Oil Rig Employment: Three Things to Do Before You Start Job Hunting

As long as the world runs on oil, prospects for oil rig employment will remain bright. Whether for use as energy or in the chemical industry, there is still no replacement for oil despite billions of dollars of research. With the International Energy Agency projecting that oil companies worldwide will spend $20 trillion in the next 25 years on oil exploration, there will be plenty of oil rig jobs. Even if one company lets go of its workers, another will take up the slack. Keep your eyes and ears open and you will have no trouble finding offshore oil rig jobs.

1. Get Yourself Trained For Offshore Oil Rig Jobs

When you don't have actual working experience, getting yourself trained is a good way to get ahead of all the other job seekers without experience. Too many people are reluctant to spend money on their own self-development, education and training. Instead, they expect handouts from the government and their employers. So this is a good way to stand out from the crowd.

Training can be expensive, but when you consider that the oil industry pays double the average salary of nearly every other industry, it is clearly a good investment. So how do you get this training?

Nowadays, community colleges and vocational colleges are partnering with companies in the oil industry to provide relevant training. In the USA, the Department of Labor has a program called JobCorps which subsidizes the vocational training for disadvantaged youths. In the UK, servicemen leaving active service also have subsidized training for the oil industry.

2. Clear All The Paperwork And Red Tape

Unfortunately, offshore oil rigs are subject to a lot of government red tape. Some of this is due to international treaties, and some due to the usual federal government interference. Then the state governments, the unions, lawyers and lobbyists also want a piece of the pie.

If you have previous offshore oil rig job experience, you probably already have some of the paperwork and certifications needed. If not, you may want to get your offshore survival certificate, helicopter underwater escape training certificate, first aid certification, firefighting certification, passport, vaccinations, medical fitness certificate, union membership, trade certifications (e.g. welding, mechanic, electrician, etc.).

Are all these pieces of paper really necessary? That depends on where you want to work.

3. Settle Your Personal Affairs

Once you get hired, you'll want to start work immediately. So you should get all your personal affairs settled ahead of time. Arrange for your home mortgage, property taxes, utilities bills, phone bills, personal insurance and any other payments to be automatically deducted from your bank account. Check with an accountant or tax lawyer if there are any special claims you can make for your income tax. At one time, US citizens working overseas were tax-exempt. And remember to pack your bags ahead of time. It's a hell of a thing to remember that you forgot your spare underwear when you are in the middle of the ocean.

If you are serious about looking for oil rig employment, then you'll do whatever it takes to get hired. Settle your training requirements, legal paperwork and personal affairs ahead of time.