Precision Drilling & Roughnecking

[themack89]

I'm just wondering if anyone is in the industry who can point me in the right direction. I have been calling a handful of drilling companies looking for work but am the most adamant about working for Precision Drilling (been calling them a lot).

I have zero rig experience, as green as they come... What are the odds of getting a job in today's world? Alberta only, got own vehicle and looking for sponsorship for H2S (that's how tight things are).

*Edit.. Also wondering what people find are the biggest differences between Service Rigs and Drilling Rigs? Bottom of the food chain positions..

[gretz]

If you weren't working in the industry prior, it is going to be f'n hard to find anything right now - even entry level.

[KeepItGully]

Its going to be hard because lots of applicants already have H2S and first aid. I'd suggest getting those before hand to seriously improve your chances.

[themack89]

My dad (who works for Halliburton) says this is the busy season, does that help at all?

[A|pine]

Your dad says it is busy season because we are in Canada.

Winter is always "busy season" because up north in order to get onto drilling leases you need the land to freeze up to get the heavy trucks to the site. This is because the land is pure bush and can be very marshy.

Why are they drilling up north? That is where all the new plays are ie: shale and Oil Sands.

I would say go and get your training done and get your dad to get you a contact. Referrals are usually the best way to get 'in'. Make sure you have your resume on hand as well. Do you have any mechanical aptitude? Like automotives, construction. You should mention what skills you have besides just being green.

[spike98]

With no tickets and no experiance on a lease then you need to pick another career. There are sooooo many experianced hands around because of layoffs that chances are the man applying beside you has lots of both.

If you have all your tickets and know someone you MIGHT just a chance as a lease hand. Even then you better be RUNNING to get those left handed screwdrivers and pipe stretchers or you'll be skidded in a heartbeat.

Things in Oil and Gas are VERY competitive due to the econmic climate and abundance of layoffs.

But nothing beats trying. No one has a chance at winning a lottery if they dont play.

[thager]

Originally posted by spike98
With no tickets and no experiance on a lease then you need to pick another career. There are sooooo many experianced hands around because of layoffs that chances are the man applying beside you has lots of both.

If you have all your tickets and know someone you MIGHT just a chance as a lease hand. Even then you better be RUNNING to get those left handed screwdrivers and pipe stretchers or you'll be skidded in a heartbeat.

Things in Oil and Gas are VERY competitive due to the econmic climate and abundance of layoffs.

But nothing beats trying. No one has a chance at winning a lottery if they dont play.

100% truth , i worked for ensign drilling in the fall of 08 and i was green as grass, i worked my ass off and got to know the crew then it was easy sailing from there, they even got me piss drunk and were surprised to see me at the lease in the morning .

[Graham_A_M]

Yeah drillers are working as Roughnecks in some instances. Its that slow. My co-worker just got back on: but thats only because he was a 'motorman', which is middle of command on a rig.
If you're new, chances are there wont be any company willing to take a chance on you. It just doesn't make sense to hire on a guy with no tickets OR experience of any sort to do a job a very experienced person with ALL their tickets would be willing to do for the same price.
Just simple business really. I'd ask your dad to pull some strings for you since he works for Halliburton. They do their own contract drilling in both Drilling & service rigs: so for now? thats probably your best bet.

yes your dad is right, it IS the busy season in comparison to how ridiculously slow drilling activities have been in this last year. However in the grand scheme of things, rig usuage is only at about 70-80% of where they were before this whole economic slow down. So that still equates to an abundance of willing (experienced) rig workers that will be hired on WAY before they'll ever consider you.
And yes, Precision Drilling is a great company to work for.

[RatherBePerfin]

While it is true that it is going to be tough to find work right now, don't give up on trying. The PD service rig that I was working with the last 2 days had a greenhand that was new to the oil patch as far as I know. If you are going to be particular about where you work and who you work for, then it may be a tough search, but there are lots of other good drilling and service companies out there besides PD.

[themack89]

If I was willing to drive up to Northern B.C. and Saskatchewan would that open more doors?

Also, from your experiences which would be high probability drilling companies to apply for? I don't have a problem with driving up to Nisku / Edmonton (possibly even Fort Mac if it's worth it) to apply in person. Today I'm dropping off resumes in person at Stoneham, Precision, Trinidad, and whoever else I can find before I hit the trail.

[SKR]

There's this:

http://www.rigtech.ca/contacts/pdf/DrillingRigEmploymentContactsDec09.pdf

Lots of people forget about the Saskatchewan drilling contractors (Advance, Big Sky, Eagle, Panther, Totem, Red Dog), but for those you almost have to live in SE Saskatchewan. But the worst they'll say is no. Eagle and Red Dog just built new rigs, Totem is building one and both Panther rigs are fairly new. Big Sky is Ensign's junk yard, and I know nothing about Advance.

[Graham_A_M]

^ Trinidad uses built to shit Rigs too, as I've heard a few horror stories. I'd avoid them and try Nabors & Precision. ;)

[ExtraSlow]

I'm a drilling engineer, and This winter I've run rigs from Nabors, Precision, and Trinidad.
It's going to be very tough to get on, but not impossible. If you are serious about this, get your H2S ticket now, and keep calling those places.
Just to show you how tough the industry is right now, I started up a rig in December that hadn't worked for nine months. None of the crew had found jobs on other rigs in that whole time. That's nine full months of no pay.
Are you ready for that?

People think the oilpatch is just easy money, but in truth, there's a lot of downsides to it. Probably easier to get a job in town right now for similar hourly wages.

[Graham_A_M]

^ LOL, I dont miss that shit not one bit. There is GOBS of money to be made elsewhere if you know where to look. I've seen & met numerous guys make almost as much money as Toolpushes, only they're home every night. :dunno:

People are mis-lead to think all the money is in working in the oilpatch, and its honestly not.
For instance: There is remarkable money in Landscape construction if you're very very good at it, same with irrigation installations... only those are things few people ever seriously look at simply because its so very easy to overlook.
Yet those are two (small) examples out of many. I guess you can say those are merely a "drop in the bucket" if you will.
:dunno:

[f150mikey060]

Was on a Pd rig a few days ago. It has definatly got a lot buisier lately but as everyone has mentioned it will not be easy to get on. The driller was telling me he dropped down to roughneck over the summer when it was bad. From what i have heard Precision has a decent amount of work lined up so you might as well get your h2s like mentioned and apply.

[Hi-Psi]

Go and get your EMT and be a medic in the oil patch. It hardly ever slows down and the wages seem to just keep going up and up.

Most EMT's are starting out nowadays at $350/day with some companies going up as high as $500. I've had nothing but great luck finding jobs and I'm making more now than ever.

Seriously people, EMT's get paid very well and they do next to nothing, I can't see there being an easier job in the oil patch.

Also, look into StatOil projects, they're going full tilt and will be for years to come. A lot of their workers are from companies like Revcon, Flint, Team, etc

[Graham_A_M]

^ How does a person get their EMT? course requirements cost and course length?

[themack89]

Drove up to Nisku on Wednesday to apply a bunch of places in person.. Ironically the only place that clearly said 'No' was PD. Other places just told me to call right after I get my H2S (which is tomorrow).

I think it helped alot by physically going there in person. :clap:

Will let you all know how it plays out.

The hopeful contenders are:
Nabors
Trinidad
Akita
Stoneham <-- probably most likely
Ensign
And another place I forgot the name..

[Hi-Psi]

Originally posted by Graham_A_M
^ How does a person get their EMT? course requirements cost and course length?

Well you'd have to take the EMR(Emergancy Medical Responder) course first which you can usually complete at most schools within a couple weeks. Cost is usually under $1000 for the course.

Then you'd have to take your EMT(Emergency Medical Technician) course which is anywhere from 4-12 months usually depending on if you go part-time or full-time. Cost is usually $5-7k for the course with all your books and stuff.

SAIT, St. John Ambulance, Professional Medical Associates(PMA), Alberta Health & Safety, Flatline Response and few other schools offer these courses.

I know it may seem like a lot of money at first but you make awesome money once your working, especially if you're working in the oil patch.

You can easily make $6000/month after tax once you have your EMT. And that's at the starting wage of $350/day. (In the oil patch I mean)