Hi TEMM,

I've just come off the phone after talking with ClearStream HR...just sent in my CV and looking to apply as a labourer and hopefully get indentured and get started on an apprenticeship. Thing is I'm here in Ontario right now and have to get a whole bunch of shit done to get out there before the window of opportunity closes...gonna be a close call.

Hey guys, first post here, been following this thread all summer. I've got my working holiday visa, researching insurance and plane tickets now. I'll probably make it out there towards the end of this month. I really appreciate all the info thats been posted, this is a definite life changer.

(10-03-2013 08:52 AM)Swearbox Wrote:  Are there any Instrument Techs about to answer a couple of questions?

I spoke to an instrument guy today about the trade and he said that the best way to get into it is to go to school, preferably in Alberta at a school such as NAIT. The downside is that the diploma in instrumentation is two years long, which I'm sure you're not too keen on doing. The other way to do it is to get hired on with a company and become a registered apprentice in Alberta, just like any other trade. He said that it pretty hard to get into instrumentation as a green hand and you almost have to know someone, which isn't the first time I've heard this, but if you were to get on, you'd work a few months then go back to NAIT or SAIT and do the two month apprentice blocks each year for four years until you become a journeyman instrument tech.

So I think that your best plan may be to move out to Alberta and knock on every instrumentation company's door until you find a helper's job and go from there. You'll likely have to do something else until you find a job as a helper though.

He worked for an outfit called Dynamysk and is super busy but they do commissioning so they may not hire green hands. The other electrical/instrument company on site is Studon, they're a big company and I see them on sites all over Alberta. Give both companies a call and see what they say, good luck.

Hey Scotian, thx for the reply.

Between me and you and anyone else reading this I think I have a way in to ClearStream Energy...I'm 99% sure, let's put it that way...it's a labouring job at their Nexen project site at Cold Lake. I will post up more on here as and when I know more for the guys that are looking to get out to Alberta by sharing the steps I took to get me out there...if it works out it will be a very encouraging story especially for guys who aren't actually out in Alberta (like me).

ClearStream have an apprentice program in place for Instrument guys, they also have HEOs and currently I'm torn between the two. If you had the choice starting from scratch, and I know you favour the trades as I've read the thread in it's entirety, which way would you go...Haul Truck or Instrument guy given that your company would train you?

I would say check out the instrumentation job. Haul truck driving is good paying and looks cool but it's not a very specialized skill (many women even do it in Fort Mac). With haul truck driving you're options are limited so where they use that type of equipment and down the line you might not want to live in those places or stay in camp. With the instrumentation trade you have so many options in where you want to work and it's a lot more specialized than driving a big dump truck. Also in Australia some sites are experimenting with haul trucks that have an auto pilot type function. So that job could be outsourced in the next 5-10 years.

(10-06-2013 10:44 AM)Kdog Wrote:  I would say check out the instrumentation job. Haul truck driving is good paying and looks cool but it's not a very specialized skill (many women even do it in Fort Mac). With haul truck driving you're options are limited so where they use that type of equipment and down the line you might not want to live in those places or stay in camp. With the instrumentation trade you have so many options in where you want to work and it's a lot more specialized than driving a big dump truck. Also in Australia some sites are experimenting with haul trucks that have an auto pilot type function. So that job could be outsourced in the next 5-10 years.

Thx Kdog, that had crossed my mind that with HT driving you would be limited to the places where those big units operated and those places only. I've read that the Haul truck jobs pay really well which is what tempts me over and above anything else. I wish someone would convince me that the Instrument guys get similar big wages once they get their Journeyman cert.

(10-06-2013 01:05 PM)Swearbox Wrote:  

(10-06-2013 10:44 AM)Kdog Wrote:  I would say check out the instrumentation job. Haul truck driving is good paying and looks cool but it's not a very specialized skill (many women even do it in Fort Mac). With haul truck driving you're options are limited so where they use that type of equipment and down the line you might not want to live in those places or stay in camp. With the instrumentation trade you have so many options in where you want to work and it's a lot more specialized than driving a big dump truck. Also in Australia some sites are experimenting with haul trucks that have an auto pilot type function. So that job could be outsourced in the next 5-10 years.

Thx Kdog, that had crossed my mind that with HT driving you would be limited to the places where those big units operated and those places only. I've read that the Haul truck jobs pay really well which is what tempts me over and above anything else. I wish someone would convince me that the Instrument guys get similar big wages once they get their Journeyman cert.

Instrument techs do get pretty big money at the JM level, around $40/hour like most other JM tradesmen, but there's WAY more room for advancement, such as starting your own company and going the self contracting route. Most guys who do self contracting make about $80-120/hour, one of my good friends is a PLC programmer and he usually makes about $1500-1800/day in the field, when he was 26 years old he grossed 350K one year and still had a few months off.

As a heavy haul truck driver you'll be driving the same boring route every day, up and down a mine road dumping loads over and over, it would get very repetitive but yes, they can make decent money (nothing too crazy) but their options are limited.


Unrelated story: So I was sitting in the lunch room yesterday watching a movie and avoiding work as usual and guess who walks in? RVF Oil Sands Crew™ member Zeeman, small world eh? He was on the same shut down site I've been on for the past week so we hung out for a bit, I knew I was gonna run into one of you guys on site eventually!

How heigh are those offshore platforms? At what heights let say rostabout works, how close is he to that damn fence?

(10-07-2013 07:47 AM)Jourgensen Wrote:  How heigh are those offshore platforms? At what heights let say rostabout works, how close is he to that damn fence?

Dude you just don't get it do you? This thread is about the Canadian oil sands, my thread title must have been misleading or something but the oil sands are nowhere near the ocean and no one on here, myself included has ever worked on an offshore platform. You're not going to to find the answers you're looking for on here.

(10-07-2013 07:47 AM)Jourgensen Wrote:  How heigh are those offshore platforms? At what heights let say rostabout works, how close is he to that damn fence?

Wikipedia says 400 feet tall. Also a few years back I was looking into an offshore job but the training cost is astronomical. You have to take a helicopter safety course as that's apparently how you get to work. On this forum you hear about preventable and accidental mishaps that can kill you in an instant and those are examples on solid ground. An oil platform is a whole different ballgame man, if you get hurt seriously you're done. I would google search everything you can before going any further.

Do you have any experience in an industrial/construction type setting? Are you able to move fast while staying alert and safe at the same time? Are you mechanically inclined? Are you physically capable of not taking a scheduled break for a 12 hour shift while working in the cold, constantly lifting up to 100 pounds/bending/crouching/getting rained on? Those are some things to think about

(10-07-2013 03:33 PM)MicTyson Wrote:  Wikipedia says 400 feet tall. Also a few years back I was looking into an offshore job but the training cost is astronomical. You have to take a helicopter safety course as that's apparently how you get to work. On this forum you hear about preventable and accidental mishaps that can kill you in an instant and those are examples on solid ground. An oil platform is a whole different ballgame man, if you get hurt seriously you're done. I would google search everything you can before going any further.

I'm analizing everything like a maniac. Yes, those helicopter safety is like 1000 british pounds, but it's worth if you're in for the gig for sure.

Quote:Do you have any experience in an industrial/construction type setting? Are you able to move fast while staying alert and safe at the same time? Are you mechanically inclined? Are you physically capable of not taking a scheduled break for a 12 hour shift while working in the cold, constantly lifting up to 100 pounds/bending/crouching/getting rained on? Those are some things to think about

I'm not really concerned about anything except the height man. From what i can tell, and i've watched numerous clips and visited technical sites, some platforms aren't that higher then the usual cargoo boat let say, really not that high (like 40 feet). But some of them look just monstrous. Now it's not their actual height that concernes me. It's what are the areas of your work space. How close you are to the fence, to those damn holes? Can someone send you up to stairs (for god knows what) that are like 200 feat high? That's where i'm shitting my pants off.

How hard is it to get into this line of work without any vocational experience or education? I have a bachelors degree in a business field, but I'm having trouble finding steady work (just temp jobs). Also, how high are taxes in Canada, I've heard from some people that they are as high as 50%. What is the marginal tax rate for someone earning 50k?

(10-07-2013 04:38 PM)numanist Wrote:  How hard is it to get into this line of work without any vocational experience or education? I have a bachelors degree in a business field, but I'm having trouble finding steady work (just temp jobs). Also, how high are taxes in Canada, I've heard from some people that they are as high as 50%. What is the marginal tax rate for someone earning 50k?

Your questions have been answered a billion times in this thread, probably about 70 pages ago, read it.

(10-07-2013 04:38 PM)numanist Wrote:  How hard is it to get into this line of work without any vocational experience or education? I have a bachelors degree in a business field, but I'm having trouble finding steady work (just temp jobs). Also, how high are taxes in Canada, I've heard from some people that they are as high as 50%. What is the marginal tax rate for someone earning 50k?

Your questions have been answered a billion times in this thread, probably about 70 pages ago, read it.

For anyone who is seriously looking to get into the Canadian oil sands, then don't be lazy. Take an afternoon or evening or morning or overnight, whatever works for you and read the entire thread while taking notes, printing the important info. Come on guys, don't be lazy! Everything is laid out in here in plain English.

Numanist, are you a Canadian citizen/resident? If not, then read the first few pages of this thread as Scotian has provided all the info in the earlier pages.

And for all those guys who have been asking in here or sending me PMs, specially you lurker guys or guys with less than 5 posts:
Your chances of getting hired by a company in Alberta with you being a total newbie and no previous experience in the oil sands are next to 0. No one is going to hire you from afar. But dear newbie, get on a plane and come to Edmonton or Calgary or any other city in Alberta and start hitting the pavements and you WILL get hired. Even as a total newbie!

Cheers!

In post #1779 I said the following...

"Between me and you and anyone else reading this I think I have a way in to ClearStream Energy...I'm 99% sure, let's put it that way...it's a labouring job at their Nexen project site at Cold Lake. I will post up more on here as and when I know more for the guys that are looking to get out to Alberta by sharing the steps I took to get me out there...if it works out it will be a very encouraging story especially for guys who aren't actually out in Alberta (like me)."

Here's the follow up. On Friday (4 days ago) I phoned up ClearStream, I'm a British expat living in Ontario, I have zero oil & gas experience, I'm 53 yrs old. Conversation went something like this, some words are thrown in to make it a less boring read...stand by it's gonna be long...

<ring ring - answered by HR>
Me: Hi, if I were to haul my arse (Brit spelling) out to Fort Mac with my CV and show up at your door what would the chances be of someone seeing me on the spot to discuss my chances of getting my foot in the door doing some entry level type job?

HR: Probably zero, but you're welcome to send us your CV and application online. We're currently looking to hire 6 more labourers for an upcoming project. It's a great opportunity to get into the company.

Me: I never saw any labouring positions available on your site.

HR: We didn't advertise them or else we'd be swamped with applications.

Me: OK, I'm not a kid, I'm 53, I have a pretty good CV. 15 yrs in the military as a weapons engineer, a degree in computing followed by several yrs as an IT guy in the UK. Since coming to Canada I've done a bit more IT stuff but for the last 4 years I've been doing landscaping so grunt work isn't going to be much of an issue. If I apply for one of these positions how can I make my CV stand out about the other applicants.

HR: You can't.

Me: Fucks sake...what does it take?

HR: We look at what tickets you have before anything else. What tickets do you have?

Me: None.

HR: You need CSTS, H2S, Fall Protection and Confined Space Entry. Having said that and after speaking with you for a while you sound like you know what you want and you come across as competent so here's what I'm going to do. I'm holding one of those 6 spots for you. If you send me your CV I will send you more details about the position. At the very minimum you need the first three tickets that I mentioned or you will not be allowed onsite. Oh, and you'll need a drivers abstract and be able to pass a piss test. You have until Monday (yesterday) to get back to me with a definite yes or no. The job starts on Monday 14th Oct.

Me: So I have to give up my job here, fly out to Fort Mac, do 3 safety courses, get a piss test done, get a drivers abstract and show up on your door before Monday the 14th and I'm in?

HR: You got it.

Me: Leave it with me. I'll get back to you by Monday. <click>

That was the start of the ball rolling. I forwarded my CV directly to the HR girl I spoke with and she returned my mail attaching the job spec, hourly wage, hours, some other info. The following day (Saturday) I emailed back with some questions which she answered promptly and sent me a link to take the online CSTS course.

I borrowed $1000 off my other half's sister to buy a flight out to Fort Mac and to pay for H2S & Fall Protect. We booked the flight on Sunday evening (last night) because there were only 4 spaces left on the aircraft. I then realised that there was only one Fall Protect course being run by HSE Integrated this week and I hadn't enrolled yet (or to HS2 but there are courses pretty much every day). I emailed the HR girl yesterday to ask what would happen if I couldn't get on the fall protect course. She advised to hold off booking a flight as I would not get onsite without it. LOL time...I now had a flight to Fort Mac but a possible show stopper if I couldn't get on the Fall Protect course.

This morning I called HSE Integrated at 7.30 am Alberta time. I must have been first to call as the girl who answered hadn't even booted her pc when she picked up the phone. I asked to be booked onto the courses I needed. No problem, I got booked in. I mailed the HR girl back to let her know that everything was in place.

I was mailed an Offer Of Employment and a Benefits Package this afternoon. I called back to clarify that I was in the door. I asked about an interview...she said she had pre screened me on our first call, no interview was necessary, just pass the piss test and get the tickets done and show up on Monday (14th) morning bright eyed and bushy tailed.

Guys, it CAN be done. You just have to take the bull by the horns and make it happen even if you aren't already out in Alberta...give it a crack, you never know until you try. Hopefully this post will be of some use to others who are on the fence about taking that leap of faith.

Good stuff Swearbox! I admire your persistence and perseverence. Best of luck in your gig in Fort Mac!

Cheers!

Man, way to go Swearbox! Good luck to you.

Awesome Swear box. Amazing.

Quote:Me: Hi, if I were to haul my arse (Brit spelling) out to Fort Mac with my CV and show up at your door what would the chances be of someone seeing me on the spot to discuss my chances of getting my foot in the door doing some entry level type job?

HR: Probably zero, but you're welcome to send us your CV and application online. We're currently looking to hire 6 more labourers for an upcoming project. It's a great opportunity to get into the company.

Me: I never saw any labouring positions available on your site.

HR: We didn't advertise them or else we'd be swamped with applications.

This is what I get out of this conversation. The woman was inferring that they 'typically' only hire people who are in Alberta because if they post jobs, they are going to get EVERYONE across Canada applying and waiting for the job to come to them.

Although Swearbox persevered and practically did the impossible, I don't want guys to think this is the norm.


A quick one about me. I had applied to BC Hydro numerous times while still living out east. When I moved to Alberta, I casually applied again to them, I got an interview that week. Nothing had changed in my resume, just my address.


Swearbox!

Just in time for the driest goddam weather imaginable.

As Scotian says "drier than a nuns cunt"

No joke.

Zeus,
I don't mind the dry or even wet season. What I have a problem with is the cold. Oh well, only 6 months to go before it gets nice again! lol

This thread has been an amazing resource both in terms of inspiration and also first class information about what it's like to be 'out there' in a variety of roles. I tip my hat to Scotian for kicking off this discussion and to the rest of the guys (too many to list) who have impressed me with their drive to succeed, many at a much younger age than I.

As an ex military man I've been to the Middle East twice, one of those times being deployed during Operations Desert Shield/Desert Storm but I have to confess to being more nervous about this gig than I ever was flying into a war zone. It's a mixture of things, leaving my family behind, going out there with less than $500 to my name until I get paid, but most of all going out to become part of an industry that I am totally unfamiliar with and not knowing a single soul out there except for the guy whose spare room I will be crashing in until I get settled. I'll be fine once I'm in a set of coveralls and shovelling shit with the rest of the crew...can't wait to mark the end of the first day's shift with a cold one or two...cheers to the RVF Crew :-)

Swear box, if you ever come to Edmonton, would love to have drinks with you. I'm sure you have tons of very interesting and fascinating stories to share not to mention wisdom that you have amassed throughout the years and in those war zones. Fascinating indeed!

(10-07-2013 10:28 PM)Vacancier Permanent Wrote:  Swear box, if you ever come to Edmonton, would love to have drinks with you. I'm sure you have tons of very interesting and fascinating stories to share not to mention wisdom that you have amassed throughout the years and in those war zones. Fascinating indeed!

No worries VP, once I get settled and know the time of day I'll see about making it happen. Would be great to personally thank a good few on here, yourself included, for what has been good honest advice and opinions. We'll get the lampshades swinging and I'll tell you all about some of the stunts I pulled in Saudi that, if I got caught, would have probably resulted in a diplomatic incident and I would have either been shot at dawn or stoned to death LOL...all true too.

SB

(10-07-2013 10:48 PM)Swearbox Wrote:  

(10-07-2013 10:28 PM)Vacancier Permanent Wrote:  Swear box, if you ever come to Edmonton, would love to have drinks with you. I'm sure you have tons of very interesting and fascinating stories to share not to mention wisdom that you have amassed throughout the years and in those war zones. Fascinating indeed!

No worries VP, once I get settled and know the time of day I'll see about making it happen. Would be great to personally thank a good few on here, yourself included, for what has been good honest advice and opinions. We'll get the lampshades swinging and I'll tell you all about some of the stunts I pulled in Saudi that, if I got caught, would have probably resulted in a diplomatic incident and I would have either been shot at dawn or stoned to death LOL...all true too.

SB

Well done Swearbox, glad to hear that you got the gig, now you're the eldest member of the RVF Oil Sands Crew. Did you already fly out west or are you still in Ontario?

Make sure you ask the company if they will supply you with coveralls, hard hat, gloves or any other safety gear, most do but its best to ask. You;ll likely have to buy your own work boots, make sure that they're CSA approved and 6" (over the ankle). Its cold out west so bring some sweaters, long johns, wool socks, etc. Take at least one weeks worth of clothes, mostly sweat pants, tee shirts, etc. I usually just bring one pair of jeans to wear after work back at camp, bring lots of under wear and socks because if you don't get a chance to do laundry, at least those will be fresh.

Bring any meds or supplements that you need, I would take books or a lap top for down time and back at camp, you may want to buy a cheap ether net cable as not all camps have wi-fi, but most do. Of course, bring toiletries and cheap sandals to wear in the communal showers. I usually bring some kind of disinfectant spray to clean the showers before I get in.

As far as the work goes, I"m sure you'll be fine, just wake up on time and report to work fit for duty, try to learn as much as possible and ideally find a guy you get on with well and work with him. Usually companies will hire on a few labourers and give them a test run, in your case its 6, I bet that by the end of the gig, 2 or 3 of them won't be coming back, make sure you're not one of them, here's some tips:

Work safe: I've said this many times before but its a huge deal in the oil sands, participate in the morning safety meetings, always do your JSA (job safety analysis) and if you ever notice something you're not comfortable with, tell your immediate supervisor (foreman), its not only your right but your obligation to not perform a task that you're not 100% certain about safety wise. If you break one of the "golden safety rules" such as working at a height over 3 meters without a harness or entering a confined space without permission, you'll be run off site so fast your head will spin.

Be keen/don't fuck the dog: As a labourer and new hire you shouldn't be sitting around doing nothing with the senior guys, there will be times when there's nothing to do and the guys will sit around and its okay to shoot the shit with them for a bit but there's almost always something to do. If your supervisor doesn't have a job lined up then ask another senior guy (journeyman) if he needs a hand, or if he's willing, to show you his tools, what he does, etc. There's always a work truck that could use a good cleaning or something else to that effect that can keep you busy.

Network: Basically talk to everyone, introduce yourself to everyone in your company and make sure you're on first name basis with all of them. There's a fine line between being a bag licker and being the guy who the foremen, GF and superintendents remember as a keener who has potential to move up the ladder from the labour position. This gig is probably a temporary shut down and your company may not have work for you when the job ends, which could be in 2 weeks or 2 months. That is why I recommend talking to everyone, all of the trades on site, just strike up random conversations and get people's contact info, if you get laid off, a quick phone call or e-mail could get you another gig in the oil sands the day after you get laid off. Hopefully your company will keep you busy, but you never know.

There's more that I can mention and if you've read the thread then you should have already seen it but I think you'll do fine, honestly the bar is pretty low out west and I'm sure you'll be okay.

If you have any more questions just ask and if you want to send me a PM about the job details, I'll help you out, chances are I've already worked on whatever site you're going to and probably know people working there.

Congratulations and good luck!

Hey guys, just want to give a shout out to scotian and everyone else that's been contributing to the thread. Made the move to edmonton several months ago and with the information contained here was able to gain a pre-apprenticeship in welding. Probably won't be back in edmonton for a while but I'll gladly buy you a beer scotian, amoung others.

Working up in fort mac at the moment making pretty good coin for a young guy. If anyone is interested in getting into welding in alberta, I'd recommend checking out the boilermakers 146 union as they have a pretty good apprenticeship program. One should be able to make at least $2500 a week doing as such as a starter (working 10's). One thing I hear a lot of tradesmen talking about is the gradual shift from 12 hour days to 10's. Seems like only a quarter of the jobs I see posted are for 12's...