[TransientCW]

hey everyone. recently one of my coworkers brought up the idea of offshore oil rig work.

i have 2 years experience as an active duty coast guard electricians mate. all i do is fix flourescent lighting fixtures and replace ballasts, fix grounds on receptacles and any piece of auxilary equipment, do maintenance on motor controllers, etc. so as im not a real electrician and dont have a journeyman card, i was wondering what the possibility is of getting a job as an electricians helper or whatever-bottom-of-the-barrel position that could get me working with competent journeyman on oil rigs is.

im sure its already the same, marine 3-phase electricity that we use on our ships, no? does anyone have any experience in this particular line of work? im single, no kids, dont mind traveling, and sure as **** dont mind working my ass off..............
if anyone has experience i have some questions, maybe we could PM.
cheers
chris

 

[MTW]

I have never done the work but I know people who do. The schedule is 2 or 3 weeks on and 2 or 3 weeks off. You work 12 hours a day for the entire 2/3 weeks, no breaks. The hardest and most aggravating thing is getting to the rig as you fly to the gulf coast and then get on company helicopters or rig tending ships to get to the rig itself. Pay is in excess of 75K a year for trade work and that's for working half the year.

 

[electricalwiz]

I have never done the work but I know people who do. The schedule is 2 or 3 weeks on and 2 or 3 weeks off. You work 12 hours a day for the entire 2/3 weeks, no breaks. The hardest and most aggravating thing is getting to the rig as you fly to the gulf coast and then get on company helicopters or rig tending ships to get to the rig itself. Pay is in excess of 75K a year for trade work and that's for working half the year.

That is pretty accurate, my brother works on a oil rig in the gulf, and it is a minimum of 2 weeks, 12 hours a day. But he makes $75k a year in Alabama which is oretty good money down there.

 

[Big John]

During routine operations is there really a demand for a bunch of sparkies working 12 hour days on these rigs? Or do they just put one guys out there and throw him to the wolves to do all the maintenance and repair?

 

[HARRY304E]

hey everyone. recently one of my coworkers brought up the idea of offshore oil rig work.

i have 2 years experience as an active duty coast guard electricians mate. all i do is fix flourescent lighting fixtures and replace ballasts, fix grounds on receptacles and any piece of auxilary equipment, do maintenance on motor controllers, etc. so as im not a real electrician and dont have a journeyman card, i was wondering what the possibility is of getting a job as an electricians helper or whatever-bottom-of-the-barrel position that could get me working with competent journeyman on oil rigs is.

im sure its already the same, marine 3-phase electricity that we use on our ships, no? does anyone have any experience in this particular line of work? im single, no kids, dont mind traveling, and sure as **** dont mind working my ass off..............
if anyone has experience i have some questions, maybe we could PM.
cheers
chris

Hello Chris , Thank you for your service and Welcome Aboard :thumbup:

Most electricians have never done the stuff you've done in the electrical trade,the electrical trade is huge and not one of us will do 50% of all the different types of electrical work.

You're just as much of an electrician as me or anyone else here and that control experience is very valuable so keep learning it.:thumbsup:

Also I believe you need 5 or 10 posts till you can send PM's

 

[TransientCW]

well thanks for the replies so far. i suppose whats really on my mind is not so much great money right now but experience.
i dont know if they only hire competent sparkies with alot of experience or if they have positions for helpers.
it would be nice to be making good money in a job like that, but im not sure if i should try to join a union first and get some years of experience as a journeyman under my belt. my dream job would be a gig with the power companies working on substation equipment, after that would be an inside wireman apprenticeship, in that order. i shall continue on my quest for research to figure out what in sam hell im gonna do in 11 months when i seperate from active duty!
cheers

 

[Bootss]

there's an oilfield electrician on the forum maybe ask am.