Does anyone have any knowledge/ opinion on being a well test operator? I don't mind my job too much now but I've heard it's a job you can dissapear for months at a time and make a killing and you don't need much experience to do it. A guy I work with did it at a day rate of $300-350 plus sub and said his longest stint was 8 months. He has kids now but for a single guy that doesn't sound too bad!

(09-07-2013 01:16 PM)Kdog Wrote:  Does anyone have any knowledge/ opinion on being a well test operator? I don't mind my job too much now but I've heard it's a job you can dissapear for months at a time and make a killing and you don't need much experience to do it. A guy I work with did it at a day rate of $300-350 plus sub and said his longest stint was 8 months. He has kids now but for a single guy that doesn't sound too bad!

I'm no expert.

What I have picked up from talking to people in the industry. Is that Red Deer is the centre for well-testing/service rig jobs. You could make a trip down there to hand out resumes.

KDog,
Last year when I was there, a guy I met told me about well testing jobs. He said it's the easiest job in terms of physical demands and pays well and has a ton of room for advancement. He gave me a full list of companies to call. I called them all but at the time, the timing was not the best as most were telling me they were waiting for the ground to freeze before hiring. From what I gathered, most of these well servicing companies are located in Red Deer and Grande Prairie. If you guys are interested, I can copy paste that list of well testing companies in here.

Im planning to go into well testing. The pay is shitty at the beginning but there is much room for advancement like you said. Its possible to be a night sup in 1 year if youre smart, that means 100k+. I can copy all the information i collected once i'm at my place. Im at the calgary airport right now.

Sounds good, thanks guys.

Vacancier Permanent,

You hit the nail right on the head. I'm far from Caucasian, very, so I'll chalk it up to cultural "misunderstandings".

A short uptade about my situation now. I stayed the first day at my Couchsurfing Host's place and he found me a nice room for 530$, today i moved in. Everything included, convinient location and no deposit required. The big downside is, no guests allowed, which sucks.
But i don't waste money for hostels and i don't loose time looking for a place anymore. Commuting is really time consuming here without a vehicle.

As promised my infos about Well Testing. I gathered all informations from the big oil Thread at reality-check.ca. It's a MUST READ.

I can post a list of 30 Well Testing Companies with a few informations if you want

(09-08-2013 07:23 AM)reality-check.ca Wrote:  testing isn't to bad of a job, it's not the highest paying in the patch but when you become a night sup/day sup you can make alot of money. If you are smart and catch on quick it doesnt take long. And when you run your own truck you can pretty much double your check.

if anyone is looking for oil field work thats not the rigs . i would suggest well testing . i sit out here all day and flow wells , only took 6 months to a year to move up to supervisor. not much hard labour at all and the pay is the same if not better .. once you get supervising . you can gross between 6000 and 9000 every 2 weeks.. starting wages are about 200$ daily...for a helper..lots of companies looking

when you start testing your a bitch for about 2000-2500 every two weeks compared to something like being a bitch on a rig for 3500-4000 every two weeks. But when you become a night sup with your own truck you can net 5000-6500 every two weeks.

I'd advise anyone who comes out here to get a year experience on a service rig, learn what everything is all about, then go be a well tester, buy a pickup, kick your feet up, watch other people do hard work, and watch nice paychecks roll in.

If you are looking for a good paying job that advances fairly quickly i would say testing. If your smart within a year you can be running nights. Depends on the company and how much they like you though

no schedule for well testing, if your vessel is working, you are working unless you ask for days off
$200 a day + $50 sub for a tester hand, pretty sucky

tester work along side the rig, we help with well control when working with the rig and flowing it after the rig work is completed, physically easier work and I feel advancement is quicker. The pay scale can be very high depending on your skill set in the field.
Depending on who you're working for and what kind of line they run, you might get stuck with a few lengths of heavier pipe. You won't need to lift much for any length of time, and you might end up with a good crew who will help but you should show up with the expectation of possible having to lift pretty heavy pipe on occasion. The good thing is once you lift the heavy pipe, you can go and sit your ass down in a shack for hours at a time with the only the commitment of running to the P-tank for readings ever once in a while.
if you got a messed up back your gonna want to go to a smaller testing company. we have 220 lbs 10ft joints that we use for 5K, i am not sure how much our 10k line ways but i have carried both and there is definatly a huge difference.
Plus with a smaller p-tank company you only have a couple hours of rig in time, where bigger companies which do high pressure, high sour can take 2-4 days to rig in depending on the amount of equipment.
once you become night or day sup you will make just as much or more than rig drillers and sometimes pushes depending on your wage and how much you work.

Consultants would nearly triple that take home. When you factor your day rate, truck rate, km and sub it adds up very quickly. (clear 15k on 2 weeks)
The helper can make anywheres from 2-3000 every two.

I still hang out with my rig crew from 4 years ago and I make more then the driller more times then not, on top of that I work year round.
I clear 10k per month (5 years experience) working nearly every day.
I do alright, granted if you look at supervisors for other services I am under paid.

Enseco's Truck rate for sups:
$75.00 Per day when on ticket
$00.95 Per KM reg
$01.15 Per KM towing. I normally never get any towing, day sup tows the shack and we always have a free standing stick.

Testing is not that bad of a job, we knock it because we can't leave it lol. We control the flow of a well through our equipment for various reasons, rather it be to gather data on a freshly stimulated well or to assist other services to service a well. We are expected to know how every service works, and what they will need for assistance. Its a good job, if you want a job to see what all the other services do then testing is the way to go, in many cases we are first to show up to a job and last to leave.

A starting helper at a busy company would make $30,000 - 50000 a yr. More if it is really busy. Some helpers I know will probably pull 60k or more this year.
Night operators clear anywheres from $80,000 - to $130,000 depending on how busy.
I've seen day guys gross as much as $205,000 a yr takes 6 years to get here

I just turned down a Operating job at a gas plant.....I'm not sure if I did the right thing. Eddymac you need to apply for an Operating job. (after few years of Well Testing)

A hand starting out Testing will make 220-240 per day in the field. Weather that day be 2 hours or 14 hours. You will get 40-50 day day subsistence, that is tax free if you are not staying in your house. Which you never will. We pay hands 15/hr for shop time, non field days.

Another guy is Field operator for talisman energy after 6 years Well testing

Anyone know the best website to dot he CSTS course? or are they all the same?

(09-08-2013 02:19 PM)Living the dream Wrote:  Anyone know the best website to dot he CSTS course? or are they all the same?

Enform is the big company in safety certification. They teach PST now instead. It is basically the same thing for the petroleum industry.

Other websites would probably be fine but with Enform you know it is accepted everywhere.

I can post a list of 30 Well Testing Companies with a few informations if you want



Please do sir

A car is really a must in this part of the world, especially Edmonton. I'm looking for an old junker, for a grand budget of $2000 and less. Spotted a 4WD, gonna check it out this week. Then after that get the fucking tickets already.

Quick Edit: Huge list of comagnies @ http://www.reality-check.ca/printthread....3956&pp=30

I used the same list as the basis and added a few companies and informations:


Ensign Opsco (Calgary, Onoway, Grande Praire)
Grant (Red deer, Grande Praire?) (is a good choice)
Pure Energy (Red Deer, Grande Praire)
Enseco (Red Deer, Grande Praire)
Weatherford (Crossfield, Grand Praire) (offers salary plus schedule. i have heard their pay isnt the best but it could be a good start, but Not enough work, up to 10k$ Bonus per year, paid quarterly)
Greywolf (Crossfield, Grande Praire)

Lyons ( Grande Praire)
MJM (Grande Praire) (also a good company to work for)
Sure Test (Red Deer)
Armour (Red Deer)
Vencor (Whitecourt)
Venture (Sylvan Lake)
Reform (Sylvan Lake)
IPS
Canadian Subsurface
Flosave
Quicksilver
Lonkar in Edmonton
Tier One
Central Production Testing (keeps you busy)
Test Alta
Accuracy Online
Tomahawk Testing (pays overtime)
Treeline well servicing 
Wespro (wespro testing is offering a $2500 bonus for every 100 days worked right now. )

ProFlo (sends you to zama city, when you come back you are day sup for abandonments)

MI Swaco
Mustang (don't go there)

(09-08-2013 07:59 PM)PanzerTape Wrote:  A car is really a must in this part of the world, especially Edmonton. I'm looking for an old junker, for a grand budget of $2000 and less. Spotted a 4WD, gonna check it out this week. Then after that get the fucking tickets already.

Quick Edit: Huge list of comagnies @ http://www.reality-check.ca/printthread....3956&pp=30

It is necessary indeed. I live supposedly in one of the central areas in the NW side and I am close to all bus stops, yet it takes me an hour and 10 minutes to get to my shit hole current job which is a 10 minute drive away in rush hours. I am between getting an old junker and financing a reliable car. Dealers allover have this 0 down payment & all credits approved kinda deals.

MiddleEastern,
how did the job fair in Red Deer go? Did you make any good contacts? What kind of job did you find so far?

How do you get a Work Visa if you're a U.S. citizen?
No trade skill or exp., no family members in Canada, no offers from an employer?

(09-09-2013 11:28 AM)NY Digital Wrote:  How do you get a Work Visa if you're a U.S. citizen?
No trade skill or exp., no family members in Canada, no offers from an employer?

You can't. Plain and simple.

the US has some pretty stringent restrictions and is a pain to deal with, so we have apply some political reciprocity..

(09-09-2013 11:28 AM)NY Digital Wrote:  How do you get a Work Visa if you're a U.S. citizen?
No trade skill or exp., no family members in Canada, no offers from an employer?

Either get a trade or move to North Dakota/Pennsylvania.

The US is ratcheting up it's oil/natural gas industry. The paranoid part of my brain thinks this why Keystone pipeline hasn't been approved. Keeping Keystone mothballed increases local production.

Canada tends to pay better because we have a lack of labour, especially skilled labour. However most jobs in the oilfield are long hour jobs. So you can make good money making a low wage. Once you get into the industry it's relatively easy to network and move on/up.

Gents,

I'm struggling with the decision to leave Mid October opposed to at the end of November when my lease is up. Worried that if I leave sooner than later, I would run the risk of not finding a job in the sands for some time, as some have stated in this post. I know I could find something paying far less for the time being, but that seems to be counter-intuitive for me since I am making decent coin in an office setting currently.
Everyone says hiring is ramping up, but is there actual work happening right now (or in early November)? Keeping in mind that I am green...

Thanks

(09-09-2013 03:31 PM)shanehsmp Wrote:  Gents,

I'm struggling with the decision to leave Mid October opposed to at the end of November when my lease is up. Worried that if I leave sooner than later, I would run the risk of not finding a job in the sands for some time, as some have stated in this post. I know I could find something paying far less for the time being, but that seems to be counter-intuitive for me since I am making decent coin in an office setting currently.
Everyone says hiring is ramping up, but is there actual work happening right now (or in early November)? Keeping in mind that I am green...

Thanks

Work is starting to pick up. It picks up more and more, the colder it gets. This is because there are places where you have little to no access when the ground isn't frozen.

For instance right now Fort McMurray isn't in full swing yet. It won't be until the ground freezes over.

The one problem I see coming at the end of November is you only have 2 or 3 weeks before things shut back down. Which is fine if you want a month to acclimate first. However if you come at the end of November you might find it hard to find something until January, give or take a week. Things usually slow down for a week or two around the holidays.

You can use that time to take safety courses and get to know the area as well.

(09-09-2013 03:31 PM)shanehsmp Wrote:  Gents,

I'm struggling with the decision to leave Mid October opposed to at the end of November when my lease is up. Worried that if I leave sooner than later, I would run the risk of not finding a job in the sands for some time, as some have stated in this post. I know I could find something paying far less for the time being, but that seems to be counter-intuitive for me since I am making decent coin in an office setting currently.
Everyone says hiring is ramping up, but is there actual work happening right now (or in early November)? Keeping in mind that I am green...

Thanks

You should strive for October rather than November. It doesn't take long for the cold to come in a freeze everything. As Damedius said, coming November won't leave you much time before the Holidays sloooooowwww down.

Shane,
In what field are trying to get in? Do you have a relevant skill/trade? Are you going to take a pre-employment course to improve your chances of getting something decent without having to break your back in a labour/construction job or as a lease hand on a rig? How fit and physically strong are you? These are major factors to take into consideration much more than the end of a lease.

Best of luck.

(09-09-2013 01:47 AM)Vacancier Permanent Wrote:  MiddleEastern,
how did the job fair in Red Deer go? Did you make any good contacts? What kind of job did you find so far?

The job fair was alright. Most companies said "We have gone paperless" and told me to apply online. Other companies took the resume. It was alright but I expected more. The job I am doing now is a Warehouse Technician, $16/hour. Even though this job is not why I came all the way to Edmonton from Halifax, but for the time being, it is paying my bills

(09-09-2013 07:09 PM)Vacancier Permanent Wrote:  Shane,
In what field are trying to get in? Do you have a relevant skill/trade? Are you going to take a pre-employment course to improve your chances of getting something decent without having to break your back in a labour/construction job or as a lease hand on a rig? How fit and physically strong are you? These are major factors to take into consideration much more than the end of a lease.

Best of luck.

Ideally MWD as a trainee and progress from there. Or do as Irishman did and get a direct MWD position, I'm a quick learner. As for skill/trades I have zero...I'm a backyard mechanic, but I have no real qualifications. I only have my engineering degree and 7 years of experience.
I won't have the money or time (since they are the same thing to me right now) to taking a course off the bat won't happen, I'm prepared to do a lease hand job for a week, but I rather start on a service rig based on the accounts from guys on this forum.... I'm physically fit, ex football player, not worried about the physicality, but you're right, I don't want to do that for an extended period of time.

I'd be interested in pipe fitting or heavy machinery mechanic if these trade classes were shorter in duration...

I guess you can call me an eager beaver...

Found this site with a good list of service Rig companies and their contact information/websites.

http://www.servicerigdrive.ca/live/