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Offshore Entry-Level Oil Rig Jobs

Shashank Nakate
The entry-level oil rig jobs offer a good salary with the opportunity of working in a challenging work environment. Offshore oil rig jobs require a candidate to be hardworking and capable of adapting himself to various types of work environment. Today, there are numerous job vacancies for oil rigs in the market.
There are many jobs available at the entry-level for working in an oil rig. Oils rigs can either be offshore or onshore. One should work in an onshore oil rig, at least in the beginning in order to gain the relevant experience.
Offshore jobs are a bit tough than onshore ones due to the amount of traveling involved and time that is spent away from the shore. It also involves facing dangerous situations involving the threat of hurricanes.
However, it is an exciting job where one gets to learn a lot. The salary or remuneration is not quite an issue for jobs on oil rigs because, even the dishwashers get a handsome pay of $9 per hour in the beginning itself.

Oil Rig Jobs for Beginners
One can apply for the following posts to land an oil rig job. Today, the oil rig employment sector is buzzing with jobs, as there is rise in the number of people being recruited. Here is some useful information on the different types of jobs available in this field.

Roustabout

The main job of a Roustabout or Maintenance Roustabout is to guide cranes that move loads about the deck. Providing the crew on the deck with necessary equipment and carrying out the cleaning and maintenance work are secondary responsibilities of a roustabout. Assisting roughnecks on the drill floor also is one of the jobs of a Roustabout.

Maintenance Roustabout

A Maintenance Roustabout shoulders responsibility of cleaning the deck, general upkeep and painting. He can earn around $49,000 as the annual salary.

Welder

The welders are permanently based on a rig to look after repairs and building of metal works. A large number of welders are hired if the company secures a big project. The welders, many a time are required to travel to different locations after completion of a given contract. They get an annual salary which revolves around $44,000.

Radio Operators

It is an important job, however, considered a little less demanding and hectic. The person in charge of this job has to look after the radio transmitter and similar devices; he might earn up to $50,000 per annum.

Scaffolders

The scaffolders are not bound to a particular oil rig location. They have to travel to different sites in order to carry out the necessary installations. Scaffolders can earn a salary of $50,000 per annum.

Rig Safety and Training Co-ordinator (RSTC)

This job involves a lot of responsibilities and therefore the RSTCs are well paid, i.e. they earn around $51,000 per annum. The candidate should not only have knowledge pertaining to company policies and safety laws, but he must also be a good manager and communicator.

Storeman

A Storeman should be computer literate as he is responsible for managing and maintaining the stores. Average salary of a storeman is around $38,000 per annum.

Medic

Medics are not necessarily doctors but trained professionals, mostly former nurses. They need to issue medicines just like a pharmacist does for treatments.
Maintaining medical records for crew members also is one of the responsibilities shouldered by Medics. One can expect a salary of up to $69,000 per annum for a Medic's job.

Mud Engineer

Mud Engineers should have completed graduation in chemistry. They look after fluids that are used in oil rigs. These professionals are paid a salary of around $79,000 per annum.

Painter

A painter needs to work at heights using the scaffolding safety harnesses. They are responsible for carrying out the painting works on rigs. A painter gets around $41,000 as his annual salary.

Eligibility and Requirements for Oil Rig Jobs

To get into an oil rig job, one needs to have a sound health. It is mandatory to pass through a medical examination including the 'Spinal X-ray' and 'Drug Screening Test'. The minimum age of an entry-level candidate for this job should be 18 years. The median age of workers employed on oil rigs is around 27 years.
Formal education doesn't matter much for entry-level positions. An oil rig job aspirant needs to learn quickly, adapt to different situations and should have the capacity to work for long hours. The work done at oil rigs is highly team-oriented. One may even lose his job, just for not showing up. Thus, attendance holds great importance in this field.
The oil rig jobs are considered amongst highest paying jobs that also provide a challenging work environment for employees. It makes this job one of the most sought after.