Roughneck Jobs: Oil Rig Employment
Entry level jobs on an offshore oil rig are usually for the positions of roughneck or roustabout. There are plenty of options when it comes to roughneck jobs, oil rig entry level careers, and roustabout jobs. In most locations, the terms roustabout and roughneck are interchangeable, because the job requirements and duties are essentially the same. These are entry level positions and are for unskilled or semi skilled workers. What that means is virtually anyone can be hired for the position with absolutely no previous experience, making it very easy to get into an offshore oil drilling career and earn a very respectable salary. Offshore drilling jobs pay notoriously well and come with a lot of great job perks, although these rewards are offset by the relatively dangerous nature of the work and the long working hours. Some people simply cannot handle it, while others thrive on the work.
Roughneck jobs make up an integral part of the oil rig crew, and are just as important in their own way as the managers and engineers. They basically take care of all the cleaning and maintenance necessary to keep the rig and drills operational. The rest of the crew is able to complete their jobs much more easily with all of these extra duties taken care of by the unskilled crew. The best part is, it is easy to rise in the ranks once you start to build up experience on an offshore rig, making the promotions and salary opportunities virtually endless. Typically, an oil rig will make use of around three or four drill crews on a rotating schedule. Most of the time there are two roughneck jobs open on each crew. Their job duties usually include:
- keeping the deck clean
- removing safety hazards
- scraping rust that builds up from the salt water
- painting
- connecting pipe sections for the drill well
- assembling equipment and machinery
- repairing equipment and machinery
- hauling equipment to various parts of the rig
- anything else needed of them
Roughneck jobs in Texas are some of the most plentiful, as Texas has miles of coastline bordering the Gulf of Mexico, a hotspot for oil drilling. The best place to look is either in online classified ads, oil company websites, or in local newspapers from local port towns. Although roughnecks are essentially the lowest of the low on an offshore oil rig, with a positive attitude and good attention to detail, it is possible to rise through the ranks very quickly, earning a higher annual salary with each subsequent promotion.
The rewards are what make the job worthwhile. An unskilled laborer in an entry level position can make more than $40,000 per year for only 6 months of work, or continuous 7 days on, 7 days off shifts. The oil company usually pays for all lodging and food, so it’s possible to save most of the income and build up a decent nest egg in almost no time at all.
