The world still runs on oil, with no viable substitute in sight, and prospects for oil rig employment remain strong. While there is a recession going on and a few oil companies are keeping their oil rigs idle (and retrenching workers), other oil companies are actually hiring more workers to man their oil rigs. As long as you look for offshore oil rig jobs in the right place, you can still get a job.
Have you ever worked in oil rig jobs? If not, this is a good time for you to get some subsidized training. The Department of Labor has a JobCorp program works with technical colleges training for disadvantaged youths. Some of their training programs are relevant to the oil and gas industry.
Even if you don’t meet the requirements for subsidized training, you may want to pay your own way. Remember that oil rig employment pays two times more than any other industry for doing the same job. If the training increases your chances of getting oil rig jobs, isn’t it worthwhile?
Apart from oil rig specific training, you should also aim for a few other certifications – offshore survival, helicopter underwater escape training and first aid. In addition, get your passport, vaccinations and medical certificates ready and up-to-date. Some states or countries may have additional paperwork you need to comply with. Remember to do some reading on maritime law – in some countries offshore oil rigs legally count as ships.
Make sure you have a bag packed and ready to go. Get your personal affairs settled ahead of time – your insurance, mortgage, property taxes, utilities bills and phone bills, etc. If you get a job offer, you want to start ASAP. It is foolish to delay – this only gives time for things to go wrong.
Don’t worry about the recession, there is still plenty of oil rig employment available. You just need to look in the right places. Just get all your training and paperwork ready ahead of time so that the human resource department has no excuse to shred your resume.