Offshore oil jobs are found on oil rigs and oil platforms at sea. Jobs on offshore oil platforms are wide ranging, but can be divided into the categories of management and operations, engineering and scientific, drill crew, well crew, catering, maintenance, and transportation. Depending on the stage of oil platform development, not all of the job categories are present aboard an oil rig at all times. Specifically, the drill crew includes geologists, roughnecks, roustabouts, toolpushers, mud engineers, company men, and derrickhands. Well crew positions include supervisors, pump operators, and tubing operators. Catering jobs include cooking and cleaning for all personnel aboard the platform, and transportation jobs include helicopter pilots to ferry personnel between the mainland and the oil platform.
Instructions
Job Search
1. Search for information from reputable resources about the wide variety of jobs available in offshore oil exploration and production and look for job descriptions and locations that spark an interest. Look for resources that offer free job listings and descriptions of job opportunities, such as those listed in the Resources section. Be careful about sites that charge a fee for finding employment opportunities. Educational institutions and professional organizations, such as the American Association of Petroleum Geologists and the American Institute of Professional Geologists, often maintain listings of job opportunities in the industry as well as information on employment resources. Major fossil fuel exploration and production companies themselves will also be beneficial resources for finding out information about offshore oil job opportunities.
2. Determine what qualifications are necessary for jobs of interest. Entry-level positions are available, but some jobs prefer experience in drilling operations or a mechanical or trade skill while others may require more formal academic education such as in engineering or geology. For example, some petroleum geologist and geoscientist positions may require or prefer an advanced degree such as a master's or Ph.D. in the field with a specialty in petroleum geology.
3. Decide whether offshore work is the right path for you to pursue, realizing that significant travel and time away from home will be involved as well as long, nontraditional hours in all types of weather and climate conditions. The pay and benefits, on the other hand, are typically excellent. For example, payscale.com states that an oil well driller with less than one year experience earned a median hourly wage of $9.78 to $18.88 in 2009, while a petroleum geologist with less than one year experience earned a median salary between $65,000 and $92,000.
Job Application
4. Determine the specific instructions for applying for several of the job openings found in the job search that you are qualified for, that appear interesting to you, and that you would be excited about and willing to perform.
5. Apply for jobs online or mail in job applications depending on each of the prospective employers' preferred method of initial communication.
6. Call the prospective hiring organization if there are any specific questions about a particular job position that are not clearly answered in the initial job positing.
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