Oil Rig Jobs - The Most Important Things You Need To Know

by Graham Lavery

job, jobs, career

Oil rig jobs may sound like tough soliciting jobs, but there are advantages provided for the employees that are not to be neglected. When on the rig, you get to live in a room that can be easily taken as a luxurious hotel room, while other expenses, like food or laundry, are supported by your employer.

There are many jobs that you can take on if you decide for such a career. You can be a driller, a derrickman, a shakerhand or a mudman. Other positions are those as a toolpusher, a floorman or a motorman. Jobs as assistant driller, crane operator, roustabouts, electrician or storekeeper are to be found on an oil rig. These employers also need people for jobs as sub sea engineer, rig mechanic, rig electrician, rig welder, barge engineer, ballast controlman, up to captain, chief engineer, rig medic and safety man.

One of the best parts of working on an oil rig is that you work 14 days for 21 days off, which means that more than half an year you are on vacation.

Most oil rig jobs are in countries like Saudi Arabia, United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Russia, China, Nigeria, Mexico, Norway, Kuwait, Venezuela or United Arab Emirates.

Jobs like roughnecks are paid about $300 a day, making for an annual salary of about $47,000.

Those that can apply for a more specialized job can earn up to $100,000 per year.

In general, salaries on an oil rig go from about $50,000 for an entry level position up to $220,000.

There are some safety measures that you will need to comply to. You will be provided with safety boots, hard hat, safety glasses and coveralls. You must keep your attention alert and you may be required to take night shifts. There are certain places where you can smoke and you must take off your equipment when you go eat. Another rule is to keep a good relation with your co-workers.

You must watch out for the color codes on the lifting equipment. These will indicate you that the equipment was tested as safe on the last check.

Weapons of any kind are forbidden on an oil rig. You cannot bring knives, lighters or matches as well as any alcohol or drugs.

You must also know that when you work on an offshore rig, you must remove the batteries from the electrical equipment in your luggage. Also, you are not allowed to carry your cell phone on the helicopter.

Not every job on an oil rig is about hard physical labor. There are positions for the catering section or the medical section. For instance, doctors are expected to follow these rules. They may come in contact with all kinds of diseases while working on an oil rig. As the workers are usually brought from different parts of the world, they may not be able to speak the doctor's language, so it is expected that the medical crew knows more than one foreign language so they can communicate with the patient. This type of job also includes night shifts. Their job description includes maintenance of the emergency supplies, verifying the water supplies, inspecting the food and conducting first aid seminars for the people on the oil rig.