(02-15-2013 11:16 AM)pitt Wrote:  i started doing welding last week (im still in the UK), i dont think that shit is for me. My eyes have been hurting and i bet this can affect your vision in the long run.

I am thinking drilling at the moment.

It definitely screws up your vision.

Every old welder I knew had problems.

(02-15-2013 03:33 PM)hiphoppotamus Wrote:  For those who want to go into drilling, check out this show: http://www.licencetodrill.ca/episodes.aspx?season=3

Episode 2: Greenhorns: That's pretty much 100 percent what a Floorhand will be doing. They captured it well! And as mentioned since rigs are Non-Union, the driller can send you home whenever for whatever reason. Move to slow, send ya home! You get your pay check and that's that. Come late more than once, BAM driller sends you away. Service rigs gotta hit their drilling quotas and the driller gets his bonus by running a tight team.

I got harassed for wearing my face mask one time, one driller told me, "I gotta warn you right now, it's -20, it ain't that cold, some drillers will send you home if they can't see your face clearly."

-20 is STILL cold to me!

Sorry about the triple post guys I"m on a remote island in the Philippines and the internet is fucked here, at least its not -30 here though.

(02-15-2013 11:16 AM)pitt Wrote:  i started doing welding last week (im still in the UK), i dont think that shit is for me. My eyes have been hurting and i bet this can affect your vision in the long run.

I am thinking drilling at the moment.

Pitt, if you did it for a week and can't see yourself doing it for 20 years, then I would try something else, nothing wrong with that. As for vision problems, yes welders are exposed to high amounts of UV light from the welding arc and if you're not careful its almost a guarantee that you'll have vision problems down the road.

Good job for at least getting out there and trying, well done, but as you already know, there's plenty of other options for you out there and drilling is a very good one!

lads if i could go back and do a different job it would be a linesman electrician these guys make serious bucks someone posted a link for a job a few pages look it up guys its a great job and you will be wanted everywhere in the world.

My plan might be put on hold as i have an interview for a job on Ireland's very own gas-line----->http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corrib_gas_project


It will allow me to finish off the few months i am short in my apprenticeship as an electrician it will keep me in Ireland an extra 6 months but it will allow me to go to canada in 7 months time with a trade cert so i should get 40$ an hour as an electrician compared to 20$ as a labourer..

Scotian i see a lot of lads in your trade at the gas-line could be handy way for you to get in and make some good buck in Ireland if you ever wanted to visit and had a work/play plan. the gas-line is ongoing for the next few years

(02-16-2013 07:37 AM)salmonfella Wrote:  lads if i could go back and do a different job it would be a linesman electrician these guys make serious bucks someone posted a link for a job a few pages look it up guys its a great job and you will be wanted everywhere in the world.

I was also interested in this route. can you start out as just a regular electrical apprentice and then transfer into this?

(02-16-2013 11:40 AM)NFallin Wrote:  

(02-16-2013 07:37 AM)salmonfella Wrote:  lads if i could go back and do a different job it would be a linesman electrician these guys make serious bucks someone posted a link for a job a few pages look it up guys its a great job and you will be wanted everywhere in the world.

I was also interested in this route. can you start out as just a regular electrical apprentice and then transfer into this?

Yes,

Only the first two years count. After that its a totally different electrical system.

The only reason i am not being a lineman is because i want to run my own business.

My heart is lineman.

yea i am an apprentice electrician here in Ireland. and here it is a complete different apprenticeship here you do a 4 year linesman training apprenticeship too.. another good one is an E & I electrician i am not sure what ye called it in canada but its a serious trade in Ireland i would imagine the same in canada you do electrical work and instrumentation work.

(02-16-2013 11:57 AM)salmonfella Wrote:  yea i am an apprentice electrician here in Ireland. and here it is a complete different apprenticeship here you do a 4 year linesman training apprenticeship too.. another good one is an E & I electrician i am not sure what ye called it in canada but its a serious trade in Ireland i would imagine the same in canada you do electrical work and instrumentation work.

Instrument guys are called FIG's

Fucking Instrument Guy

^^^^
is there not great money in that?

To all of those currently working fly-in jobs

Are you guys pipelining (pun intended) girls while you're away at a campsite or whatever

Are you gaming girls online in Calgary/Edmonton/Vancouver and lining up daytime dates for your 4 or 7 days off? Do you double book in case of flakes?

Or do you just focus on self-improvement while in camp and game girls when you take months off?

Break it down for us.

(02-16-2013 04:55 PM)salmonfella Wrote:  ^^^^
is there not great money in that?

Every trade in this province make great money.

Pick the one you love.

(02-17-2013 03:38 PM)DLZ Wrote:  To all of those currently working fly-in jobs

Are you guys pipelining (pun intended) girls while you're away at a campsite or whatever

Are you gaming girls online in Calgary/Edmonton/Vancouver and lining up daytime dates for your 4 or 7 days off? Do you double book in case of flakes?

Or do you just focus on self-improvement while in camp and game girls when you take months off?

Break it down for us.

You gotta do a bit of everything and use every weapon is your arsenal to get some skin on your days off, especially if you only have four off. I recommend spending time in your base city (Calgary, Edmonton, etc) and getting a few girls on the go before you head up north, that's what I did and every time I was on days off, at least one of the three were down to get together on my time off. Eventually these girls won't be as available (get BFs, move away, get sick of you never being around, etc), so its a good idea to keep recruiting while on days off.

Of course, when on days off, you'll be getting hammered at the bars on Whyte ave or 17th street and spending money like a sailor on shore leave so do your night game thing and since you have nothing to do all day because you're not working, do some day game (West Ed Mall is a gold mine for those in Etown).

Online is a decent option but I never did very well with it, quality is low and flake rate high.

Then there's the infamous camp tramps, there's actually quite a few decent looking women in the camps and of course with a 85% male population, competition is fierce so your game better be super tight, or your standards super low, I fell into the latter group, haha!

Overall I would say that night game is the best because the women in Alberta are generally pretty easy, you can pull from the clubs and since you'll be wanting to drink and blow off steam after being in some shit hole camp for three weeks, it makes the most sense. Try not to spank the monkey for a few days before you go on days off so you'll be hornier than a two pecked billy goat when you get back to civilization. This is easier said than done as I know most guy's rooms look like fucking bat caves after all the jerking off they do in camp, the WI-FI internet often crashes because of 2000+ guys simultaneously wacking it at the same time, night after night. I pity those poor camp cleaners.

Then of course there's the rub and tugs and whores on-line but I wouldn't recommend getting into that as its an expensive habit, save your hard earned money and take some time off to travel and get the hell out of Alberta once in awhile boys, it does wonders for the head, both of them, (pun intended).

guys do any of you know the town of banff,Alberta?

its not far from calgary as i can see.A friend of my family is over there working in a hotel and making shit tons of money as a waitress.Originally she was supposed to do nursing in indian reservations but she got this job and is raking it in.

I think this would get my foot in the door if i wanted to get networking/starting a trade/doing courses over there as it is a very good opportunity.I could then move my ass to calgary after i save some coin.

opinions on this place?/Is there much money in the tourist industry/Ski resorts etc?.i havnt heard much besides that there are a ton of tourists.im gonna email her this week

(02-19-2013 08:50 AM)alecks Wrote:  guys do any of you know the town of banff,Alberta?

its not far from calgary as i can see.A friend of my family is over there working in a hotel and making shit tons of money as a waitress.Originally she was supposed to do nursing in indian reservations but she got this job and is raking it in.

I think this would get my foot in the door if i wanted to get networking/starting a trade/doing courses over there as it is a very good opportunity.I could then move my ass to calgary after i save some coin.

opinions on this place?/Is there much money in the tourist industry/Ski resorts etc?.i havnt heard much besides that there are a ton of tourists.im gonna email her this week

Banff ! If you got a job and a place to stay it will be an interesting experience. Skiing days are definitely party days! The bars are PACKED when the college and uni students have their breaks! As for networking for a Trade in Banff....anything is possible. You can do networking on a plane ride, in an airport...though if you can, hit up Edmonton or Calgary right off the bat for Trade networking. You'd be better off networking in the cities than the transient spots like Banff.

Hey guys. Making the big move tomorrow. Flight is at 8 am EST tomorrow to Edmonton. Bags are packed, resumes are stacked, copies of my certifications are printed, hostel is booked, finances are in check. I'm bringing 2 big ass pieces of luggage because I couldn't decide what not to bring. Definitely gonna be paying for the extra weight but whatever, better safe than sorry.

Got a 6 page game plan with the large majority of the information from this thread, detailing what I gotta do once I get to Edmonton. My Irish cousin did not follow through with the work in Fort Mac, but one of my brother's buddies has a high school friend up in Edmonton who owns a company building houses and does home renovations. Says that he is desperately looking for labourers right now and may start me off with $20/hr. So I'll be contacting him once I get everything established.

I'm currently adding to my game plan document: addresses of contractors, phone numbers, etc. I'm also looking through Kijiji and craigslist to look for a used truck and somewhere to rent.

*sigh* Wish me luck, guys.

Working on selling my car here in Ontario and getting out west.. Have a buddy driving out with an extra spot on the 9th. Couple connections out there already, applied to a placement agency my buddy recommended(blue sky recruiting) and have a place to crash sorted out for a bit. Just need to get rid of my car to fund the whole thing. Figure I can pay first and last on a place and have a job by the time I need to pay the next months rent.

Okay guys. Here is my report/sheet lol?

First, Thank You Scotian bro.

Okay, so I read this thread in the summer of 2012 and then decided to move out West. By September 2012 I was in Saskatchewan. The second day in Regina I finished H2S Alive and got a basic forklift training license the day after that. The forklift license was a waste of time and money because it didn't really help at all. I got the First Aid license also. I started working in a mall on my 4th day in Regina, Saskatchewan. I kept applying for random jobs with companies on saskjobs and I was getting no replies.

Then I sent my resume to my friend to tweak it for me. I got my resume back with A LOT OF BULLSHT on it and years of experience as a computer technician. My friend copied somebody else's resume and he also added post secondary education and a half way through master's degree with all the details needed to bullsht through an interview. I will not mention the name of the degree or the school lol because I don't want the company to find this in future hehe because if I leave this job before one year term is completed I'll have to pay back all the bonuses. Basically it was somebody else's resume and he just put my name on it lol with my friends' numbers as references.

I started applying again and got a few interviews. I got an interview with a company called Ledcor. I showed up and interview went great. I got offered a job and took it. Can't say the name of the title because I'm pretty sure they could track me down if I mention my position.

Within weeks I was on my way to Saskatoon for training that lasted 3+ months. The company paid for the tickets and the room that I was living in. They paid a LITTLE less than $20/hr for training and a $50/day allowance every day for the duration of the training. It was an awesome experience. I was working in Regina and a position opened up in GTA and I applied for transfer and got back to Ontario just recently.

It was really cold there. It is amazing how I went from being almost totally broke to a fantastic job and they didn't even care about bothering to check my credentials. I memorized a 'facts sheet' my friend included and just kept talking around those points during the interview.

This experience has made me realized that its ALL about luck man. Yes you have to try. I did book a ticket and fly out to Regina with not a lot of money. But it is ALL about luck and who you end up dealing with in your way to the position you want. The people I met with were very nice and accommodating.

Yeah so good luck with you guys. I have to continue to do a lot of reading because I want to know a little about all the things academics since I only have a high school diploma really. And as far as my colleagues in Ontario are concerned I transferred here from Saskatchewan hehe. So yeah man all I can say is WOW and WHOA hehe.

I'll just end this here before it gets too long.


Thanks for the thread again Scotian. And guys go out West.

(02-20-2013 11:30 PM)23Billion Wrote:  Okay guys. Here is my report/sheet lol?

First, Thank You Scotian bro.

Then I sent my resume to my friend to tweak it for me. I got my resume back with A LOT OF BULLSHT on it and years of experience as a computer technician. My friend copied somebody else's resume and he also added post secondary education and a half way through master's degree with all the details needed to bullsht through an interview. I will not mention the name of the degree or the school lol because I don't want the company to find this in future hehe because if I leave this job before one year term is completed I'll have to pay back all the bonuses. Basically it was somebody else's resume and he just put my name on it lol with my friends' numbers as references.

I started applying again and got a few interviews. I got an interview with a company called Ledcor. I showed up and interview went great. I got offered a job and took it. Can't say the name of the title because I'm pretty sure they could track me down if I mention my position.

Within weeks I was on my way to Saskatoon for training that lasted 3+ months. The company paid for the tickets and the room that I was living in. They paid a LITTLE less than $20/hr for training and a $50/day allowance every day for the duration of the training. It was an awesome experience. I was working in Regina and a position opened up in GTA and I applied for transfer and got back to Ontario just recently.


This experience has made me realized that its ALL about luck man. Yes you have to try. I did book a ticket and fly out to Regina with not a lot of money. But it is ALL about luck and who you end up dealing with in your way to the position you want. The people I met with were very nice and accommodating.

Saskatchewan hehe. So yeah man all I can say is WOW and WHOA hehe.

I'll just end this here before it gets too long.


Thanks for the thread again Scotian. And guys go out West.

Glad it all worked out, but I gotta ask...are you a white guy, 'cause that sh*t would NOT fly any other way! Master's Degree without providing proof? Not gonna happen if you were anything else besides white. Met a Sudanese guy 4 year, engineering degree, grew up in Canada. During his interview they asked him for his TRANSCRIPTS! And no one asked you for a single proof of education? If you ain't white then I'm gonna ask for more details. 'Cause this sh*t is beyond LUCK!

(02-19-2013 08:50 AM)alecks Wrote:  guys do any of you know the town of banff,Alberta?

its not far from calgary as i can see.A friend of my family is over there working in a hotel and making shit tons of money as a waitress.Originally she was supposed to do nursing in indian reservations but she got this job and is raking it in.

I think this would get my foot in the door if i wanted to get networking/starting a trade/doing courses over there as it is a very good opportunity.I could then move my ass to calgary after i save some coin.

opinions on this place?/Is there much money in the tourist industry/Ski resorts etc?.i havnt heard much besides that there are a ton of tourists.im gonna email her this week

Banff is nice little mountain town about 1.5 hours from Calgary, if you do move there, it'll be for the lifestyle (partying, skiing, drinking, chasing women, etc) and not for work opportunities and definitely not to make a lot of money. I used to go there on weekends when I lived in Calgary, the place is crawling with young people from Oz, NZ, UK and other parts of Canada (especially Quebec). Its also reputed to be the STD capital of Canada.

You'll likely live in staff accommodations and make $10-12/hour washing dishes or doing some other menial job in a hotel. If that's what you want to do for a few months or even a year, you'll have fun and it will be a good experience, I have several friends who've done it and they don't regret it. However, don't get caught up in the Banff/Lake Louise lifestyle and end up there strung out on drugs for five years, I have a good buddy who did that.

You won't make many contacts in the oil biz by staying there unless you bump into people on trade conventions and seminars at hotels or places like the Banff centre. If you're serious about a career in the oil biz, but still want to enjoy Banff, move to Calgary.

(02-21-2013 01:02 AM)RossTan Wrote:  

(02-20-2013 11:30 PM)23Billion Wrote:  Okay guys. Here is my report/sheet lol?

First, Thank You Scotian bro.

Then I sent my resume to my friend to tweak it for me. I got my resume back with A LOT OF BULLSHT on it and years of experience as a computer technician. My friend copied somebody else's resume and he also added post secondary education and a half way through master's degree with all the details needed to bullsht through an interview. I will not mention the name of the degree or the school lol because I don't want the company to find this in future hehe because if I leave this job before one year term is completed I'll have to pay back all the bonuses. Basically it was somebody else's resume and he just put my name on it lol with my friends' numbers as references.

I started applying again and got a few interviews. I got an interview with a company called Ledcor. I showed up and interview went great. I got offered a job and took it. Can't say the name of the title because I'm pretty sure they could track me down if I mention my position.

Within weeks I was on my way to Saskatoon for training that lasted 3+ months. The company paid for the tickets and the room that I was living in. They paid a LITTLE less than $20/hr for training and a $50/day allowance every day for the duration of the training. It was an awesome experience. I was working in Regina and a position opened up in GTA and I applied for transfer and got back to Ontario just recently.


This experience has made me realized that its ALL about luck man. Yes you have to try. I did book a ticket and fly out to Regina with not a lot of money. But it is ALL about luck and who you end up dealing with in your way to the position you want. The people I met with were very nice and accommodating.

Saskatchewan hehe. So yeah man all I can say is WOW and WHOA hehe.

I'll just end this here before it gets too long.


Thanks for the thread again Scotian. And guys go out West.

Glad it all worked out, but I gotta ask...are you a white guy, 'cause that sh*t would NOT fly any other way! Master's Degree without providing proof? Not gonna happen if you were anything else besides white. Met a Sudanese guy 4 year, engineering degree, grew up in Canada. During his interview they asked him for his TRANSCRIPTS! And no one asked you for a single proof of education? If you ain't white then I'm gonna ask for more details. 'Cause this sh*t is beyond LUCK!

I'd say it had less to do with race and more to do with his superior BS abilities and maybe a gullible HR person, sounds like 23Billion applied game to a job interview as Roosh described in this ROK post: http://www.returnofkings.com/3298/now-yo...-get-a-job

Well congratulations 23Billion on the luck you had, you greasy bastard! Actually I don't think you should have mentioned the company name, they're a big organization (I've worked for them on several projects and there's a damn good chance one of their employees is reading this thread. If I were you, I'd PM Roosh or Tuthmosis and have them edit your post and take out the employer's name.

As far as the race thing goes, in the oil sands and construction/trades type work, there's no denying that there are some racist/discriminatory elements in the hiring process. This isn't a federal government office in Ottawa or some PC friendly Liberal organization in Toronto where "diversity is strength". This is red neck/caveman territory.

A lot of these companies are run by people who grew up in some butt fuck town and they never met a non white person until they moved out west, this is certainly the case for a lot of people from the Atlantic provinces.

There's actually a lot of regionalism even among white Canadians and you'd probably have to be from Canada to even understand, it goes something like this, people who stand the best chance of getting hired in Fort Mac:

#1) Newfoundlanders- 99% of them know a relative or good friend who can get them on, they are very cliquish, I'd go so far to say that they're tribal. You'll see entire crews of 6-12 guys who all hail from the same backwater town on the rock.

#2) Cape Bretoners- Similar to the Newfies in that 99% of them have a relative working in Fort Mac, also cliquish.

#3) Maritimers (NS, PEI, NB)- Again, most know someone in Fort Mac, less cliquish than #1 and #2.

All of the Atlantic Canadians have a reputation for being hard workers and heavy drinkers, many of us grew up working way harder jobs for much less pay in fishing, forestry, mining, etc. We tend to all stick together and this is why there's so many of us in Northern Alberta, especially Fort McMurray. Some employers have to pay their guys on Mondays because if you pay an east coaster on friday, there's a good chance that he won't show up on Monday.

#4) British Columbians- Provided these epic stoners can actually pass a piss test, BC folk are well liked. They're laid back and many also have experience working hard jobs in fishing and forestry. You'll meet a lot from Vancouver Island and the interior, but not so many from Vancouver because why they hell would someone from Lotus Land ever want to live in Fort Mac?

#5) Saskatchewan/Manitoba- These Prairie farm boys have a good reputation for begin very hard workers and also very down to earth type guys. I wouldn't describe them as "cool" because most are red necks but they're easy to get along with.

#6) Alberta/Ontario- This is a close call because Albertans and Upper Canadians are known to be some of the biggest dickheads in Canada. Albertans (especially from Calgary and southern Alberta) are generally cow boy types and right wing conservatives, this is where Canada's "Bible Belt" is and with its oil and cattle, Alberta is often called the Texas of Canada.

As for Ontario, its a mixed bag because people from places like Thunder Bay are quite different than people from Toronto, but they all for some reason think that Ontario is the centre of the world and people from all of the other provinces hate on Ontario for various reasons, especially the Maple Leafs and the political power the place holds over the entire country.

#7) Quebec- Although it my favorite province, its no secret that a lot of English Canadians hate on Quebec and the Quebecois, especially in Calgary where if you mention the name Pierre Trudeau or admit to voting for any party other than the Conservatives, you'll likely be punched in the face. On the other hand, there are quite a few Quebecois working in the oil sands (SNC Lavalin, DCM Group, etc) so if you're French speaking, you have options.

Now, if you're a non-white Canadian who grew up in Canada and doesn't have an accent, I think overall, you'll be okay, but you will have to be thick skinned. Again, this isn't a PC place to work and you may hear the odd joke or asked a really stupid question like "you're brown but you don't have an accent", I heard that one before, coming from the mouth of my friend from NS.

Even first generation immigrants who do have thick accents can do well, sometimes very well in Alberta, although again, if you're in a trade environment, you'll be working with red necks. The best thing for you to do is not let people push you around or tolerate much BS, although there is a fine line. You don't want to be labeled as a pussy or a rat who is going to go to HR or the union rep to tell on some guy who made an insensitive remark, because you may be black listed. That being said, you don't have to tolerate any overt racism or guys making fun of your religion, etc. Like I say, its a fine line and you'll have to make that call.

Even for white guys, if you're a socially awkward, introvert pussy then you'll have a hard time advancing or getting promotions, it doesn't matter what colour you are. This is generally a male dominated, tough guy work environment and for the most part, your hard work will be recognized and if you're a whiner or complainer, you'll be punished, not officially but you may not get called back for work. Job sites are a lot like a locker room, everyone makes fun of each other, tells jokes and BS stories but once you're on the ice so to speak, you work as a team to get the job done.

Anyway, hopefully that little rant sheds some light on what the work environment is like. As I've always maintained in this thread, there's enough work for everyone, it doesn't matter where you're from, but things like nepotism and favoritism do exist, so some guys have an advantage over others, I"m sure this isn't the only place in the world where this happens. A lot of your success depends on your personality, work ethic and whether or not you can "play the game" if you know what I mean.

All of the Atlantic Canadians have a reputation for being hard workers and heavy drinkers, many of us grew up working way harder jobs for much less pay in fishing, forestry, mining, etc. We tend to all stick together and this is why there's so many of us in Northern Alberta, especially Fort McMurray. Some employers have to pay their guys on Mondays because if you pay an east coaster on friday, there's a good chance that he won't show up on Monday.
^^^^^^^
Sounds a bit like us Irish

What the hell is this INDENTURED SH*T!??? I just called a place that is looking for Pipefitters *ALL LEVELS* and the recruiter said "Nothing I can do for you, until you get some Pipefitting experience." Then he mentioned starting as a laborer to get indentured to a company for apprenticeship as a Pipefitter. And I'm thinking. Why the hell does the ad say ALL LEVELS!???? And one of the stipulations to be a registered Apprentice in Alberta is a company has to hire you first so you can get your Blue Book!

How did any of you bypass the indentured sh*t! 'Cause I mentioned to him I'd like to be "Starter." No dice! He said, "send your resume, and if an opening comes up we'll contact you"....

From what I understand there's tons of companies that are contractors, so if some say no, keep hustling and pounding the pavement. You should get some leads at least if you call 100-200 companies and visit the union halls. With the pipeline projects coming online they'll be forced to take people whether they like it or not.

(02-21-2013 03:55 PM)zeeman Wrote:  From what I understand there's tons of companies that are contractors, so if some say no, keep hustling and pounding the pavement. You should get some leads at least if you call 100-200 companies and visit the union halls. With the pipeline projects coming online they'll be forced to take people whether they like it or not.

Union Hall visited. Did that weeks ago. The indentured aspect, no work around. Can't take courses for Pipefitting until a company signs to have you as an Apprentice. Training entails 8 weeks ( 2 months) you won't be working with a company...yet, the thing that gets me, is some companies are looking for 3rd and 4th year Apprentices...how would that be possible if they (Apprentice) is indentured to another company for their Apprenticeship?