FAO Venom ...

How long you been on the rigs?

Has friends and family worked on the rigs before you - is that how you got into it?

 

Been working offshore on and off since Feb 2007. Was Ad Hoc up until last June though. Only been full-time since then.

I'm from Invergordon and every morning when I opened my curtains there was a ****-off oil platform outside my window. It was kind of inevitable I would end up working out here. Quite a few of my mates worked offshore before I came out here. They were earning ****-loads of dough with **** all qualifications and I was at uni running up debts so I quit uni and started applying for jobs offshore.

 

Sound enuff ...

 

I used to be quite into the rigs but think I am going to do events management.

May revert back to my plans of offshore work if that doesnt work out. Whats it like and what do you have to do?

 

MV - It's ****e but the money is good. Anyone that tells you offshore is a good laugh is talking pish. Aye, there is banter with the lads but you're away from home in a floating piece of ****e for two-three weeks at a time. If you want to earn a ****-load of money when you're young then go for it. But don't get roped into doing it for twenty-thirty years like the mental cases out here.

There are hundreds of different jobs. Depends what kind of work you want to do. Drilling, Mechanical, Electrical, Technical, Safety, Administration, Management, ROV pilot, Diver, Wellservice.

Go to http://www.oilcareers.com/worldwide/ if you want to know anything else just ask

 

was talking to you about this before, whats the chances of getting a job offshore straight away. as in do you usually work between the rig and onshore for a bit then go offshore fulltime? i'd rather not relocate so the idea of going straight offshore is appealling.

**** knows what i'll end up doing

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I was ad-hoc and worked out of Aberdeen with about 5 days a month offshore on average.

Most folk just go straight offshore. After you've done your BOSIET (Basic Offshore Training) they presume you are ready for full-time offshore. You'll get a job no bother LR, you've got Mech experience and were forces and that's like ****ing gold-dust to them because you are used to living away from home in a regimented lifestyle.

Check this job out. Working for the mob who we're sub-contracted to: http://portal.woodgroup.com/portal/page?_pageid=0,2114259&_dad=portal30&_schema=PORTAL30

Ignore the qualifications bit too. That means **** all.

 

Cheers Venom. I will take a look at that

 

Meant to say LR. You'd be better paying for your own BOSIET because then they'll give you a trial just because you are keen and it saves them about £2500.

For an idividual to get it on their own was £640ish when I did it three years ago. **** knows how much it is now though. But you'll get your foot in the door a lot easier if you go it alone, it also gives you more options.


Just checked and it's not much more to do it on your own now. About £670.

 

He's not ****ing lying either. My Dad, clever guy but didnt bother turning up for his exams at school. He done an apprenticeship with Camerons and never looked back. He's worked all over the world earning a **** load of cash. He hates his time offshore though, he's 49 this year and think he wants to retire in a few years.

I'm well up for doing it, for the cash and the chance to see more of the world. My Dad says to get my degree first or wont get work, then other people say I'll probably be the most qualified on my rig. So I tell this to my Dad and he replies, "Just ****ing get the degree right!"

 

Frank - A degree is worth having, not for getting your foot in the door but when you and some other **** are up for a promotion then that'll swing it for you. I wish I'd done my degree in Mech Eng or something similar. Marine Biology

 

happy days. like i've said before i'm just thinking about it at the moment but the more i think about it the more i fancy it. will start up the offshore PR campaign with the mrs soon as but she seems to be alright with it (she did think they were 3 month stints after all), as long as no one is actively trying to kill me i dont think she's too fussed

 

Nah your only real danger is topping yourself out of frustration when you're waiting for permits! I went to a platform once where I spent 7 hours waiting for a permit, did 2 hours work then was off that afternoon. Sometimes I wonder whats wrong with the British; everything is a ****ing hassle. See when I've worked in the Dutch sector things actually get achieved without all the fannying about.

 

i love that we have the health and safety executive in this country which is a massive sprawling government bureaucracy when most other european nations dont have anything like it and have exactly the same levels of accidents etc

tried out the "i could always call up that guy about the private security contractor job" on her the other night (think i was just bored) but she didnt rise to the bait, all she said was "you mentioned this before, you werent funny then either", she knows me so well!

 

She's not wrong

 

she puts up with some amount of ****

was thinking this last night as i let the car roll down the hill whilst she was trying to get out. i mean, its for my own amusement but if we were in school it'd be bullying.