Offshore to be or not to be!?

[Martynknowles]

Right im 25 and I am eager to initiate a career in the Oil & Gas industry.

I have have been advised by a friend that he can help me get a job by giving me a HUGE list of contacts he has acquired via others he has met offshore. He has said I require MIST/BOSIET and survival tickets plus a medical and if I keep at it I could secure a position. (he couldn't stress more that its not as hard as the majority say it is to get yourself offshore on the rigs or vessels)

I haven't any mechanical or engineering experience or a trade, I have worked in customer service orientated jobs and more recently have worked (past 9 months) on fish farms vaccinating fish (I know, strange job right) so Im used to working away from home and am so motivated to get into the offshore oil and gas industry. I just have no idea what the right course of action is... I would hate to spend money on tickets etc and be unable to get any job because I have no experience (So I thought an extra ticket in slinging/rigger could help?)

Ive applied to a service company (SureClean) close to home, with the notion that if I can get experience working in oil/gas service company's I would have more chance of getting offshore work (possibly even via the service company)

So the long and short of it is, what is the best course of action for a man in my position? Im willing to do anything and everything to make this possible, I just don't know what I need to do to start with. I have read allot of forum posts etc and allot of answers online are so negative when it comes to trying to work offshore for the first time with no experience.

Please, someone give me some good advice!

Thanks in advance folks

[gotomuzzi]

Martynknowles said:

Right im 25 and I am eager to initiate a career in the Oil & Gas industry.

I have have been advised by a friend that he can help me get a job by giving me a HUGE list of contacts he has acquired via others he has met offshore. He has said I require MIST/BOSIET and survival tickets plus a medical and if I keep at it I could secure a position. (he couldn't stress more that its not as hard as the majority say it is to get yourself offshore on the rigs or vessels)

I haven't any mechanical or engineering experience or a trade, I have worked in customer service orientated jobs and more recently have worked (past 9 months) on fish farms vaccinating fish (I know, strange job right) so Im used to working away from home and am so motivated to get into the offshore oil and gas industry. I just have no idea what the right course of action is... I would hate to spend money on tickets etc and be unable to get any job because I have no experience (So I thought an extra ticket in slinging/rigger could help?)

Ive applied to a service company (SureClean) close to home, with the notion that if I can get experience working in oil/gas service company's I would have more chance of getting offshore work (possibly even via the service company)

So the long and short of it is, what is the best course of action for a man in my position? Im willing to do anything and everything to make this possible, I just don't know what I need to do to start with. I have read allot of forum posts etc and allot of answers online are so negative when it comes to trying to work offshore for the first time with no experience.

Please, someone give me some good advice!

Thanks in advance folks

I think you're on the right track applying for work with sureclean, although you should try other service companies like baker hughes, MI swaco, fluidcontrol, TWMA, Haliburton, there are probably others but that's all I can think of at the moment.

I got taken on by a service company about a year and a half ago along with twenty others, none of us had offshore experience, they paid for my survival course. Its not a very good job most of time; away from home most of the year different rigs, little notice, I still don't know if I will be home for Christmas and New Year but that's just the job.

Another option is you do your courses and join an agency, there are plenty of them in Aberdeen. When we're busy we regularly use guys from Team recruitment, and they often seem to send guys out that haven't been offshore before so they must take on greenhands.

Of the twenty lads that started when I did, I would say about five quit within the first few months for various reasons. Another five have taken entry level jobs with drilling companies. Whenever I go offshore I keep an eye/ear out for assistant electrician jobs, but they seem thinner on the ground. I have heard a few people say that we're going through a quiet spell and that many companies aren't hiring at the moment yet there are still new roustabouts appearing, mostly through the companies referral system as another poster mentioned.

Goodluck!

[chipbury]

Have you thought about the offshore wind turbine industry? A few companies are running apprentice ship schemes at the moment (Siemens, Centrica etc).