Introduction
Please read the site thoroughly
before emailing me with your query. Because of the amount of emails I get
I can/will only answer those with a specific question that isn't answered
within the site.
If you are from South Africa, please
check the link opposite for specific information about your country.
Some Background
It is not necessary to live in or even close to an oil centre like
Aberdeen to work offshore in the North Sea. Aberdeen is the main location
of the offshore oil industry in the UK. It is considered the Oil Capital
of Europe. It has the busiest heliport in the UK.
Many onshore jobs in Aberdeen are
dependant on the search for and production of oil. High proportions of
current offshore employees commute from as far away as Ireland, Wales and
the south of England. Others come from much further away such as Spain,
USA, France, Australia etc.
Among those living abroad are
British people, who moved there when they became settled into their
offshore career and pay their own fares back and forward every trip. Few
companies now pay travelling expenses. As far as a starting salary you
would be looking in the region of £20,000 per year as a Roustabout or
Catering Assistant / Steward.
Your payment type may vary; a fixed
amount every month, or a 'day rate' where you get paid for each day on the
rig. Whichever way you get paid the annual salary would still work out the
same of course.
There is no real age limit, it just
depends on how you sell yourself. I've worked with Roustabouts in their
50's and Stewards in their 60's. You will need to be fit enough to pass
the medical and carry out your duties, other than that should be no
problem with age as long as you don't still want to be working offshore
after you're 65!!!!!
As long as you get to the heliport
for your 'check in time' it does not matter where you stay during your
time off. There are some exceptions to this depending on what type of job
you have. For example, some maintenance personnel have to be on call to go
at short notice to a rig that requires them. They are not tied to any one
rig. They are sent by their employer at the request of a drilling or
production company.
Rig workers who have a 'back to
back' and a definite period of time off the rig can usually suit
themselves what they do and where they go, until they are due back to the
rig. |