Offshore oil rig jobs provide excitement and an excellent learning experience. The job is typically fairly dangerous, something all oil drillers know before leaving land, but there are numerous benefits that make it all worthwhile, including free room and lodging, frequent time off, and excellent pay. Of course, for every upside there is also a downside, but many people prefer the dangerous life. If you think that you might be interested in getting employment offshore as an oil worker, then read on to see all the pros and cons of offshore oil rig jobs.
First of all, it’s important to understand the dangers of working on an offshore oil rig. These rigs are man made and often stand over thousands of feet of water. They are well off shore and sometimes you won’t even be able to see land from your station. As such, they are very susceptible to tropical storms and hurricanes. Many of these offshore rigs are located in the Gulf of Mexicao, which can see dozens of tropical storms every year.
You will not be able to see your family at all during the weeks that you are on site, but offshore oil rigs are almost like small cities of their own; they can be bigger than a football stadium. The life of an oil rig worker is tough, but definitely has its perks. For one, the workers on the rig often stay in extremely nice barracks that rival 5 star hotel rooms. The food is also savory and plentiful. All of this is free for the workers on the station. The downside is that you will usually have to work 7 days in a row, 12 hours a day, after which you return to the mainland for a week of vacation. When the vacation week is over, you go right back onto the rig for another week of work. Some people find it hard to cope with the rigorous schedule, while others thrive on it.
Entry level offshore drilling jobs are plentiful for physically fit men who are able to pass a small physical before employment. New hires on the oil rigs are usually called roughnecks or roustabouts. They are typically unskilled and learn the skills necessary while on the job site. Roustabouts are the people who maintain all the equipment on the rig. They are responsible for cleaning the drills and removing rust from any of the equipment. Even though they start out at the bottom of the barrel, there is plenty of room for advancement with oil jobs. The next step up would be a member of the drill crew, which comes with more prestige and a larger paycheck.
Despite the relative danger of oil rig jobs compared to other occupations, there are plenty of perks associated with the job. The dangerous working conditions lead to a much higher entry level paycheck than nearly any other occupation out there, which is one of the main reasons why more and more people are becoming interested in offshore oil rig jobs.
