From what I understand you just need to get that initial start. You get a company to hire you on as a starter, you go through a probationary period and then they indenture you as an apprentice, but the apprenticeship agreement is between you and the government, not your employer. Then you get your blue book and are free to fuck off to wherever you like.

Someone let me know if I am mistaken.

FYI:
Indentured Apprentice: Talked to a few Journeymen and they let me know that being indentured to a company means you don't stay with that one company throughout your entire Apprenticeship. They have release forms that a company will sign off on when you leave and another company will sign you on as an Apprentice. Be it 2nd, 3rd, or 4th.

So in all you are NOT stuck with one company for your entire Apprenticeship.

(02-21-2013 08:41 PM)RossTan Wrote:  

(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?

http://www.sait.ca/programs-and-courses/...erview.php

In general the reason why you have to indenture first is because they want to see what you are made of before they waste their time training you.

That's usually that the way it works unless you know someone or have some contacts.

Finally got apprenticed today with my hours backtracked from day one.

Usually the employer wants to make sure you have what it takes to succeed in the trade before they sign for you.

Getting into a trade is imperative, it inoculates you from an influx of cheap labourers from abroad. You will not be competing with cheap imports from the Filipines or Latin America.

(02-22-2013 03:43 PM)Damedius Wrote:  

(02-21-2013 08:41 PM)RossTan Wrote:  [quote='zeeman' pid='376333' dateline='1361480145']

http://www.sait.ca/programs-and-courses/...erview.php

In general the reason why you have to indenture first is because they want to see what you are made of before they waste their time training you.

That's usually that the way it works unless you know someone or have some contacts.

^^^^ Thanks.

Wish I could just take the course on my own. Stipulation, get hired first before even being allowed to take the course. SAIT is 24 weeks I'm in Edmonton already where all the action is. Thanks for the heads up. Didn't even know SAIT offered a pre-employment option. Definitely worth looking into.

http://www.nait.ca/program_home_81282.htm
http://www.nait.ca/81295.htm#FeesAndExpenses

"Non-Academic Requirements
You must currently be employed in the trade. If you are not, you must first find an employer willing to hire an apprentice, then contact Alberta Apprenticeship and Industry Training to become a registered apprentice."

(02-22-2013 06:00 PM)DjembaDjemba Wrote:  Finally got apprenticed today with my hours backtracked from day one.

Usually the employer wants to make sure you have what it takes to succeed in the trade before they sign for you.

Getting into a trade is imperative, it inoculates you from an influx of cheap labourers from abroad. You will not be competing with cheap imports from the Filipines or Latin America.

What Trade did you specialize in?

Apprentice Entrance Exam Study Guide. Union Hall admin would not give me the study materials, (told me I'd have to wait until April) so I found them online. Great refresher course on what to expect for the exam. One of the Journeymen I talked to recommended I go this route. Very helpful.
http://www.sait.ca/Documents/Student%20R..._Guide.pdf

(02-22-2013 06:00 PM)DjembaDjemba Wrote:  Finally got apprenticed today with my hours backtracked from day one.

Usually the employer wants to make sure you have what it takes to succeed in the trade before they sign for you.

Getting into a trade is imperative, it inoculates you from an influx of cheap labourers from abroad. You will not be competing with cheap imports from the Filipines or Latin America.

Good job DD, how has the work been, are you still with the same company working on the same project in Sask?

I met an American guy from Houston at a bar in the Philippines last night and he was on his 28 days off from his job as a rig manager in northern Iraq and Turkey, he told me that he makes $27,000 USD (tax free) per month and I thought that was pretty good but it blew my mind when he told me that he also gets $27K ON HIS MONTH OFF, wow!

So Irishman, that could be you in a few years. This guy also recently paid $75k to his ex-wife in child support payments because he was paying her "off the books" in cash, but the bitch went and sued his ass anyway and took him to the cleaners. He now has a hot young Filipina wife and advised me to not marry a western woman if you're going to be working away from home and making huge money. Wise words.

That is just sick Scotian! Just wow!

(02-24-2013 11:40 PM)scotian Wrote:  I met an American guy from Houston at a bar in the Philippines last night and he was on his 28 days off from his job as a rig manager in northern Iraq and Turkey, he told me that he makes $27,000 USD (tax free) per month and I thought that was pretty good but it blew my mind when he told me that he also gets $27K ON HIS MONTH OFF, wow!

So Irishman, that could be you in a few years. This guy also recently paid $75k to his ex-wife in child support payments because he was paying her "off the books" in cash, but the bitch went and sued his ass anyway and took him to the cleaners. He now has a hot young Filipina wife and advised me to not marry a western woman if you're going to be working away from home and making huge money. Wise words.

Doesn't matter who you marry it's about where you get divorced/separated and what government rules you fall under. He paid her off the books which is a BIG MISTAKE when it comes to child-support in Canada and the U.S.A. The courts are crazy and corrupt 'cause they want their cut. Even if he had receipts and bank drafts the family court would ignore his off the books contribution so they can get their cut.

If any of you fall into such a situation deal with a lawyer when it comes to child-support. If you're in the USA establish your permanent residence in a State like Texas. Chris Bosch makes 17 million a year and he's STILL paying $2600 a month in child-support due to what he agreed to with the mother in court in Texas, and he has his principle residence in Texas for reason. 2 years later she tried to take him for $30 000 a month. The original agreement held, 'cause he kept fighting and he kept his child-support payments through the court, not off the books.

Hey guys. I just got into edmonton on thurs. Thanks to this forum, minus a few mishaps here and there, got a place, a car and all my documents secured here. Went job hunting today. Definitely a sight to see all those huge oil companies set up shop with these big rigs and refineries.

Will be doing some heavy job hunting over the next few days. A roommate i'm currently sharig a room with (at HI hostel edmonton) also wants to work up on the rigs. He got a call today to start work as a surveyor's assistant making $22/hr, starting later this week. Hope i can get the same quickness he got soon.

I've been following almost everything in this thread, and so far so good. Also learning from Irishman's mistake of locking his keys in the truck, so i made sure to cut some extra keys, lol.

Anyway, i'll keep you guys posted on how things go on my end.

Scotian,

I am interested in a safety watch or labourer job for the shut down season that'll give me flights and camps, like you mentioned in the first page of this thread. You know, 12 hour days of 3 weeks on, 1 week off, roughly ~$1500 a week after taxes, etc.

To land a job like that, do I need to bring my ass to Alberta first? Do you know if companies like CEDA or Clean Harbours hire over the phone? And with those jobs, will there be gaps in between jobs that I would need a permanent place in AB? I'm wondering if I can keep my base in BC and still be able to get/maintain jobs like that.

Thanks in advance.

(02-27-2013 01:11 AM)ilove Wrote:  Scotian,

I am interested in a safety watch or labourer job for the shut down season that'll give me flights and camps, like you mentioned in the first page of this thread. You know, 12 hour days of 3 weeks on, 1 week off, roughly ~$1500 a week after taxes, etc.

To land a job like that, do I need to bring my ass to Alberta first? Do you know if companies like CEDA or Clean Harbours hire over the phone? And with those jobs, will there be gaps in between jobs that I would need a permanent place in AB? I'm wondering if I can keep my base in BC and still be able to get/maintain jobs like that.

Thanks in advance.

Your best bet would be to get your ass to Alberta but you can always try to fax resumes or email and call from BC. Don't get your hopes up for a rotation, you'll most likely be put on a shut down and just work it for the duration, whether its two weeks or (hopefully) two months.

There will likely be gaps in between gigs, such is the life of a road whore on the shut down circuit. Now you could maintain residence in BC, but I would advise against it. Being a lowly labourer, you want to put yourself in the position of being the company's GO TO GUY, which I was for about three years, this entails the following:

-Living near the action: Edmonton, Fort Mac, etc.
-Having a cell phone on at all hours
-Having a car and being able to get to the job site or work shop, relying on public transport won't cut it.
-Never saying no to work: even if you're busy with friends or family, as the go to guy, you drop those suckers the minute dispatch calls and get your ass to work.
-Don't be drunk or high all the time, Saturday night is cool but don't be pissed at 2pm on Tuesday if there's a chance you may get called/

Now, understand that being the go to guy sucks balls and you'll have no life but, you'll be busy. You'll be the first one called because the company knows that you won't say no, you'll get the most work and experience and you'll move up the quickest until you have the experience and skill set you need to be able to tell dispatch when they call you at the last minute to go to some job ten hours away, "fuck off, I'm smoking a joint and getting a blow job, call someone else!"

well it looks like there are no visas left for the irish for canada.Il have to wait till next year.

REALITY CHECK.

This will give me time to save coin and get my ass over there next january.whats a good amount to have when you go over to calgary?

(02-27-2013 03:11 AM)scotian Wrote:  

(02-27-2013 01:11 AM)ilove Wrote:  Scotian,

I am interested in a safety watch or labourer job for the shut down season that'll give me flights and camps, like you mentioned in the first page of this thread. You know, 12 hour days of 3 weeks on, 1 week off, roughly ~$1500 a week after taxes, etc.

To land a job like that, do I need to bring my ass to Alberta first? Do you know if companies like CEDA or Clean Harbours hire over the phone? And with those jobs, will there be gaps in between jobs that I would need a permanent place in AB? I'm wondering if I can keep my base in BC and still be able to get/maintain jobs like that.

Thanks in advance.

Your best bet would be to get your ass to Alberta but you can always try to fax resumes or email and call from BC. Don't get your hopes up for a rotation, you'll most likely be put on a shut down and just work it for the duration, whether its two weeks or (hopefully) two months.

There will likely be gaps in between gigs, such is the life of a road whore on the shut down circuit. Now you could maintain residence in BC, but I would advise against it. Being a lowly labourer, you want to put yourself in the position of being the company's GO TO GUY, which I was for about three years, this entails the following:

-Living near the action: Edmonton, Fort Mac, etc.
-Having a cell phone on at all hours
-Having a car and being able to get to the job site or work shop, relying on public transport won't cut it.
-Never saying no to work: even if you're busy with friends or family, as the go to guy, you drop those suckers the minute dispatch calls and get your ass to work.
-Don't be drunk or high all the time, Saturday night is cool but don't be pissed at 2pm on Tuesday if there's a chance you may get called/

Now, understand that being the go to guy sucks balls and you'll have no life but, you'll be busy. You'll be the first one called because the company knows that you won't say no, you'll get the most work and experience and you'll move up the quickest until you have the experience and skill set you need to be able to tell dispatch when they call you at the last minute to go to some job ten hours away, "fuck off, I'm smoking a joint and getting a blow job, call someone else!"

Saviour, you are. Thanks. That's exactly what I needed to know. Is there an end to the "spring shut down season" or can I get to AB in say, around June and still expect to find similar work? Right now I'm working for a family business that I can't just drop everything and walk away from

(02-27-2013 06:43 AM)alecks Wrote:  well it looks like there are no visas left for the irish for canada.Il have to wait till next year.

REALITY CHECK.

This will give me time to save coin and get my ass over there next january.whats a good amount to have when you go over to calgary?

Yea i no the visas went in 4 days 6350 of them i cant believe it every time i tried to apply the website crashed i was lucky i got sorted in the end just waiting for my visa to approve. there will be 10,000 next year for Ireland so you should get one.

I am going with 5 k$

(02-27-2013 01:11 AM)ilove Wrote:  Scotian,

I am interested in a safety watch or labourer job for the shut down season that'll give me flights and camps, like you mentioned in the first page of this thread. You know, 12 hour days of 3 weeks on, 1 week off, roughly ~$1500 a week after taxes, etc.

To land a job like that, do I need to bring my ass to Alberta first? Do you know if companies like CEDA or Clean Harbours hire over the phone? And with those jobs, will there be gaps in between jobs that I would need a permanent place in AB? I'm wondering if I can keep my base in BC and still be able to get/maintain jobs like that.

Thanks in advance.

In addition to what Scotian said, GET INTO A TRADE! You got a lot of projects starting up in Northern BC that offer flights in and out as well. Pipefitting is one of those Trades in demand on sites in Northern B.C. Check out http://www.indeed.ca

One of the project managers at JV Driver's started as a Pipefitter. Years later, Project Manager. He now lives in BC and flies to Edmonton for his assignments.

See if BCIT has a Steamfitter/Pipefitter course you can take, or any of your local colleges, or Union Halls. Make sure the course also goes toward your Apprenticeship if possible.

I hark on Pipefitting, cause that's what I'm getting into, if you have any other Trades you are interested in check to see which worksites need 'em and go for it. You may not have to leave B.C. once you obtain an apprenticeship in a specific trade. Even in the Delta area I know they are constantly looking for Millwrights.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMRjsbgG8w4 <---time code 0:55

sorry can i ask what jobs are starting up in Northern BC would they be to do with the g/o industry? and would there be jobs for electricians there? thanks.

(02-27-2013 06:19 PM)salmonfella Wrote:  sorry can i ask what jobs are starting up in Northern BC would they be to do with the g/o industry? and would there be jobs for electricians there? thanks.

http://www.indeed.ca/jobs?q=pipefitter&l...h+Columbia

Anzac, Christina Lake, Logan Lake, Fort St John, Prince George.

Job hunt update: Drilling season is finishing around March-April. Hiring has slowed down and stopped for most oil rig companies. My buddy and I went there and pretty much all the rig companies were saying that drilling season is almost done and now they're just doing shutdowns/maintenance. A couple of them said to call back every so often to check and see if there is work, some said that they'll be hiring again around earlier summer time, so May-ish, and the others said they won't be hiring again until Oct/Nov.

So for those of you looking to get work on the rigs, I'd wait until May.

(02-28-2013 07:15 PM)Albertron Wrote:  Job hunt update: Drilling season is finishing around March-April. Hiring has slowed down and stopped for most oil rig companies. My buddy and I went there and pretty much all the rig companies were saying that drilling season is almost done and now they're just doing shutdowns/maintenance. A couple of them said to call back every so often to check and see if there is work, some said that they'll be hiring again around earlier summer time, so May-ish, and the others said they won't be hiring again until Oct/Nov.

So for those of you looking to get work on the rigs, I'd wait until May.

Guys I'm gonna point this out, there's MORE than just the rigs for work. Right now the City of Edmonton is also hiring over 100 bus drivers AND Firefighters. In 4 years you'll be earning close to a six-figure salary as a Firefighter. <--this type of skill is also valuable for oil companies.

Even EMR's are in demand for an onsite presence for oil companies. So keep ALL options open. <--I just like dancing bananas!

Hi guys!
I've been following this thread with big interest for quite a while but I couldn't register until now. I want to ask if anybody got any experience of getting a working holiday visa from countries that NOT belong to the IEC? I got a Finnish passport and to my big surprise I noticed that Finland doesn't belong to those countries.

It seems that it might be quite difficult to get a working holiday visa without having a company that are ready to invite you in. Do anybody have any experience of how to deal with this?
Any help would be highly appreciated!

Cheers.

Scotian,

I'm a new member, and have been reading
the threads for the last couple months.
I appreciate all the info you and the others contribute.
In the U.S. I work as a stationary engineer in a waste water
plant. We can work Maintenance or operations.
I work maintenance and would describe it as the same
type of work as a Millwright would do at a oil sands plant.
Conveyors, pumps, grit collectors, welding, fabricating etc...
I'm a journeyman and am doing some home work on the possibility
of working up there in the future. I have a few questions that i
would like to ask.

I talked to a union agent from the millwright local and he said they have about 25% of the representation up there. I also see this C.L.A.C 'union'
and it sounds more like a 'company union' I have read things like the CLAC did away with double time and don't seem to represent there
members the way the locals do, any insight on this?

Could you also describe how the pay structure works i have a seen
time and a half on fridays and double on weekends does that still exist?
Thanks again for all the contributions

Just joined to say thanks to scotion. I'm from Vancouver Island BC and hope to make it over soon. I'm a JM carpenter with red seal and did my CSTS. I'm hoping for a camp job as I own a house here on the island and have a family so would prefer to keep my base here. I applied (online) for over 45 positions almost 2 weeks ago and still haven't heard anything. Is this a bad time of year for camp work as a carpenter? How long does it usually take to hear back from these guys once you apply? Why can't you wear white or green hard hats?

Thanks again for the write up scotion. Found it through google while researching work in the oilsands.