To work in an offshore oil rig is like being in a man-made island where nothing is natural and is only there for one primary reason—to extract raw valuable oil from underneath the ocean’s soil. For a business that deals with the so-called “black gold,” one can only imagine how lucrative the oil drilling enterprise truly is.
And, where there is money, there are also those people who share in its fruits. By this, it not only means the capitalists who are behind the big trade, but also the people who are pivotal in the trade’s operations—like the electricians who are critical in the installation of the electrical system for the platform.
To build an oil rig in the middle of nowhere in the ocean is no simple feat. Not only does it require large sums of money to kickstart, it also takes the right set of people to build it from the ground-up. Lacking any of these people, the platform will never be complete.
See Also: Electrician Levels / Ranks
But even before you decide to jump and join the fray as a qualified electrician in an oil rig somewhere in the ocean, you must know first the ups and downs of the trade and see if this route in your career is the right fit for you.
Pros of Being an Oil Rig Electrician
• Splendid Pay Scale
For an enterprise that has the potential to rake in billions, if not trillions, of dollars per year once operational, the salary of even an entry-level electrician in an oil rig platform ranges between $47,000 to $80,000, depending on how he would sell his skill.
But that is only speaking of a qualified electrician who still have years to count to become seasoned in his trade. Those who are indeed already experienced in the trade and are holding high key positions in the trade are expected to earn a salary set between $83,000 and $160,000 annually.
• “Balanced” Working Schedule
When an oil rig electrician’s peers in other branches of the trade are spending their working days on a fixed amount of days every week in a calendar, an electrician in an oil rig platform enjoys a healthy balance of work and rest. This is due primarily to the “rotative” nature of an oil rig electrician’s work schedule.
For example, an oil rig electrician who is on a 7/7 rotation is expected to work 7 days straight and subsequently followed by a week of rest. But this is just one kind of rotation schedule for an oil rig electrician. Others may abide by the 14/14 or 28/28 working schedule.
But there are also special exceptions, such as those who work in an oil rig somewhere in Canada’s ocean where some months of the year are convenient to work, while some months simply are not.
See Also: Electrician Types
• Free Training
Granted you are already a fledged electrician—that is, a journeyman who went through apprenticeship or similar training—getting a career in an oil rig company as an electrician does not require you a prior experience in the job. Apart from what you had learned in your training, there’s little else you would need to know to apply the same knowledge in an oil rig.
However, your hiring company will provide you the necessary knowledge and training you ought to know before actually working in a still developing oil extraction platform. This mandatory learning is aimed at equipping everybody the needed skill to employ in case of emergency in the platform, mostly about first aid and security.
• Health-oriented Employment
All oil rig companies know the value of its employees in the operation of its business and thus place emphasis in the welfare of its working individuals. This is given by the level of health insurance which the company provides that ensure that everyone is at their tip-top shape for work. Furthermore, there are also health insurances in place which seeks to offset whatever danger the employment might pose.
• Great Career Advancement
Many electricians in the oil rig business who holds high positions were once humble workers who started off from the bottom. However, it is worth noting that such an advancement does not necessarily come without its pre-requisites—typically, a growing knowledge and skill in the trade.
• Amazing Working Environment
If you love the idea of the ocean, then you will love your workspace in an oil rig. There’s no other working environment which pits you directly at the sea than it.
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Cons of Being an Oil Rig Electrician
• Long Working Hours
Previously, we have mentioned how “balanced” the working schedule of an oil rig electrician is. But that is only speaking of work in terms of days of active working and non-working. In reality, like its peers, the work of an oil rig electrician may at times require more than 8 hours to do—sometimes, lasting to half a day.
• Extended Period of Being Away from Home
Even if there is a “nearby” oil rig in your home town to which you will work for, which is rarely the case, such a workplace would still be set in the middle of the ocean. This means that when you choose to become an oil rig electrician, you will be working in an isolated place, remote from the place you call home.
For some people, this might be a reason for getting homesick. Perhaps, this is more so to those who hail from a different and far-flung country.
• Risky Job
It is already a given that the job of an electrician is not absent with hazards that could inflict damage or, worst, death. While this is true in general, this is also truer still for one working in an oil rig platform, especially for one which is continuously being developed.
See Also: Electrician Safety Clothing
• Not So Amazing Working Environment
This is basically the anti-thesis in the previous statement of how “amazing” a work environment an oil rig set in the middle of the ocean is. Although this will be subjective to a person, a platform which offers very limited area for movement in a static backdrop may not be some people’s description of a healthy working space.