Just thought I would throw this one out there - OFFSHORE work

[wade88]

Chaps,

Been thinking about a career either offshore or in the wind industry for some time. It is in fact, the reason I took up any interest in electrics at all if im honest.

However, my current job role is all well and good, for now, but before i bang my head on the ever approaching glass ceiling, i want to expand elsewhere or consider re-investing my youthful years in a more...long term career.

The offshore concept has always appealed to me, and even more so now that i have a young son who I only see every 2 weeks, for any other Dad here in the same boat, you'll understand how heart breaking it is to have "hand" your child back after a short weekend with them. So working 2 weeks on and 2 weeks off, has become a very very appealing work pattern. Simply, i would earn similar money, but spend a considerable amount more time with my boy.

The question to you all henceforth, has anyone worked off shore before? If so, any tips on getting a boot in the door? I dont actually want to do any electrical work though, strange as that is, the plan is to get into the managerial roles once i have got some exp and a good understanding, so would be happy to rough neck for a couple of years until i can get on that ladder.

Just was hoping anyone might have a bit of back ground on it?


Hope we are all well,

Ben

 

[DurhamSparky]

hi ben,

funnily you should say that im off to have a chit chat with a chap this week about going off shore (he is a chief electrical engineer and is a friend of the parents)

ii know you need various courses to do before you leave the UK but i have them ready to go..! live 15 mins from one of the biggest training providers in UK..

 

[wade88]

The BOSEIT course yes? I have probably got that wrong but the off shore survival course. Have you completed yours then? Are they easy to get onto, cost?

My mate works on a Jack up off Aberdeen, Mechanical side. He tells me the industry is terrible cliquey so to speak and unless you know someone who knows someone, its hard to get on board. looks like you know someone however, so your off with a head start.

Let me know how you get on would you mate

 

[vaughant]

Wade88,have you looked in the jobs section of this site? There's a 10 page thread on it!!!
Basically I can tell you from my own experience so far your going about this in totally the wrong manner.
I have just secured a job starting 2 weeks today for a company called archer and it's 2 on 3 off,£60k a year as a trainee rig electrician,although they aim to get me to rig electrician in 6-8 months when it's a £72k a year job.
Speaking to the people working within the industry the biggest mistake anyone can ever make is to say "I'll do anything offshore,I don't care if it's cleaning the toilets etc,I just want a start".
their attitude then becomes "hmmm,so your prepared to give up a career you've spent 4 years training for,countless courses etc just to clean toilets?".
they see it as the second someone offers you elec work offshore,you'll be gone,you'll get fed up easily and all the hassle and training costs etc they've spent to get you there is a waste of money and effort. I don't mean your survival etc,youll need to pay for that yourself but just the in house training,ppe,vantage cards,medical etc,all adds up.
So your "happy" to roughneck?
You and about a million other people trying to get into the industry seeings as its a job that requires no quals yet pays a doctors salary for working 20 weeks a year?
If you don't know anyone and you've no offshore experience then what's gonna make your CV stand out from the 1000 or so the companies get everyday?
Very little mate I'm afraid.
Now this is all sounding very negative I know but I'm trying to save you a lot of heartache with it as I'm afraid I went through all this myself when I turned up in Aberdeen 2 years ago on a whim expecting to be out on the chopper the following week.
ON A POSITIVE NOTE.
The north sea is genuinely crying out for folk,but as your mate told you it can be a proper closed shop to get that first start so you need to think a bit laterally.
First,do your survival,BOSIET and MIST,if you can afford it do the norwegian sector bit too.
Its a grand all in near enough,budget on another £3/400 for the week up here,I can try and help you out with that bit as I have a caravan up here that maybe free,otherwise look to do it in the summer and camp up here as that figure I quoted above could double if you leave it late.
The courses always have free spaces,no probs there,there's not much brainwork and looking at your photo you seem to be in good health so you'll fly it,really enjoyed mine and I'm 19 stone!!!!
Im a little confused as to why you don't want to carry on with the sparky side of things? Ok,if you've only done installation you'll struggle with the control side of it but there's plenty of work out there for installation sparks,rope access would be the boy to do.
The easiest,most likely way a "green hand" like ourselves will get a start is to get up here and get an onshore job in an oil and gas related company,that way you learn the product,get paid VERY well and more often than not that company put you offshore if there's issues with the product etc,as you then have your certs ready to roll you often get the gig and then hey presto you have experience.
My mate is up here now,turned up on a Tuesday with a recruitment firm,started in GE on Thursday earning £800-1000 a week take home checking parts (obv with a bit of o/t),he'll stick that for 6 months then he has oil/gas experience to put on the cv.

Theres a company called aikens (sp) that specialise in building the offshore modules which are basically portakabins etc that go pre assembled and bolt up out on the rig,they usually send their guys out to install them so once again,getting experience.

Set a target of what job you really would like to do out there and aim for that,nothing wrong with making beds and filling water bottles but you'll need some experience in that even if it's just working onshore for a service company,but IMO you really need to get up here and get networking,you'll seriously struggle from down in England with no real contacts,yes it's a big commitment but how much do you want it? I lived in a van for 4 months with hardly any money 600 miles away from my family,drove through the night sometimes for a three day break and relatively poor pay (was not oil/gas) but all that was to my credit when I got recommended for an interview,it showed I could adapt,live away,get on with others and haul my --- into work on time everyday etc.

Like anything else it's been spoilt by idiots over the years and it's hard to get the chance,but by working onshore first you prove you are reliable,sociable and responsible and hence take that element of doubt away from nervous employers.

Good luck with it all and should you need any help feel free to pm or ask anytime but read the offshore contacts thread in the jobs sector as it will answer a LOT of your questions first (it's almost like a wiki!!).

 

[wade88]

I really appreciate that feedback Vaughant, answered a lot of questions and makes a lot of sense, thanks for taking the time to write that down.

I guess i made the assumption that by roughnecking, it was an easy way to get wedged in the room and i could then start to network around and begin to develop the career within it. Having no idea how to go about looking for such jobs, who to talk to, where to ask etc, i suppose it seemed like the most sensible frontal approach to it.

Electrically speaking, i guess the major issue for me would not feeling confident enough to carry out the sort of work that might be expected of me on board a rig, frankly i have no idea what the work would entail, but i am still at a very junior, sure i can carry out domestic and i do mainly industrial installs etc at work now, but no control stuff to speak off.

I absolutely agree, some time up the neck of the woods would no doubt be of a huge benefit to me, but its difficult now that i am full time employed and expected into work 5 days a week. I may take some holiday off next year to come and have a mingle.

Rope access has always been of a big interest to me, when i worked events doing micro generation and site power etc, i use to always watch the riggers putting up lighting and staging and ALWAYS want to do something along those lines, i presume rope access work is installs....whilst hanging from a rope? Sounds like my cup of tea.

Just googled aikens, getting no hits? Thanks Vaughant, you may have just landed yourself the job as my personal mentor should i pursue this route, so i apologise in advance for the forthcoming bombardment of questions

Thanks again mate

 

[vaughant]

Hi Ben,glad you read the reply and as I mentioned on your installation question in the industrial section I think your attitude to work is absolutely 1st class,particularly for someone who's relatively new to the game.

Yes the "roughneck" route is a common misconception, folk rightly think that by offering to prove your worth that will impress, which in most games it does but just remember offshore that it's a generally unskilled profession with superb wages and benefits hence it gets VASTLY oversubscribed.

Another one lately is "ROV pilot",again no real quals needed yet a great job that can take you all over the world hence horrifically over subscribed.

Rope access sparkies do just what you thought,installation/maintenance via rope access,the wages are great and a young guy like yourself would get on fine with that,well worth looking into,remember there's just as much installation/maintenance work out there as fault finding so you'll still be in demand,but rope access gives you that edge.

Ill find aikins link for you now.

Another firm that actually help you get offshore while paying you at least JIB rates are TDC in Aberdeen, their often looking for folk plus I have a contact there or two, I know they've just sent a lad off to Nigeria for a month and he's an apprentice!!!

There are ways in but it's not quite as easy as some would lead you to believe however far from impossible,I'm glad you could see it was a positive post rather than a negative one.

As for mentoring??

My pleasure...







Although I think that maybe a way off yet!!!

 

[vaughant]

Aiken Group | Welcome

http://www.tdcaberdeen.co.uk/

 

[wade88]

Thank you Vaughant, your a true gent.

I'm very keen on looking into the rope access route, i need to step up my sparky stuff however, might have to get a few books back out, im doing less and less each week. Currently installing a new TP+N board prior to some new heavy plant arriving, but my sparky work is sporadic to say the least. I almost look for it, rather than it needing to be done just to keep my hand in a bit.

Anyway, again, many thanks for the replies i shall check Aiken out now see what i dig up.

Cheers fella