Repped Albertron too! Top notch guy both in person than in here who's been dropping gold nuggets from the ground.

(12-02-2013 08:16 PM)Kane Wrote:  Big shout out to scotian and Irishman, I've been reading this thread since November 8th and finally got the approval to post. Thanks to Donnie514 for driving from Montreal to Calgary, it inspired me to set in motion my leaving Montreal as well in early January 2014. I've read all 80 pages now twice in better grasping all aspects of the oil/gas industry. I have $5,000 saved up with potential rooms to rent and hopefully getting a beater truck when I land in Edmonton. I'll be going for the leasehand positions and will be seeking apprenticeship in either electrician or welder in the future. My work history has been working for a landscaping company down in Florida,USA and mostly warehouse jobs in pool supplies, textiles, adhesives and probiotics in Montreal so I know the meaning of hard labour. I've move more than 10 times in my life to 3 different countries yet thinking about moving to Alberta makes me excited and terrified at the same time. I can't wait to hopefully meet you guys that made the plunge in order to better your lives and not settling for the status quo.

Thanks for the rep point man. Get in touch when you are about to arrive and Ill see if I can help you find some work on the rigs.

(01-21-2014 10:23 PM)Irishman Wrote:  

(12-02-2013 08:16 PM)Kane Wrote:  Big shout out to scotian and Irishman, I've been reading this thread since November 8th and finally got the approval to post. Thanks to Donnie514 for driving from Montreal to Calgary, it inspired me to set in motion my leaving Montreal as well in early January 2014. I've read all 80 pages now twice in better grasping all aspects of the oil/gas industry. I have $5,000 saved up with potential rooms to rent and hopefully getting a beater truck when I land in Edmonton. I'll be going for the leasehand positions and will be seeking apprenticeship in either electrician or welder in the future. My work history has been working for a landscaping company down in Florida,USA and mostly warehouse jobs in pool supplies, textiles, adhesives and probiotics in Montreal so I know the meaning of hard labour. I've move more than 10 times in my life to 3 different countries yet thinking about moving to Alberta makes me excited and terrified at the same time. I can't wait to hopefully meet you guys that made the plunge in order to better your lives and not settling for the status quo.

Thanks for the rep point man. Get in touch when you are about to arrive and Ill see if I can help you find some work on the rigs.

My bus From Montreal arrives in Edmonton on Feb 2th. I spoke to zeeman when he was visiting family in Montreal and he tells me to give him a ring when I land. All my stuff are packed and ready to go. Thanks Irishman, looking forward to meet you and the amazing RVF Alberta family.

Sorry to highjack the thread a bit but what are the opportunities like for a fresh out of university chemical/petro engineering graduate?

Got my visa and just booked my flight. Will arrive in Edmonton on February. Can't wait to meet all of you.

@sandokan Are you Canadian? It's quite a bit harder to crack into the engineering side if you aren't Canadian, unless you have a PEng designation. Four years experience under a PEng.

Edit: I should explain why: the market Is quite rich in young inexperienced engineers in training. Canadian students now need to have very high GPAs and internship experience to break in with the majors such as CNRL, Husky, Imperial, etc. obviously these companies have much to choose from, so will prefer to tap into Canadian pools. I am assuming you are not Canadian because if you took petroleum in Alberta, Calgary or Regina you would probably know this by now. The situation is made worse by the pipeline shit show up here- there is so much supply but none of these fucking environmentalists want the pipelines to be built. Frustrating because the only other alternative is rail, which has a higher spill potential and ironically leaves a much larger carbon footprint! So most companies are slow right now, just waiting to see how the political climate evolves.

But this completely depends what you want to get into. Was your degree more focused on petroleum exploration ad exploitation? Or more of the chemical side (phase separation, facilities etc)? Upstream will be much more difficult than midstream but with the right experience and approach you can make it work- let us know what you are interested in doing before some idiot like me says something completely irrelevant and wrong!

"Don't you feel like, you should be in school or something?"

The words of a co-worker my age when she found out the reason I've been working more hours recently at our fast-food restaurant: I've been out of school. I took the semester off half-way through my third year.

Why? My focus was off. My mind was on other things. I was strongly considering making the move to the oilsands last September. It still remains a strong option for me, and I think this year I will pull the trigger.

Even if things don't work out, at worst I'll be able to pay off my accumulating school debt.

I'm currently stacking my chips for two things:
- Travel
- Oilsands

I'm currently reading through this massive goldmine of a thread and making notes, it's a long process but I'll be finished within a week. I have yet to decide between going to Alberta in April or September. I'm not quite sure yet which would be the better time for me.

I also have plans to make my first solo trip abroad to some Latin/Caribbean country. It shouldn't be too expensive as I am looking at one of the more economical options, allowing me to still head over to the oilsands this year. The only catch would probably be that if I do make this solo trip, I would have to let the oilsands wait until Aug-Sep, as opposed to a couple months from now.

Any thoughts? Perhaps I'll have a better idea of when a better time for me to go would be by the time I actually finish reading over the entire thread.. Nevertheless, I consider this an update of some sorts, and another shout out to the guys that are out there and have provided so much useful information, you know who you are!

Nascimento,

My suggestion is to take the trip to Latin America. Two main reasons:

1) When you get here and you're able to get work, chances are you'll be on the grind. I'm not sure what you think you wanna get into, but I'm guessing it's some sort of trade, which could mean long hours and physical work. After you take your little vacation, you'll come to the oil sands refreshed and ready to replenish that bank account.

2) For most trades (emphasis on most, i.e. not all), hiring season begins in the fall to get ready for the heavy working winter season. You mentioned that if you go on your trip, you'll be back by fall, which is ideal.

In my opinion, taking this trip will help you determine as to whether or not this is for you. You'll be outside of your comfortable element and thus be able to assess yourself relative to this potentially life-changing decision, without all of life's stressors breathing down your throat. It helps to make decisions on a clear and focused mind, as this site preaches.

That being said, should you have other options, i.e. a lucrative job right after uni, or a skill you excel at and could potentially make money from it, I say exercise those options first. I say this because the oil sands will always be here. Whether you choose to move tomorrow, or in a couple of years, this industry will always have work. Consider this industry as a last resort should you not have other opportunities readily available to you.

Because let's be honest here: who the fuck wants to work out in the cold, for long hours and for consecutive days at time, thus minimizing time to see friends/family?

That's why I say, consider this industry as a last resort. If you have skill sets which you can exercise elsewhere, exhaust those options first. Because when you're out here, getting your hands dirty and all tired and shit, and you did have another opportunity elsewhere, it'll make your time here much worse, thus more likely for you to drop out.

I came here because I exhausted my other options. Worked with my dad and his HVAC company, hated it. Worked at the bank for two years, ugh miserable. Worked at a car shop, holy fuck kill me. I was even a street performer at one point, as a breakdancer, on the streets of TDOT!!! That was awesome, but not lucrative. Too many jobs to list but I worked plenty of types of jobs.

I didn't know what else to do. I was literally at a dead end. Pretty shitty feeling if you ask me. Moving here, working here and living here has been pretty life changing for me. I'm good at my trade, I enjoy what I do, and surprisingly, there are some hot women here. Good infrastructure here in Edmonton and more importanty, no real stress.

Anyway, after that lengthy post, all I'm trying to say is that you should go on your vacation, because moving here and working here is not a vacation. Enjoy what you can, get it out of your system, so that if and when you get here, you'll come in with a refreshed and determined mentality.

Good post above by albertron. As an apprentice in one of the unions here, the biggest challenge I find is just the isolated nature of the work. Personally I don't find it back breaking, although at times it can be fast paced (perhaps more so non-union). What I find hard is just living in camp for months on end without being able to see friends/family/girls. If you're working a shutdown up in fort mac (last one I was on was 10 weeks) on a "bad" schedule such as 12 on 2 off it really is not worth it to spend 12 hours plus to go back to edmonton for half a day. I ended up staying camp for almost 10 weeks straight -- recipe for extreme boredom etc.

When I first made the move I though I'd be able to put in 10/11 months a year but at the moment I think scotian's got it right: work six/seven months and just take the rest off. U can still make decent money doing so and in the process retain your sanity. No regrets tho, working up here has the potential to change one's life for better and greatly enhance it. Atm just chilling in etown -- figure someones gotta keep the women satisfied

How are all the well testing guys doing right now. I myself got a tester hand gig back in November following you guys' steps. Just finished my second job near gp.

This thread is absolutely insane, reading in a frantic manner - will go through 80+ pages soon.
I'm in Toronto with a business degree with a a year of management consulting experience and lots of travel abroad stuff (teaching english, volunteering around the world, etc). I've always been looking for a job that I could do for 6 months, make money, travel, come back. This sounds ideal. I've got enough money saved up to fly to Alberta, do the basic license exams, and rent out a hostel for a few weeks even. No driver license, but seems people have gotten around that. I'll PM some of you guys if you don't mind, mad respect for this thread.

Is it just me or do lots of people from Toronto not have drivers licenses? Fuckin man up boys, the only people I know from out here in Sask and Alberta who can't drive are... I actually have never met anyone out here who can't drive. Must be a Toronto thing

Great article for all you Irish fellas lurking around...
http://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style...-1.1667203

Is this possible for EU residents as well?
Thinking about doing this once I have finished my secondary education

(01-27-2014 06:05 PM)little wing Wrote:  Is this possible for EU residents as well?
Thinking about doing this once I have finished my secondary education

Yes it's possible for many Europeans.
France, Germany, Poland and many more. But we have a one year work visa only, not 2 years like Ireland.

http://www.canadainternational.gc.ca/ger...x?lang=deu

This for example is the german page. Check it out and you will find everything you need to know

(01-24-2014 07:11 AM)olantern Wrote:  How are all the well testing guys doing right now. I myself got a tester hand gig back in November following you guys' steps. Just finished my second job near gp.

So are you on days off at the moment? I just received an offer from a larger well testing company and I'm taking it. My former company was not keeping me busy enough.

Yes, looks like two weeks or so of work per month is pretty much what you can get with this company even in the busy season.

(01-29-2014 10:10 AM)Temm Wrote:  

(01-24-2014 07:11 AM)olantern Wrote:  How are all the well testing guys doing right now. I myself got a tester hand gig back in November following you guys' steps. Just finished my second job near gp.

So are you on days off at the moment? I just received an offer from a larger well testing company and I'm taking it. My former company was not keeping me busy enough.

My bus leaves Montreal on the 31th early morning and I just noticed that I'll arrive in Edmonton on Superbowl day. Any of you RVF fam in the Edmonton area want to hit me up so we could watch the game, It would be a great way to see what the city have in terms of ambiance.

Hi everyone,

I'm looking to rent a room in Calgary, so maybe you guys know someone who is looking for a roommate or want to rent all unit and go half.
Please let me know.
Thanks.

Im interested, im winging it, driving across canada, with just enough cash for gas, food, and place to stay for 2 nights. Not an ideal scenario but gotta get out of this weak economy out where i come from

(01-31-2014 08:33 AM)MRDigger Wrote:  Im interested, im winging it, driving across canada, with just enough cash for gas, food, and place to stay for 2 nights. Not an ideal scenario but gotta get out of this weak economy out where i come from

Brave move brother. Check my PM.

This is the appropriate thread to share this:

Report May Ease Way to Approval of Keystone Pipeline

The article essentially states that a six-year long investigation by the Obama administration has found that the Keystone Pipeline meets their criteria of being environmentally safe.

Quote:Sounds like you want to have a good time in the mountains, so if I was you, I'd move to Banff or Lake Louise and get some random shit job washing dishes or whatever for $12/hour and smoke dope, snow board and chase all of the horny young women there doing the same thing (especially the French Canadians there, lots of them). Do that for 3-6 months, then move on to a city, either Calgary or Edmonton, I would recommend the former as its only 1.5 hours from that STD infested poosy paradise Banff, so in your free time you can hit the slopes and hit the harem of skanks you will have built up there.

Unless your super keen on making big money, I would stick with that plan, maybe even move around Canada to see the country, there's a lot of cool places to work some random shit job: Tofino, Whistler, Fernie (BC), Montreal/Quebec City, Maritimes, Nfld, etc. You won't make or save much money but you'll have a good time, likely get laid and see some of the most beautiful places that Canada has to offer. You won't get those experiences spending the majority of your time in a work camp sausage party.

But ya, if its money your after then Alberta, Saskatchewan and to a lesser extent, BC are definitely the places to be for resource work but besides having a fat bank account, you won't have a great experience if you spend weeks or months on end up in some remote shit hole in northern Alberta. Its busy enough in Alberta, not crazy as it has been before but companies are definitely hiring, as you can see by the amount of guys on here who are still getting hired. I'm not sure about the amount of guys from the UK, Oz, etc but they're definitely working in the oil patch, not in huge numbers but they're there.

Maybe its because I already did the big money, work like a retard thing for a few years but working my ass off and making huge money just isn't a really big opportunity for me any more and now I'm more into travel and having good experiences outside of work. Maybe you guys will experience this too eventually, maybe not, I just get depressed thinking about all of the guys I know who have basically wasted their 20s chasing money in industrial shit holes.

Thanks for the reply Scotian !!

I think by the time I arrive in Canada the chances of getting job in the Ski fields would have passed, apparently you have to apply around October/November.

Now im more interested in Western Canada but perhaps I should target Eastern Canada then head West from there.

For you guys who have headed over to Canada how long did it take to establish your selves ????

Hey all. Great litereature on this thread. I'm currently working on getting my B Pressure ticket so it will be easier to get a job in the Mac. My test is in March and I'm confident that I will pass but I also need to plan for if I dont pass.

Just curious, are there any Journeyman Welders on here that are currently working up North? What are some of the better companies to be working for up there in the Welding Trade?

(01-27-2014 06:31 PM)buko Wrote:  

(01-27-2014 06:05 PM)little wing Wrote:  Is this possible for EU residents as well?
Thinking about doing this once I have finished my secondary education

Yes it's possible for many Europeans.
France, Germany, Poland and many more. But we have a one year work visa only, not 2 years like Ireland.

http://www.canadainternational.gc.ca/ger...x?lang=deu

This for example is the german page. Check it out and you will find everything you need to know

Thanks!
So from what I've read you have to have an interview there to get a gig?
I'm asking because flights from where I live to Canada are around a 1000 bucks and it would suck to fly all the way there and get rejected