The UK's official graduate careers website

Login to My Prospects

Not a member yet? Join now
 
 

Drilling engineer : Salary and conditions

More in this section

  1. Job description
  2. Salary and conditions
  3. Entry requirements
  4. Training
  5. Career development
  6. Employers and vacancy …
  7. Related jobs

Print all pages in this section

Case studies

  • Range of typical starting salaries: £30,000 - £35,000.
  • Salaries in smaller companies are likely to be lower. Range of typical salaries after 15 - 20 years in the role: £50,000 - £100,000.
  • Salary is usually performance-related. Location and assignments influence salary. Additional fringe benefits and overseas allowances may be available. Oil drilling takes place in some dangerous areas of the world. In these situations, extra payments may be made.
  • Often you will be required to work offshore or in remote areas, but office-based roles are available too.
  • Many international oil companies offer graduate training programmes and most have comprehensive information about these on their websites.
  • In the North Sea, offshore working hours are normally 12 hours on and 12 hours off continuously for two weeks, followed by a break ashore of two to three weeks. You may be summoned to work on a rig at short notice.
  • Oil exploration is an international activity and the work of a drilling engineer can take you all over the world, from Africa to Eastern Europe to the Middle East.
  • If you work overseas you might work ‘on rotation’, spending up to two months onsite followed by a break of one month at home.
  • The work on offshore rigs is demanding and physically hard, often undertaken in dirty, wet and noisy conditions. The weather may also be unpleasant.
  • Living conditions on most rigs are very comfortable - sometimes described as five-star hotel standard quality. Rigs usually accommodate 50-100 people. Rooms are compact but comfortable. They are frequently shared with a colleague working the opposite 12-hour shift, so you will rarely see your roommate. All meals and laundry services are provided. Regular facilities include a gym and snooker room with access to computers and DVDs. Alcohol is prohibited on the rig.
  • Offshore operations take place in many parts of the world (high seas, remote jungles, vast deserts and mountain ranges). In some settings, you may be working for several months at a time without a break. You will need to be prepared to accept considerable disruption to your personal and home life. Communal living with the same set of people means you need to get on well with others, both in and outside the work situation.
  • Travel to different rigs by helicopter is normal (sometimes at short notice), so flexibility is required and travel to sites in other parts of the world can be complex and difficult.
  • The work could be difficult for entrants with a physical disability as all offshore rig personnel must pass tests of physical fitness, survival and escape from a submerged helicopter.
  • Self-employment/freelance work on contract is possible although the majority of staff work for an employer.
  • A low proportion of women currently work in this profession but the numbers are increasing.
 
AGCAS
Written by AGCAS editors
Date: 
July 2011
© Copyright AGCAS & Graduate Prospects Ltd | Disclaimer
 
 
 

This website is best viewed in an up-to-date web browser with CSS enabled. While you will be able to view the content of this page in your current browser, you will not be able to get the full visual experience. Please consider upgrading your browser software or enabling style sheets if you are able to do so.