Rigging (Calling Penner2k)
 

Quick questions for the guys that work on rigs

Which OFA level do you have?

Best time to apply? I read the fall, but I was wondering if I can get something going now.

If you aren't retarded, how quickly do you move up from leasehand?

How long you guys been at it?

Already have my h2s, ready to get up and go. Don't mind getting my hands dirty and have some pretty awesome reference letters.

Also what do I avoid when I apply for jobs? (In terms of what companies)

Hey man.

When I was working drilling rigs I only had level C first aid or something like that.
Anytime is good to apply. End of winter can be good as a lot of guys fuck off to wherever the shit they came from.
When you are in touch with a coordinator, ask them to put you on a rig that doesn't have lease hands. Find one where roughneck is the bottom feeder. Best way to learn, and being a lease hand would suck.
I did it for seven years. If I could do it all over again I wouldn't. I'd do it for maybe 3-6 months for the experience and find work in the oil sands. Better steady money and safer. My best year working rigs was just under $150,000 and I worked my bag off. Now I get that easily without breaking a sweat.
I can't think of much to avoid on a resume. But, if the first question on an application or interview is "are you a pussy?" Answer no.

Pretty sure Penner works on a pipeline job, not the rigs. Fort mac/Northern BC/AB does not mean oil rigs. Tons of other jobs.

I'm more interested in actually working in oil as opposed to setting up rigs/pipefitting.

The way I see it is I can get my hands dirty and see what other career options are up there.

Plus money.

So actually working for the sands and living in fort mac is better?

for it me it doesn't make a difference. Rigging got me more interested because I'm into camp work.

My goal is to go for 2 years and save a ton a money, and go fromt here. Also I was hoping to work for one of the bigger companies and get transfered overseas.

You don't have to live in Fort McMurray to work in the Oil Sands. I'd say half the workers in the region stay in camp and get flights provided to them.

Doing a 2 year plan isn't bad. Shitty thing if you were to work the rigs is that you never work directly for an oil company. At least with the Oil Sands the oil companies here hire quite a bit of people which opens quite a bit of doors. Also, a lot of service companies / contractors are international. A few of the drilling rig companies are big enough and are international. When I was working Derrickhand I was offered to go to the middle east somewhere and Australia. Wish I went, turned it down because I was tied to a nicely shaven little box.

by shaven box do you mean a vagina.

Thanks man, I'll keep it updated and see where it goes from there.

Any recommendation for companies i should apply for?

meowjinboo- what is your schooling/work experience like? Have you done any trades jobs?

I'm moving to fort mac in april for school and might have some suggestions.

Getting a class 3 will open your options too.

^Diploma in Comp Sci, left school and currently self teaching.

I have operated heavy machinery thats about it. I have a class 5.

Right now I'm just looking for work that could lead into learning a new skill/trade/move up.

What kind of heavy machinery? Lots of machines to operate up north.

still unsure if i want to do it or not. Do you guys know what kind of first aid they are looking for at most rigs? I'm signed up to take general first aid for another possible career venture so it would be nice if it works out too.

had a hookup to trinidad from my girlfriends sisters bf... not anymore though lol bad terms. currrently in automotive and undecided if i want to leave town for something else

Lots of good reading on these sites

Alberta oilfield driving jobs

Alberta Oil Rigs

Power Engineering