Working offshore.
- Thread starter aaron
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Falck in teeside is a bit closer to home for op. They offer pretty much every course you could need and the instructors are fantastic. Only downside is the place tends to be full of smoggies but hey, nothing is perfect!
Haha well for my BOSIET I was looking at south shields marine college as my step dad does it there and says its fine. Any one else had experiences there?
I heard Stavanger was a bit of a boring place to be as well? Oslo is where it's at apparently...
Oslo is nice. Stavanger is a much shorter flight for me though, only two hours away. Normally have a pretty entertaining time there too. Loads of cruises stop in on their way to the fjords.
I was in the merchant navy for 5 years working on ROVs had lots of job offers when i left working on static platforms but never fancied doing it, the problem is now there really isnt much of a British merchant navy as we are expensive compared to workers from the rest of the world but its something to look into, if i was just starting out its what i would do.
That's perfect BJN. I honestly did not realize that and it may be the way to go. In regards to the money side of things that does not seem half bad actually especially if accommodation etc are taken care of. (im on 16k at the moment, was 20k last year but they are refusing to pay out bonuses now by implementing impossible to reach targets as a form of bonus control.)
I think in regards to course it will definitely be OPITO for me as it seems the most widely accepted and the courses just generally seem better.
In regards to an apprenticeship is there any companies you can suggest looking at and what are the requirements generally? Sadly in the past few years I have come to realize that 6th form was a complete waste (despite good grades) and the promise of a good job at the end of it was a complete lie. I should have went to college instead and got myself a vocation. But yeah apprenticeship may be the way to go as it's how my step dad got on and he's on ridiculous money as an instrument tech.
In terms of what job I don't have the foggiest at the moment. I would probably like to go down the instrument tech route eventually as my step dad could really help me out with that and he's been all over the world, Azerbaijan, Baku etc. But for me I feel I need to get on and see whats what first before I decide, which is why being a roustabout may come in handy. When I'm investing all this time and money I want a job that I am happy with and I've seen quite a few people who went offshore with good intentions but couldn't hack the job they chose.
Thanks to everyone so far.
Addressing the part in bold: the OPITO courses are a Modern Apprenticeship scheme in themselves. OPITO is the main body used for training "new" people into the oil & gas industry (mostly around the North Sea at the very least anyway), so the funding they receive come from the companies operating out there. Generally speaking, you'll do the majority of your two years (21 months) of college and then be given a contract to work at a site owned by another company, for example my contract is with Shell. I can't speak for the other disciplines (Mechanical, Electrical and Process), but I'm yet to hear of an Instrument Tech that has trained through the OPITO Apprenticeship and wasn't offered a job with, for lack of a better word, their sponsoring company the day they passed their final S/NVQ.
General Roustabouts are a good start, but I personally think you're expecting a little too much of it. All you'd be doing is getting your hands dirty on the drilling deck (offshore) and possibly helping the mechies out with some pumps. Out of the four disciplines you could choose from with OPITO, Process and Instrument seem like the only viable option to me - a sparky is a sparky and a mechie is a mechie, they're a dime a dozen. But to get someone skilled and trained in controlling the systems and instruments used to run the entire plant? That's something worthwhile and will always be in demand.
If you ever want to know more about the course in general etc, feel free to send me a message through trust
Yeah but Aberdeen is very multicultural due to the oil and gas industry, there's so many non Scottish people who live there. In fact I only have one Scottish friend (as in proper friend rather than acquaintance)
.It does depend what you do though. The guys who work for the platform operator (ie Shell, BP etc) as Control Room Operators, Operations Team Leads, Production Team Leads etc tend to work 2 on 3 off, know there schedule months/year in advance, get money if there chopper is delayed etc (I know guys at Shell/Total who get ~£400 if there chopper is delayed by more than a couple of hours on the way home).
It's ad-hoc offshore jobs that seem to suck, as you just get sent offshore at random with little to no notice and can't really plan your life unless you book holiday/leave.
Thanks guys's and I'll definitely trust you BJN if I have any questions so much apreciated.
Well rather stupidly I tried to book my BOSIET course yesterday but they dont have any advanced bookings for next month yet which is rather annoying as you would think you would be able to book months in advance.
Anyway ive booked 4 weeks holiday next month from work so when a place comes up on the course I can book straight away and just cancel the holidays I dont need.
Well rather stupidly I tried to book my BOSIET course yesterday but they dont have any advanced bookings for next month yet which is rather annoying as you would think you would be able to book months in advance.
Anyway ive booked 4 weeks holiday next month from work so when a place comes up on the course I can book straight away and just cancel the holidays I dont need.
Soldato
- Joined
- 14 Aug 2008
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- North Sea
Au contraire,
I qualified as an engineer out of a Cadetship last year, and companies are crying out for British trained officers. Something to do with having officers possessing a UK MCA issued COC reducing insurance costs for owners, alongside the IMO and certain flag states considering withdrawing recognition of Philippines issued COC's due to the sheer number of avoidable accidents taking place involving officers holding certificates from that country.
Indeed, when I worked for Maersk on their container ships earlier in the year, the Brits actually had better pay, terms and conditions than even the Danes. In a Danish company.
So it's not all as grim at sea for the Brits as some would make out.
Just a quick update guys. Just completed the first day of my BOSIET and thoroughly enjoyed it. Mind the gear you wear isnt made for comfort
Anyway its a 3 day course so finish that on Wednesday, then got my MIST on Thursday and Friday. All I need after that is me CA-EBS and offshore medical then i'll be ready.
CV's getting drafted up now so fingers crossed.
Anyway its a 3 day course so finish that on Wednesday, then got my MIST on Thursday and Friday. All I need after that is me CA-EBS and offshore medical then i'll be ready.
CV's getting drafted up now so fingers crossed.
It's not sadly, most of the centers are still operating on the old re-breathers (which I have to use tomorrow as it's helicopter time) as it's not mandatory till January, so they run the new EBS as a completely separate course.. Just a way of getting them extra cash I guess.