Certain skills are immediately transferable, work ethic is very much appreciated especially if you are good at what you do.
I've worked offshore and overseas for most of my working life and trust me, don't waste your money on offshore survival courses mate, unless you know someone who will speak up for you and you have the necessary background and qualification then you have no chance unfortunately. Maybe 20 year ago you would have been in with a chance but the industry has been trimmed back that much due to cutbacks etc, that most companies have what we call 'core crews'. Guys who have been doing it for years and are part of the company, unless one of these guys is your father, uncle, brother, best mate, then i'm afraid you have very little chance mate. Be careful though cos a lot of training companies will tell you that there are loads of jobs out there just to get your money off you, there isn't and you'd be chucking it away. As a minimum you would need a trade, followed by some sort of experience in that trade, doesn't have to be offshore experience, just experience in your chosen field. Then you will need your Survival Certs, (roughly a grand at present) then an approved offshore medical cert, (anything from £100 to £1,000 depending on where you go) I just had one for Nigeria and it cost me (the company) £1,450) and that's just for a medical. That would be a basic minimum so unless you have all that already then i would think about something else mate. Try onshore work to build up some experience first, try doing the refineries and power stations, petro-chemical plants etc, it'll mean travelling but you don't need as much background or training to get into that area, you still need someone 'in the know' to get you a kick in though. I'm not trying to put you off mate cos it's a great life if you can get into it, but it's really difficult to get into at first, you need a lot of luck and a good CV. Good Luck anyway and i hope you get what you want. PM me your CV if you want and i'll give you an honest opinion on it and might be able to give you a few pointers.
Are you looking just in the UK or abroad? I work in the Oil and Gas business here in Abu Dhabi, know a few people
Heya Brosef, I work offshore all over the world for a Service company which installs subsea architecture for development and exploration wells. I had the choice of going rig crew or 3rd party, and i chose 3rd party as there was further for me to go. I've been working in Oz alot, and have been up the North Sea a few times on the Ensco 100, Sedco 711, and the Ocean Princess. Work in Asia alot aswell, and there is still plenty of work ongoing, just depends on the type of job you can get. If you go the rig crew route, you'd prob need to get your own Offshore Survival Course (BOSIET), and any tickets like Working at height, Dogman, Confined Space Entry, etc. I know people are saying not to, but when they recruit for limit positions, they look at who has the most tickets, 1) so they can get into the job quicker with minimal training & 2) it costs them less to train you. It is expensive, and there is no guarantee for a job. If you have a trade, like Sparky, Boiler Maker, Mechanic, then you are more likely to get something - although these positions are normally harder to get, as they bring in guys from other rigs in the same company to fill them. Kinda promote from within. if you have these trades and are willing to accept a job as a roustie/ruffneck, they can use you in a pinch to fill in on the rig incase of emergencies. If you decide to go the service route, they normally pay for everything, BOSIET, and any other training. I know alot of people who get in this route, and go rig crew after a few hitches somewhere on a rig and get to know the people. As was mentioned Sperry Sun is a good company (Halliburton), and a company that prob has the best training and is always hiring is Schlumberger. I got my start with them as a Cementer, and got put through training. But you wont want to stay with them too long, they dont care about their people very well after a while. Hope it helps mate, there is still plenty of work out there despite the GFC, but you may have to go in lower than what you'd want and work your way up. But once your foot is in the door, it's a hella lot easier.
Massive thanks guys I do really appreciate all the info and wisdom. I have got quite a bit of experience in a lot of different trades mechanic, sparky, plumbing, joiner.. but few qualifications in any of them.
