Trying to enter oilfield service industry

Hi, there. I am currently living in South Ontario and planning to to move to Edmonton before autumn. I am hoping to get a entry level frac or mwd operator position. I do have an engineering degree (aerospace) but no experience or any connection over there. Additionally I also recently got my H2S alive and First Aid/CPR certificates.

What other requirements do I need to get hired? Do they demand any particular type of driver's license? I only possess a graduated license right now.

I have been applying online with a number of companies and so far no replies. Phone calls to the hr departments have been unhelpful either (they just tell me go to their websites).

Any advices would be much appreciated.

There are many positions open, but you have a few things working against you.
- Distance, nobody is going to give the time of day to someone who lives thousands of miles away.
- Your drivers license status. At the bare minimum, you need a full unrestricted license for most of these jobs. Class 1 or 3 helps, but many companies will pay for that training for the right people, AFTER they have proven themselves for a year or more. How long until you could get your real license?

Thank you for the reply.

I have two months to wait to get my full license. I have enough money saved to relocate to alberta and last for a number of months there even without income, but I'd like to make sure that I will be all set to find a position quickly.

What other assets should I try to get to help my resume look better?

Well half the companies are probably wondering why the hell someone with an engineering degree wants to work in services... I mean I can only imagine your resume is making most people scratch their heads and put you in the overqualified bin.

Frac, Cement and directional companies hire many engineers. Try:
Halliburton (all three services)
Weatherford (directional)
Baker Hughes (all three)
Schlumberger (all three)
Calfrac
Trican (cement and frac)
Canyon

What did you specialize in for aerospace? Did you ever get a job in that sector? If you've done much Computational Flow Dynamics, or Finite Element Analysis, that might help with the drill bit companies. A lot of the stuff used in aerospace is very transferable. Hydraulics, instrumentation, Navigation/location etc.

My brother in law flew out from PEI after christmas to Fort Mac. with no oilfield experience but did have the appropriate class license for driving large trucks, went around for a day handing out resumes and had multiple job offers the next day, took one driving a cement truck. Once you get out here and are available immediately will be your biggest move forward.

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What did you specialize in for aerospace? Did you ever get a job in that sector? If you've done much Computational Flow Dynamics, or Finite Element Analysis, that might help with the drill bit companies. A lot of the stuff used in aerospace is very transferable. Hydraulics, instrumentation, Navigation/location etc.

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Yes, I have done an amount of FEA (mostly using ANSYS). My interest was mainly in thermo & propulsion. Unfortunately I didn't get a opportunity to do any co-op, and my only working experience since graduation was a few months of technical writer's job. That's why I am only trying to get an operator/technician position so that I can get some experience before trying to move to a field engineer's position.

Of course, if I can get a better position as a start that would be really great.

I can help you out on the Trican end of this.

Edmonton is a poor choice for any of our service lines. We operate 4 shops in the Nisku area, but only 1 houses trucks and its our experienced N2 and CT shop. If your looking for a better bet, Red Deer (my base) or GP are more diverse and hire significantly more operators.

Your best bet to get on with us is to suck it up and take your Class 1 license privately. Once you have that, we'll pay for the remainder of your training. Additionally, you won't be starting at an entry level position. With the Class 1, you would be on a Cement Twin or a Frac Pump. Without a class 1, chances are we wouldn't have much room this late in the season (signs of breakup are already here).

Once you've spent time in the field, there are a few different options for guys with engineering backgrounds. We're currently looking for Down Hole Tool hands (link posted below). This is a 2 year commitment that leads to a Technical Specialist position, or to a Down hole tool design engineer position.


Have a look at these postings, and throw me a PM if you have any questions:

Fracturing Operator - Entry Level

Technical Specialist Down Hole Tools

Down Hole Tool Design Engineer

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Originally posted by mazdavirgin
Well half the companies are probably wondering why the hell someone with an engineering degree wants to work in services... I mean I can only imagine your resume is making most people scratch their heads and put you in the overqualified bin.

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More and more MWD hands are coming in with Eng. degrees if they can't find something downtown or prefer field work. Depending on the company and what tools you have in the ground, the amount of money those guys can make per day is considerable.

I'm on our last well before breakup here; things are getting pretty soggy. However southern Alberta doesn't really breakup.

Grimes Well Servicing

Check these guys out, if you are willing to go to Northern BC you will have a job immediately. Tool pushes are making huge money.