to quantify, to me at least, the dangers. Sure, you're human, but what's 140/100,000? 14/10,000. 1.4 deaths out of every thousand people. 

And for some odd, odd reason, I feel compelled to go on a fishing boat now ...


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## Bob Aberton (Mar 8, 2003)

On a similar tangent about fishing, search "Gloucester, Massachusetts," you'll eventually get to the Gloucester fisherman's memorial, then take a good look at it.  The sheer number of fatalities, even with modern safety equipment, is amazing.

Or try reading the book "The Hungry Ocean," by Linda Greenlaw, a former swordboat captain.  Really illustrates the risks involved in longline fishing; slippery decks, fog, sleep deprivation (four hours or less a night), bad weather, and sharp fishing hooks a good eight inches long continuously reeling off the back of the boat.

Then, of course, king crab fishing has a whole different set of hazards; ice, mainly; sea spray freezing on the decks and rigging can sometimes get heavy enough to capsize the whole fishing boat, and I imagine its slippery as hell, the usual bad weather and fog (valuable fish always seem to live in the most dangerous areas), and the crab nets, big cages large enough to fit several people, swinging around at chest level as the fishermen try to stuff bait in them while not falling overboard.

(with this recent cold weather, I saw a story on the news where a New Bedford trawler went out fishing; it got so ice coated that the crew had to be chipping at the ice 24 hours a day just to keep her from capsizing.  The pilot house was frozen in and the skipper had to drive the ship in by radar, with a lookout on the bow shouting exactly where to steer the boat.  The crew said they were going out again in a few days.)

And yeah, weather out there can get pretty bad; 500+ foot long container ships often suffer severe structural damage and sometimes sink, in during long voyages.  The one most recent in my memory is was, I believe, called the CONTSHIP HOLLAND; 552(?) feet long.  It sunk with all hands lost in the North Atlantic during a winter crossing.

The sea isn't anything to be messed around with, my friends.


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## jdavis (Mar 8, 2003)

Azure Trance said:
			
		

> *
> 
> You know, I'm reading this (and thank you for the links, I find it quite informative). Those rates sound -I think- similar to getting a nasty reaction to the Smallpox vaccine. It's a bit hard to quantify, to me at least, the dangers. Sure, you're human, but what's 140/100,000? 14/10,000. 1.4 deaths out of every thousand people.
> 
> And for some odd, odd reason, I feel compelled to go on a fishing boat now ... *




So rarely does my caree cross over into the realm of EN world (Safety not fishing).

Think about it this way, next time your in Wal Mart checking out try to imagine the ratio of on the job deaths to workers who check people out on cash registers. How many of those little old ladies will suffer a horrible painful on the job accident and will die in agony, well if the line is really long you will figure not enough. 1.4 to 1000 odds seems pretty good until your the guy crushed to death or drowning in artic water. This year 20 to 30 people will die so that you can go to Lobsterfest at the local Red Lobster. There are no telling how many people are seriously injured just so you can have crab legs added to your meal, the catch of the day actually has a mortality rate involved with catching it. Most people don't figure they might die doing their job, commercial fishermen know that every year several people will.


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## jdavis (Mar 8, 2003)

Major oil industry accidents
March 20, 2001
Web posted at: 12:20 PM EST (1720 GMT)
http://www.cnn.com/2001/WORLD/americas/03/20/oil.accidents/index.html


A chronology of some of the major oil industry accidents in the last 20 years: 

March 1980: Alexander Keilland oil rig in Ekofisk field of North Sea broke up with fatigue fracture and capsized, killing 123 people. 

October 1981: United States oil drilling ship sank in South China Sea, killing 81 people. September 1982: U.S. oil rig Ocean Ranger keeled over in the North Atlantic, killing 84 people. 

February 1984: One man was killed and two injured in an oil rig explosion off Texas in the Gulf of Mexico. 

August 1984: Thirty-six workers drowned and 17 were injured in an explosion and fire on a Petrobras oil-drilling platform in the Campos Basin off Brazil. 

January 1985: Two men were killed and two injured in a pump room explosion on Glomar Arctic II rig in the North Sea. 

July 1988: In the world's worst oil rig disaster, 167 people were killed when Occidental Petroleum's Piper Alpha oil rig in the North Sea exploded after a gas leak. 

September 1988: Four workers were killed when an oil rig owned by Total Petroleum Co. of France exploded and sank off the southeastern coast of Borneo. 

September 1988: One person was killed and 66 people rescued uninjured after American-owned Ocean Odyssey drilling rig burst into flames in the North Sea. 

May 1989: Three people were injured in an explosion and fire on an offshore oil platform owned by Union Oil Co. of California. The rig was operating on the Cook Inlet, southwest of Anchorage, Alaska. 

November 1989: An explosion on a Penrod Drilling Co. oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico injured 12 workers, one seriously. 

August 1991: Three people were injured in an explosion on Fulmar Alpha platform in the North Sea, owned by Shell. 

December 1991: One crew member died after a Petrobras tanker explosion off the Sao Paulo, Brazil state coast. 

March 1992: A French-built Super Puma helicopter, carrying 15 workers and two crewmen, plunged into the North Sea seconds after taking off from Cormorant Alpha platform to make a short hop to an accommodation vessel. Eleven men died. 

January 1995: Thirteen people were killed in an explosion on a Mobil oil rig off the coast of Nigeria. Many were injured. 

November 1995: One person died and five were wounded in a Petrobras pipeline fire in Sao Paulo. 

January 1996: Three people were killed and two injured in an explosion on a rig in the Morgan oil field in the Gulf of Suez. 

July 1998: Two men died in an explosion on the Glomar Arctic IV rig. 

December 1998: One person died after plunging from the mobile drilling rig Petrolia, northeast of Aberdeen, Scotland. 

December 1998: A fire at Petrobras's Gabriel Passos Refinery in Minas Gerais killed three workers. 

January 2001: Two workers died from a fire on a Petrobras offshore natural gas platform in Campos Basin. 

March 2001: Ten people were killed after explosions rocked the world's biggest offshore oil platform belonging to Brazil's state oil firm Petrobras.


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## howandwhy99 (Mar 8, 2003)

The semi-submersible platform "Claymore" in the North Sea:
http://www.cleddau.com/


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## bolen (Mar 8, 2003)

My best friend worked in alaska durring the summers.  If you can get a job fishing it is very good money (but dangerous and hard work).  If you cant get on a boat you work in the cannary, I heard this really sucks.  You get OK pay but you smell dead fish all day and night.  I kind of gather it really helps to get an in on a boat if you want to fish.

Afraid I know next to nothing about oil rigs.


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## frankthedm (Mar 17, 2003)

howandwhy99 said:
			
		

> *The semi-submersible platform "Claymore" in the North Sea:
> http://www.cleddau.com/
> 
> 
> ...




semi-submersible


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## MavrickWeirdo (Mar 17, 2003)

DWARF said:
			
		

> *Okay, I'm looking for a good summer job.  And by good, I mean lots of money.  From what I've heard, this industry can be an excellent place to make a good amount of cash.
> 
> In fact, when I'm done my degree next year, I'd even consider working in this capacity for several years to make some good money to start a life with.
> 
> I'm smart, strong and a dedicated worker; so does anyone have any experience and insight into this sector, and any advice on how to succeed at obtaining a job and advancing your career, specifically working on offshore oil platforms? *




Look up "This American Life" (a national public raido show). In one episode a guy talks about his experience as a dishwasher on an offshore oil rig.


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## diver dave (Dec 3, 2005)

*Working in Gulf of Mexico*

I spent 20 years in the oilfield, as a diver. To me it was one of the best jobs out there. It only took me 1-year of schooling and half a lifetime to learn the job. As for the rest of the oilfield crew, it is hard work. You have tons of steel around you being moved all over the rig in which there is no room to move. You have constant noise, twelve hour shifts, and unless your a diver, low pay. If you added up what you make in two weeks offshore then subtracted what you didn't make the two weeks you were off you would take a land based job and not worry about being killed through some mistake. Now a diver on the other hand makes good money, but not hourly, but by the depths he works at. The average pay for a first class diver is $15.00 per hour, and that rate hasn't moved in the twenty years I've been in the field. As a laboror you can expect to make maybe $8.00 to $12.00 per hour. But is thats what you want to do with your degree. Good luck!


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## Dave Turner (Dec 3, 2005)

Nevermind the oil rig.  If you have any military experience, you can get a great summer job working "security" in Iraq.


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## Patryn of Elvenshae (Jan 25, 2011)

?


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## frankthedm (Jan 26, 2011)

Points bony claw _Hsssssss... That is no necromancer! 'Tis a vile spambot!_






Reported...


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