| You have put in a lot of effort to get your | | | | with drugs in your personal effects, you |
| first oil drilling job. Once you get hired, | | | | could face the hanging penalty for drug |
| here are 10 tips to get you started off on | | | | trafficking in oil rigs off the shore of |
| the right foot. | | | | countries like Malaysia and Singapore. |
| | | | |
| 1) Be humble. Start from the bottom, just | | | | 6) Buy enough life insurance. While safety is |
| like everyone else on the oil rig, even the | | | | a high priority on modern oil rigs, it never |
| rig manager. | | | | hurts to be prepared for the worst case, |
| | | | especially if you have family members |
| 2) Be prepared. There are no stores on an | | | | dependent on you. |
| offshore oil rig. Make sure you bring along | | | | |
| enough toiletries and cigarettes (even if you | | | | 7) Be prepared to travel. You will usually be |
| do not smoke). You can trade the extras, or | | | | far away from home in a remote location for |
| "bribe" a seasoned colleague to teach you | | | | several weeks. After all, there is a reason |
| part of his job. As mobile phones usually do | | | | they are giving you all that extra salary. |
| not work on offshore, take along a prepaid | | | | |
| card. You will need to find out who the phone | | | | 8) Make sure you are single or have a stable |
| service provider is on board your oil rig. | | | | marriage. More than one employee has found |
| | | | himself divorced due to the odd working hours |
| 3) Clear up any personal issues before you | | | | and long hitches. If you are married, make |
| leave shore. Communications can be expensive | | | | sure you can trust your wife to keep your |
| if your rig does not have mobile phone | | | | household affairs running. |
| coverage. Offshore phone services like | | | | |
| Petrocom charge up to $5.00 a minute, so your | | | | 9) Be prepared to work hard, no matter how |
| prepaid cards could run out pretty fast. | | | | rough the weather condition is. Also be |
| Unless you have a life-threatening emergency, | | | | prepared to work for demanding supervisors. |
| you will be stuck on the rig for weeks | | | | An oil rig costs thousands per hour to |
| (depending on your contract, possibly up to 6 | | | | operate and has no room for slackers and |
| weeks). You should realize that transport on | | | | layabouts. More importantly, offshore rigs |
| and off the rig is strictly controlled, as | | | | are often isolated away from civilization and |
| ferrying an employee to shore by helicopter | | | | any serious mistakes you make could cost the |
| costs thousands of dollars. | | | | lives of your colleagues. |
| | | | |
| 4) Get some basic knowledge of maritime law | | | | 10)Get a sense of what the industry is all |
| and protocol. An offshore oil rig comes under | | | | about. Check out books such as "A Primer to |
| maritime law and is treated as a sea going | | | | Oil Well Drilling" in your local library. |
| vessel. Protocol on board resembles that of a | | | | Make sure you have the right expectations of |
| commercial ship - the toolpusher or rig boss | | | | your colleagues and bosses on board the oil |
| and the drilling company representative serve | | | | rig. |
| as co-captains of the rig. Law breakers will | | | | |
| be turned over to the coast guard. | | | | Follow these 10 tips for your first oil |
| | | | drilling job, and you will find things going |
| 5) No drug use. If you have a drug habit and | | | | smoothly. Flout them, and your career will be |
| cannot give it up, do not get an oil drilling | | | | in choppy seas. |
| job. Rigs test employees regularly for drugs, | | | | |
| so you will be quickly found out and fired. | | | | Are you looking for oil drilling jobs? Click |
| Apart from that, laws in your host country | | | | here to learn how can help you to quickly and |
| will also come into effect. If you are found | | | | easily find oil drilling jobs. |