There are so many new forum posters from the USA who ask how to break into the oil sands, but honestly cannot think of any posters who actually made the move. I don't read the forum too much so probably missed a few. But instead of having people pester Scotian with PMs, maybe if you are American and made the move to the oil sands, post up here with a brief comment. I am interested to hear on how the transition for Americans is, especially after seeing some successes from our European brethren thus far... Is the immigration process way too fucked up for Americans? I assume it would be easy for a guy with 10 years experience as an engineer for Shell in Houston to make the move into Canada, but what about younger guys or folks with little oil experience?
Also, I am in Lloydminster for the foreseeable future... Never been here before so if anyone has, tell me what there is to do for fun around here! Gone out fishing and golfing but what about evening activities?
(05-24-2014 07:17 AM)scotian Wrote: After a couple of minutes, the two girls returned and the one I was chatting up sat awkwardly across the table next to her friend, sharing a chair with her while there were two available next to me, where she was sat before. Instead of trying to reengage her, I excused myself and went to the pool table to hang out with my buddy, I really don't have the patience to deal with this shit. My guess is that her hot friend was jealous or something that her friend was getting male attention, while she wasn't.
Yeah that's pretty odd, man. Usually when the uglier friend is being chatted up, the hotter one gets jealous and then proceeds into competition mode, working to get your attention, especially when before you guys hit it off. Then again, 'dem females here are kind of weird here in most cases.
I remember late last summer, I hit up Hudson's on Whyte with my neighbour and her two guy friends, and one of the dudes chats up this young broad, clearly a teeny bopper. I ended up accidentally cockblocking him in an attempt to perform wingman duties, by joking about her age and how she's younger than she says.
She said she was 21, I threw a "No wayyyy, you're definitely 18!" thinking that she'd get the facetious vibe I was throwing her way. Instead, her happy vibe immediately turned bitchy, telling the dude how much she "hates guys like that", and even tried to mock me, saying things like "Oh, because I'm toootallly 18, right? *screwy cunt face*" Needless to say, she walked away and dude was looking at me as though I committed murder.
So I dunno man. Could be the women, could be rusty/lack of game. But yeah I'd imagine some of this bullshit is not encountered as often when overseas. Another couple of years and I'll get to experience this "culture shock" that I've been aiming for since moving here to Alberta. Hearing about it and reading threads on the subject is such a cocktease!!
just a query , Is there any irish lads up there in the last couple of months? , Heading to edmonton in september and make my way to fort mac after .Ive no trade but ive got construction experience
(05-24-2014 05:04 PM)Irishbigbucks Wrote: just a query , Is there any irish lads up there in the last couple of months? , Heading to edmonton in september and make my way to fort mac after .Ive no trade but ive got construction experience
Read the thread and you'd know the answer to that.
I read this thread two times from start to finish before I posted my first response. The realization that I came to is that:
1: You have to be there. Once you arrive you pound the pavement and look for your ideal job, but do not in any way get stuck on that choice. A well paying job that allows you to live and eat is better than hoping for that one job. Personally, I placed a lot of focus on guys like Atlantic and Albertron who have had success doing just that.
2: Be persistent. If you go and talk to a recruiter who says they will get back to you in a few weeks time, don't just settle for that expecting something to come from it. Make yourself known to these people as a person who wants to work. Call, show up, ask to talk to them again. The worst case scenario is that they get tired of having you show up and give you a job.
3: If at all possible, get a vehicle. If you are looking for a fly-in/fly-out job off the bat, you will be sorely disappointed at the outset. Also, having a vehicle makes you plainly more attractive to potential employers.
4: Sacrifice. Simply give up your thoughts of having lots of time off and make yourself readily available. Scotian recommended this as being the go-to-guy. If you just came off a rotation, and your boss calls asking if you can do relief work, do it. Build up your reputation by doing what others won't.
5: Network. If you want to get into a trade, go to the local union offices and talk to someone. Don't pass up any opportunity to learn more about the craft at any time. You will never know who will be able to help you out.
These are the most important ideas that I have taken from this thread. If anyone cares to add anything, please do. Seriously though, just read from page 1 and don't stop.
(05-24-2014 08:33 AM)?Kick Wrote: I've noticed that the girls are becoming a little harder to game since moving here. When I first got to Edmonton, I would smile at a girl walking on the street and she'd stop and say hello.
Nowadays, not so much. Since I'm only in town after long stretches of being in the middle of nowhere I think the subtle changes in female behaviour stand out more. Less eye contact, less smiles and less friendliness overall. Then again, working out of town so much has killed any remnants of game I once had. So that must contribute to it as well.
Could also be the influx of all you pua fucks asking about nearby pet shops that's jaded all these fine females haha
Kick you probably found the Etown ladies nice at first because you arrived from the city with the worst women in North America haha, and yes, going to work out of town in small industrial shit holes surrounded by meat head trades men like myself certainly doesn't help either. A few days and even a week really isn't enough to reintegrate into normal society, that's why I rather just work as much as I can in the warmer months then fuck off. It takes a couple of days just to unwind, stop waking up at 5am and stop swearing and screaming all the time and act like a "normal" person, I don't know how the guys on 10/4 schedule do it.
(05-24-2014 08:35 AM)needhelp Wrote: Hi there. Long time lurker and love this thread. I do have a couple questions that scotian might hopefully answer via PM.
Well I suppose I was due for one of these American guys to write me, its been a couple of weeks. Now under normal circumstances, I wouldn't post what a guy wrote me in a PM because I generally respect people's privacy, but this one was a doozy and besides, he's a lurker with one post so fuck him haha, here it is:
Hi there scotian,
Long time reader of your oil sands post. I've read a fair amount and took some action but still need help. I do have a couple questions as an American trying to get into Canada doing this. If it also helps I'm not opposed to working in North Dakota.
I've filled out job applications online from November to December, only to not hear back from any companies at all. No experience working in labor and the only two things that might help me are a bachelor's degree and 2 years in the fast food industry (low pay, hard work).
1) What jobs and companies should I shoot for with my qualifications? If I can just make 50K in 6 months that would be several times more than what I currently get paid.
2) If it might be a resume issue could you take a look at it?
All I replied was read the thread for fuck sakes! Sorry dude but Canada has enough burger flippers and baristas with BAs in basket weaving, get into a trade stateside and work in the oil biz down there, its busy there now and there's plenty of info on the interwebs (this site included) about working down there, good luck.
(05-24-2014 07:00 PM)mauds Wrote: I read this thread two times from start to finish before I posted my first response. The realization that I came to is that:
1: You have to be there. Once you arrive you pound the pavement and look for your ideal job, but do not in any way get stuck on that choice. A well paying job that allows you to live and eat is better than hoping for that one job. Personally, I placed a lot of focus on guys like Atlantic and Albertron who have had success doing just that.
2: Be persistent. If you go and talk to a recruiter who says they will get back to you in a few weeks time, don't just settle for that expecting something to come from it. Make yourself known to these people as a person who wants to work. Call, show up, ask to talk to them again. The worst case scenario is that they get tired of having you show up and give you a job.
3: If at all possible, get a vehicle. If you are looking for a fly-in/fly-out job off the bat, you will be sorely disappointed at the outset. Also, having a vehicle makes you plainly more attractive to potential employers.
4: Sacrifice. Simply give up your thoughts of having lots of time off and make yourself readily available. Scotian recommended this as being the go-to-guy. If you just came off a rotation, and your boss calls asking if you can do relief work, do it. Build up your reputation by doing what others won't.
5: Network. If you want to get into a trade, go to the local union offices and talk to someone. Don't pass up any opportunity to learn more about the craft at any time. You will never know who will be able to help you out.
These are the most important ideas that I have taken from this thread. If anyone cares to add anything, please do. Seriously though, just read from page 1 and don't stop.
Mauds gets it, for those of you thinking of moving to Alberta or those of you who made the move but haven't found work yet, read this over and over and over and over, print it off and post it on your fridge if you have to, these should be considered the "5 golden rules" for success in the oil patch, +1 from me Mauds.
There's a few things I'd like to add to Maud's excellent post, most importantly is #1 about getting a decent job when you get out here and not being too fussy about what it is. It doesn't have to be oil related, Atlantic busted his ass doing landscaping when he first arrived and guys like Albertron have picked up work at bars and pubs. If you wait for you big opportunity at an oil gig, you may find yourself running out of money and depressed that you can't find work. Overall, I've been impressed with the good fortune that a lot of the guys who've moved out here have had so far, a lot of them are working in good trades and moving up the ladder quickly. That being said, a lot of them moved out in late 2012 and 2013, it was busier then and more companies were hiring unskilled newbies off the street. As has been mentioned several times on this thread, the oil industry is cyclical and some months and/or years are busier than others, although that can change very quickly, all it takes is for one or more big construction projects to start up (which is going to happen soon enough) and things will really pick up, especially during shut down season when available labour is tight. Again this is completely normal and if you've been reading the thread, you would understand this but I'll break it down for you fellas in a time line:
2004-end of 2008: These were the "glory days" when it was fucking booming, it was pretty crazy and basically anyone with a pulse who moved to Alberta could walk into any union hall or contractor office and get a job in any area he desired. Vacancy rates in all Alberta cities were the closest to zero they could be, I moved out in the summer of 06' and ended up living with way too many people in an apartment in Etown. There was major construction going on at the time: Suncor upgrader expansion, CNRL Horizon construction, Shell Albian construction, SAGD plant construction near Conklin, etc.
2009: The economy tanked and the price of oil went from $140/barrel to $35 almost over night and all of the oil majors cancelled and moth balled a bunch of projects, some still haven't re-started to this day. I was laid of twice in two months and had to move from Calgary to Edmonton to get work (how horrible!).
2011-2013: Once the price of oil got back up, confidence among investors and big oil went up and projects came back online: construction of Exxon kearl Lake project, construction of Husky Sunrise, construction of Conoco Philips Surmont 2 and a bunch of expansions at existing sites and SAGD ops.
2014: There's no big construction projects that have kicked off lately, so its slower now than it has been in the past five years, since the recession basically. As I mentioned above, all it takes is for one big oil sands project to kick off and things will really pick up, I heard through the grape vine that Suncor's previously mothballed Fort Hills mine is getting under way and the civil work is being done now (in ground piping, pile driving, etc), it won't be long until steel is moving up there. From Suncor's Fort Hill's website:
"The project is operated by Suncor, and is scheduled to produce first oil as early as the fourth quarter of 2017 and achieve 90% of its planned production capacity of 180,000 barrels per day within 12 months. The mine life is expected to be in excess of 50 years at the current planned production rate. Fort Hills will create work for approximately 5,000 construction workers at the peak of construction and approximately 1,600 permanent positions when the mine and bitumen production facility are fully operational."
Another project that is coming along is the North West Upgrading facility being built in Redwater, about 40 minutes north of Edmonton, as far as I can gather from the website, the civil work is done so the steel, piping etc should be moving up there soon. The guys working at the Edmonton fab shops would know this better than myself, but you can expect that to be picking up later this year, check out the company's latest update here. From that report the company states:
"Site infrastructure and civil grading activity done over the past many months have helped to ensure that spring thaw and associated runoff water is managed efficiently and work at the site remains highly productive. Approximately 600 personnel are engaged at the site at this
time......"
So, for those of you who are wondering if or why its slow at the moment, this is entirely normal and I've said it from the beginning, the oil biz is cyclical and you can expect ups and downs, your best bet is to save as much money as you can for a rainy day and upgrade your skill set ASAP and ideally, get a job that is involved in the maintenance and repair of oil processing facilities (upgraders, refineries, etc) to ensure that you stay busy, long term.
The guys who are having the most success aren't the ones who moved out here purely motivated to make some quick easy money then fuck off, the fly-by-nighters as we call them, some of them manage to make some decent coin but they're usually experienced and have tickets or are just hard working red neck types who jump on a rig or a construction job then bounce. The successful guys are thinking long term, they know that they aren't going to make the huge money over night, most of them are working somewhat "normal" hours in Edmonton and Calgary, have social lives and friends and are honing and upgrading their skills in their respective trades in more laid back, safe work environments such as the welding fabrication shops in Nisku and NOT on the big oil sands sites. Once these guys are comfortable in their trades and especially when they go back to school to upgrade their skills and tickets, they'll jump on the big money jobs out of town, the time will come for them and I'm sure they'll be successful.
I'm going to write some more later about why I don't think that Fort McMurray is a great place for a new guy and why guys should consider living and working down south rather than jumping head first into the BIG DIRTY!
(05-24-2014 08:45 PM)scotian Wrote: Another project that is coming along is the North West Upgrading facility being built in Redwater, about 40 minutes north of Edmonton, as far as I can gather from the website, the civil work is done so the steel, piping etc should be moving up there soon. The guys working at the Edmonton fab shops would know this better than myself, but you can expect that to be picking up later this year, check out the company's latest update here.
Yup. My company is just getting everyone drug tested to get out there. Shouldn't be to long until work actually starts.
(05-24-2014 05:04 PM)Irishbigbucks Wrote: just a query , Is there any irish lads up there in the last couple of months? , Heading to edmonton in september and make my way to fort mac after .Ive no trade but ive got construction experience
Read the thread and you'd know the answer to that.
i have read the whole lot of this thread ,Seen a few irish lads but that was 1 year ago posts just wondering has any irish gone this year with IEC visa
(05-24-2014 12:42 PM)komatiite Wrote: Also, I am in Lloydminster for the foreseeable future... Never been here before so if anyone has, tell me what there is to do for fun around here! Gone out fishing and golfing but what about evening activities?
Stay away from the Saskatchewan side and you should be golden. Seriously, I have no idea. I've only stopped around there a few times to get gas.
If anyone is around Tuesday or Wednesday I'd be down to meetup. Back in Edmonton for this week and hopefully heading for a camp job by the weekend. Scotian PM me if your in the area.
(05-24-2014 08:05 PM)donnie514 Wrote: Anyone know anyway to get around paying all those taxes on your pay cheques other than maxing RSP's contributions?
Every time I look at my pay stubs I look at the taxes and realize I can buy a plane ticket for anywhere in the world with that money...then I get sad.
I stopped looking at my tax deductions years ago because because it was depressing me as well, I suggest you have a sit down with a financial planner and talk to them about your short and long term goals, I did that a few years ago and its definitely worth it.
(05-25-2014 03:29 AM)Tresdus Wrote:
(05-24-2014 08:45 PM)scotian Wrote: Another project that is coming along is the North West Upgrading facility being built in Redwater, about 40 minutes north of Edmonton, as far as I can gather from the website, the civil work is done so the steel, piping etc should be moving up there soon. The guys working at the Edmonton fab shops would know this better than myself, but you can expect that to be picking up later this year, check out the company's latest update here.
Yup. My company is just getting everyone drug tested to get out there. Shouldn't be to long until work actually starts.
Nice, if you get out there let me know who the contractors are, big jobs close to Edmonton like that don't come around too often, the last one I worked was the Shell Scotford expansion back in 09'. We were working 5 tens M-F with some OT on the weekend, it was great, making decent money and being home every night, I wouldn't mind doing that again.
(05-25-2014 08:05 AM)Temm Wrote:
(05-24-2014 12:42 PM)komatiite Wrote: Also, I am in Lloydminster for the foreseeable future... Never been here before so if anyone has, tell me what there is to do for fun around here! Gone out fishing and golfing but what about evening activities?
Stay away from the Saskatchewan side and you should be golden. Seriously, I have no idea. I've only stopped around there a few times to get gas.
I spent a week in Lloyd working at the Husky refinery, there's a couple of bars and one or two clubs in town but overall the town sucks, it is decent for work though as that entire area is busy but its a pretty lame town as far as the nightlife goes, I mostly just drank at BPs there.
So, I鈥檝e been back in Fort McMurray for over three weeks now and have been working every day since the day after I arrived. I was supposed to work for two weeks but of course, a piece of equipment broke and the job has been delayed for another week, which is all good as I鈥檓 here to make money and as I mentioned before, I鈥檓 making a killing on this gig. It鈥檚 one of the reasons why I like working up here so much, the pay cheques can be huge with the big hours and LOA, I鈥檓 making double what I was making in Saskatchewan last year where I was only getting 10s and half LOA. Anyway, it鈥檚 good to be back but as I mentioned in my previous post, I don鈥檛 think that working in Fort McMurray and jumping right into the oil sands is the best game plan for a new guy.
Of course, as with all of my advice I鈥檝e given, it鈥檚 totally up to you what you decide to do but I鈥檝e been at this long enough to have a good idea of what I鈥檓 talking about and I鈥檝e been through it all before, except I didn鈥檛 have anyone giving me any guidance and many times, I learned the hard way. I鈥檒l break it down for you guys why I think newbies are better off looking for work down south and getting some experience before heading up highway 63, it boils down to a few things:
Cost of living, Oil Sands Safety, Skill set/experience, Connections:
Cost of Living: It鈥檚 no secret that the cost of living is pretty high up here, I鈥檓 paying $1000/month just to rent a room in a house, groceries are more expensive and you鈥檒l also pay more to eat out at restaurants. If you鈥檙e not making the big oil sands money and especially if you don鈥檛 have much savings built up, you could find yourself going broke pretty quick up here. Of course there鈥檚 camp jobs where your costs will be nil but as I鈥檓 sure you all know now, getting into a camp job if you鈥檙e unskilled is easier said than done.
Oil Sands Safety: I can鈥檛 overstate this one any more than I already have but safety is fucking huge up here and if you break the safety rules, you could find yourself run off site (in some cases permanently banned) or worse, injured or even dead. If you鈥檙e new in your trade and you get on at an oil sands site, you鈥檙e going to have a lot on your plate; not only will you be learning about the new aspects of your particular trade, you鈥檙e going to have to learn all about staying safe on-site. The orientations alone can be enough to make a guy鈥檚 brain explode, I did five days of it before I stepped onto the job I鈥檓 currently working. Here鈥檚 a few of the different orientations you鈥檒l go through if you do get on:
General site orientation: Basically an overview of the particular site鈥檚 operations at that location, where it is, where different parts of the plant are located, company history, values, etc. Pretty straight forward stuff.
Permit Training: Basically you can鈥檛 do anything on these sites without permission and these orientations can run anywhere from 4-8 hours as its very serious stuff. As an example, I fill out two permits per day: one to drive into the mine and then another one to work on the mine equipment. Permit issuers are known to be some of the biggest dickheads on site, it鈥檚 basically their job to bust guy鈥檚 balls all day long. Depending on where you鈥檙e working, you could be pulling multiple permits every day. If you are ever caught working without a permit, you will be escorted to the gate by security and you鈥檒l never work on that site again. Permits are serious business and in the event of an accident or injury, they stand up in court as legal documents, so make sure that you know what the fuck you鈥檙e talking about when you sign onto one. If you want to see an example of how a bad permit system can cause havoc and tragedy, just watch a video of the Piper Alpha incident on You tube.
Lock Out/Tag Out: This is a system in which a piece of equipment, usually electrically charged, is shut off and a box with a bunch of holes is placed on it to ensure it isn鈥檛 put into operation while people are working on it. Each worker places his own lock with ID tag into a hole on the box and removes it once he finishes his job, if he forgets, it鈥檚 a big deal and he either has to go back to site (from camp or town, wherever) or the company has to fill out a form to allow the lock to be cut, a huge pain in the ass and a big deal, you鈥檒l get your pee-pee slapped for that one. If you work on a piece of equipment without locking out, you鈥檒l be escorted to the gate by security and never work there again.
Radiation Awareness: To ensure workers are aware of gauges in plants that use radioactive sources to monitor piping, also the industrial radiographers who examine welds using isotopic sources as well at Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials (NORMS), which are all over the sites.
H2S and other gases: You鈥檒l usually have H2S training before you get hired on but most companies will do a spiel about it, as well as all of the other crazy gases and shit that can kill you on it: chemical leaks, silica, etc. You鈥檒l also learn how to wear and operate an H2S badge alarm and how to bump test them by using a can of gas to see if the alarm goes off. Forget to wear your alarm and a safety dickhead catches you, you could be in trouble, or even worse, you forget to wear it and you walk into an H2S leak and you鈥檙e dead.
Driving: Chances are that you鈥檒l be expected to drive, maybe not at the beginning if you鈥檙e new, but if your journeyman has a DUI (a common occurrence up here!) or something then you鈥檒l be behind the wheel. Driving on site can be hectic at times as there鈥檚 always big trucks on the roads, as well as cranes carrying loads, zoom booms, man lifts, etc. If you end up working in a mine like me, you鈥檒l have to do mine safety training and be shown videos of pickup trucks being flattened by the big huge monsters. And you won鈥檛 be driving a nice comfortable little sedan, you鈥檒l likely be driving a 戮 tonne Ford F-250 or something like that, if you back that sucker up and hit something, you鈥檒l be in trouble and hopefully able to pass a piss test on the spot. Even worse than driving on site is driving to site sometimes, as you know, the winters can be treacherous with ice and snow all over the place, just ask Atlantic how much fun he had the first time he drove his beater truck down a logging road to get to a job with huge semis loaded up with logs who will run you off the road into the ditch then you have to call in to get pulled out.
Wild life: As you guys all know, these sites are located in the bush and the critters often come onto them, as one worker recently learned in a tragedy where she was mauled to death by a bear at Suncor a couple of weeks ago. She came out from a portable washroom on site and the bear attacked her in front of several co-workers, who tried their best to beat the beast off with shovels, fire extinguishers and the fire department even came out with a truck and blasted it with a high powered hose, the bastard kept attacking her for over an hour, poor girl.
Working at Heights: Depending on your trade and what job you end up doing, you鈥檒l have to take harness training and will be expected to work at heights, I do it all the time, sometimes I鈥檒l have to work on a big huge oil tank and go up 20 meters or so in a JLG man lift, it can be a bit unnerving, especially when the winds are strong.
Confined Space: You鈥檒l definitely get stuck in some shitty little confined spaces, it鈥檚 not a big deal but there鈥檚 potential for bad things to happen: gas leaks, equipment failures, etc. The worst I鈥檝e experienced was when I was working inside a tank that had an air hose sucking air out between the two tank courses (layers of metal, like a soup can inside of a soup can) when one of the courses buckled and the metal basically sucked in, kind of like crunching a beer can with your hand, it was an ungodly noise and I didn鈥檛 know what the fuck happened, I just got out of the hole as quickly as I could and that was it for me that day until it was safed out.
So, that鈥檚 it for safety for now, I鈥檓 not trying to scare any of you guys but as you鈥檝e read on here before and probably have seen in the news from time to time, people die on these job sites all of the time, sometimes its freak accidents like the bear story but a lot of the times incidents were preventable and were caused due to complacency or guys not following the rules and procedures set in place to ensure worker safety. My main point is that if you鈥檙e new to industrial work, you鈥檒l have a lot to worry about besides the normal duties and functions of your particular trade and it can be quite overwhelming at times. I鈥檓 glad that I spent a couple of years working in a safe, easy going environment down south and was competent in my trade before I started working up north. I鈥檝e still had some close calls and learn new things almost every day, I鈥檝e also seen and heard from guys who鈥檝e been injured on site and it fucking sucks.
Skillset/Experience: Again, depending on your trade, the oil sands aren鈥檛 always the best place to gain experience and develop your skills if you鈥檙e new. There鈥檚 a few reasons for this but probably the biggest one is that the Fort McMurray offices of most contractors aren鈥檛 their main offices, which are usually located in Calgary or Edmonton, they鈥檙e smaller satellite offices. For example, my company; it鈥檚 a big international company and the head office is in Houston and they have offices all over the world from Nigeria to Norway to Indonesia. Their Edmonton office is the Western Canada headquarters and employs about 200 field guys there for various projects from Manitoba to BC, the Fort McMurray office only has twelve guys in it to service the contracts that they have in the oil sands. Therefore, for a new trainee, he鈥檚 better off applying to the Edmonton office and getting work in the city at local welding shops or on field projects out of town, I鈥檇 say that they probably have about twenty trainees without tickets working for them now, our Fort McMurray office has only one trainee.
Also, a lot of the work that takes place in Edmonton, in the metal trades (welder, pipefitter, boilermaker, etc) happens at welding shops and mod yard assembly areas in industrial parks like Nisku and Sherwood Park. This is where they fabricate large metal structures such as vessels and piping systems which they then build onto mods and have trucked up to Fort McMurray, so there鈥檚 lots of work there. These are great places to work as you鈥檒l be exposed to a lot of different things in a safe environment (no gases or shit blowing up), plus a lot of the work is inside which is nice in the winter. Employers prefer this too as they can train their guys up in a safe, high paced place to hone their skills, also, a lot of the schools and training centres are located down south, so you can do your exams and tickets there as well.
Connections: Trust me, nepotism is rife in the oil sands, it seems like 99% of guys got on through a brother, parent, uncle or cousin, especially the guys who come onto these sites without skills, someone got them in. This happens especially when it鈥檚 not super busy, as it is now, when it鈥檚 really busy then obviously a guy stands a better chance to get on without connections. The best way to get around this would be to get the tickets and experience necessary to get a job without connections, where a company will take you on based on merit alone. You could always try applying to these companies and who knows you may luck out but as I鈥檝e mentioned on here before, it seems like Fort McMurray is run along tribal lines where the Newfies and Maritimers hire their own kind, as do the Filipinos and East Africans who all run their own rackets up here and hire friends and family. So that鈥檚 about it, I don鈥檛 want to dissuade anyone from working up in the Fort McMurray area as it can be a great place to work, especially if you鈥檙e after the big pay cheques, if you think that you can handle it and want to jump right into it, then good luck, people do it all the time so it鈥檚 not the craziest idea in the world. I just wanted to inform guys of some of the considerations that they have to make if they plan on trying to get a job on site. As I mentioned, if you鈥檙e new, not only will you be focusing on learning the ropes in your new trade, you鈥檙e going to be stressed out and worrying about not fucking up on site and entering an area without a permit, having an arm ripped off by rotating equipment, having your nuts pinched off while strapped in a harness dangling 20 meters in the air, or getting eaten by a fucking bear!
(05-24-2014 08:05 PM)donnie514 Wrote: Anyone know anyway to get around paying all those taxes on your pay cheques other than maxing RSP's contributions?
Every time I look at my pay stubs I look at the taxes and realize I can buy a plane ticket for anywhere in the world with that money...then I get sad.
There's a guy at our company that somehow pays 0% tax. He gives's a charity 10k and then he get's 20k back, or something like that. I haven't fully understood it yet. It sounds sketchy as fuck though.
(05-24-2014 08:05 PM)donnie514 Wrote: Anyone know anyway to get around paying all those taxes on your pay cheques other than maxing RSP's contributions?
Every time I look at my pay stubs I look at the taxes and realize I can buy a plane ticket for anywhere in the world with that money...then I get sad.
There's a guy at our company that somehow pays 0% tax. He gives's a charity 10k and then he get's 20k back, or something like that. I haven't fully understood it yet. It sounds sketchy as fuck though.
Charity contributions can be saved up for a few years (4 I think), so he is probably using up all of his charitable deductions this year. I would be shocked if he can manage a 0% rate year in year out. If he does, let us know his secret.
I'll just add a few things that I picked up to scotians post.
Yes, safety is #1. Everytime you step on site you have to do a test on their orientation. You'd be really dumb if you fail that.
Driving. I told my partner that I'll only drive the truck on the highway. We got big GMCs with a toolbox in the back so you can't see what's behind you and I just can't do that.
Confined Space. If you are claustrophobic do research about your job. I've been in a 15 inch pipe and I literally had to be pulled out by my legs because I couldn't move myself.
Connections. Yep, if you know someone, you're 90% in. Pretty much my whole company has been friends since a long time.
@Big Country That guy is off work at the moment, I'll talk to him when he gets back.
Questions for the fellow Germans and Irishmen who have made it to Alberta. And to all other EU citizens who also don't need a Canadian visa.
- Did you get a "working holiday visa"or did you get a " 4 year work permit"?
- If you applied for a "work permit", how did you solve the question and details about your employer? As far as I know, none of you had a job ready in advance?
- What exactly is this "working visa" people are mentioning here? At the Visa application centre in London which serves most EU countries, such a thing as "working visa" does not exist.
I'm digging and doing a bit of detective work here since it seems to be a lot of confusion about this.
Hats off to anybody who can answer these questions.
Im irish.going to edmonton on thursday and i have a 2 year working holiday visa,have a friend over there working in HVAC/sheet metal work fabrication,going to get into that,then wel see what happens.
Thanks scotian,I wouldnt have made the move other wise!
(05-27-2014 07:06 AM)Screwston Wrote: Scotian, any idea why American members are so insistent on trying to do oil work in Canada instead of here where the boom is pretty wild?
Probably because of the bigger money, it certainly isn't for the good weather!
Hey guys, just wondering does anyone have any ideas on what I can do. I am approaching the end of my of my IEC visa and desperately want to stay on. I have worked on the rigs for 8 months but there does not seem to be any LMO options for floorhands (which is ridiculous, if I served coffee at Tim's I could get one easily). Just wondering has anyone been in the same position or know of any options available to me. Worst case scenario is the flight back home and wait to reapply for another IEC... Thanks
Hey, how's Llyodminster as a city to live in? Any options for nightlife, clubs, bars etc? I might get posted there so any tips about that town is appreciated.
(05-24-2014 12:42 PM)komatiite Wrote: Also, I am in Lloydminster for the foreseeable future... Never been here before so if anyone has, tell me what there is to do for fun around here! Gone out fishing and golfing but what about evening activities?