Thanks for clarifying. So regarding drilling/MWD/future jobs: You don't seem to be working as a professional engineer...how does that play out in the interviewing process for you? Aren't people questioning why an engineer is applying for a leasehand job? and how did you address those questions?

I ask because I am a newly graduated engineer myself. But almost all of the official "engineering" jobs I find available are standard 40 hour work weeks or at most 10 on 10 off (at Kearl).
I'm thinking seriously about abandoning the geotech engineer path I'm following to pursue MWD/directional drilling where I could work my ass off for weeks at a time and then fuck off for a month to South America etc. With a professional job they always want you around the office every day... Plus the money is better since you have the opportunity to work a lot more hours.

The way I see work is that once you start working for the day, that day is pretty much shot whether you worked 6 or 12 hours. I'd much rather work 12 hour days and have more time off than work a standard 8 hour office day where you still come home tired and don't want to do anything for yourself.

(12-16-2012 11:13 PM)christpuncher Wrote:  Thanks for clarifying. So regarding drilling/MWD/future jobs: You don't seem to be working as a professional engineer...how does that play out in the interviewing process for you? Aren't people questioning why an engineer is applying for a leasehand job? and how did you address those questions?

I ask because I am a newly graduated engineer myself. But almost all of the official "engineering" jobs I find available are standard 40 hour work weeks or at most 10 on 10 off (at Kearl).
I'm thinking seriously about abandoning the geotech engineer path I'm following to pursue MWD/directional drilling where I could work my ass off for weeks at a time and then fuck off for a month to South America etc. With a professional job they always want you around the office every day... Plus the money is better since you have the opportunity to work a lot more hours.

The way I see work is that once you start working for the day, that day is pretty much shot whether you worked 6 or 12 hours. I'd much rather work 12 hour days and have more time off than work a standard 8 hour office day where you still come home tired and don't want to do anything for yourself.

With your engineering degree, you're sitting pretty no matter how you look at it. You could go ahead and work a few years in the patch doing rig work or whatever but since you have the degree, you'll have the option of taking a cushy office job later on, if you want it.

I think you're right that most engineering firms don't want their guys fucking off to travel for months at a time and those guys usually are around the office when they're not in the field.

I think combining the two, field experience and travelling when you're younger, then transitioning into a more "normal" 40 hour work week and the lifestlye that comes with it when you're older. That's what I'm looking at doing, eventually.

(12-16-2012 11:13 PM)christpuncher Wrote:  So regarding drilling/MWD/future jobs: You don't seem to be working as a professional engineer...how does that play out in the interviewing process for you? Aren't people questioning why an engineer is applying for a leasehand job? and how did you address those questions?

Alright so leasehanding and being an MWD are of course very different things. One is like being a baggage handler and the other an assistant pilot. No offense to anyone.

I didn't really do an interview for my leasehand position. I filled out a form online and sent in a resume. When they called me it was to come in and do orientation. I was already in.
No one mentioned my degree or asked any questions about it. It was on the resume of course but that's about it. No one else on my rig had a degree and I never said I had one. Not a smart idea to mention that haha. My rigging crew just thought I was some farmer from Ireland looking to make sure cash haha.

A good link for what they look for is:

http://www.savannaenergy.com/docs/drilling.pdf

or

http://www.toughnecks.com/



Now for MWD they are looking for a technical aptitude. Maths, physics, engineering, science, chemistry etc. Also add in office skills like computers, spreadsheets, reports and so on. Here my degree helps big time. But so would anything else that shows you are suitable for the job.

MWDing is actually a kind of well kept secret. A lot of people on the rig have no idea what we do or have not even ever heard of the job. When I first landed I rang a few drilling companies to ask about positions and they thought I was messing about 'MWDing', none of them had heard of it. Sometimes it has different names too. I seen some safety sheet the other day and I was down as a drilling engineer and on another I was down as a directional driller. It is a nice little niche position. Lots of people do it for 15 years and never try move up. The effort-pay ratio is easily the best on the whole rig.

Remember that although these jobs are both rig based they are very different. They are nearly always different companies. They don't talk or even see each other that much. The company I am with only have MWD and Directional Drillers. I have not talked to or seen any of the drilling crew in 3 days. Well I see them out the window moving pipe around. In fact now that I think of it I have not really been outside more than 2 minutes at a time in 3 days. Jesus.

Scotian- do you have any plans to move into management or start any other businesses on the side in the years to come.

'Scotians South America Party Tour' for example haha

(12-16-2012 11:45 AM)salmonfella Wrote:  Hey guys trying to find out some information on the position of a floor-hand on a service rig

http://www.savannaenergy.com/docs/well_service.pdf

That should help some more.

(12-17-2012 12:59 AM)Irishman Wrote:  

(12-16-2012 11:45 AM)salmonfella Wrote:  Hey guys trying to find out some information on the position of a floor-hand on a service rig

http://www.savannaenergy.com/docs/well_service.pdf

That should help some more.

Thanks Irishman its actually with an Irish agency company i nearly fall off the chair when i saw the job advertised they have offices in Dublin and Calgary there looking to take on 10 floor hands ..they just phoned me now wanting a detailed CV i kind of talked the talk as i would be well able to do that but dreading making this CV.. they want a detailed technical description of all the work thankfully i worked in a bord na mona power station in Ireland so as an apprentice electrician so this might help i really want to get this job i no the 27 dollars an hour might be below the wage of a oil rig woker but still 27 an hour is better then being in the 188 club.:/...thanks for all the help i am gonna spend the next few hours making a solid CV. Thanks for all your help Bro

(12-17-2012 12:40 AM)Irishman Wrote:  Scotian- do you have any plans to move into management or start any other businesses on the side in the years to come.

'Scotians South America Party Tour' for example haha

Not quite sure man, still planning on heading to Australia in February or March to look for work. I figure I'll keep working in the field as I have been for the next five years or so, which will include plenty of time of to travel and also getting more tickets and work experience.

I know for sure that when I'm 40 I don't want to doing this shit anymore, crawling inside vessels and boilers and working at heights, I'd like to be in an office by then. I'm also thinking about going expat but I'd have to upgrade my skills for that and go back to school.

One option is to go back to school for a two year diploma in something like mechanical, materials or welding engineering technology (CET designation programs offered at SAIT and NAIT), or maybe business school to get my MBA, we'll see what happens.

(12-17-2012 12:38 AM)Irishman Wrote:  Now for MWD they are looking for a technical aptitude. Maths, physics, engineering, science, chemistry etc. Also add in office skills like computers, spreadsheets, reports and so on. Here my degree helps big time. But so would anything else that shows you are suitable for the job.

How much maths and physics do you need for MWD? Is it hard to learn or could you teach yourself all that stuff?

(12-17-2012 12:38 AM)Irishman Wrote:  

(12-16-2012 11:13 PM)christpuncher Wrote:  So regarding drilling/MWD/future jobs: You don't seem to be working as a professional engineer...how does that play out in the interviewing process for you? Aren't people questioning why an engineer is applying for a leasehand job? and how did you address those questions?

Alright so leasehanding and being an MWD are of course very different things. One is like being a baggage handler and the other an assistant pilot. No offense to anyone.

I didn't really do an interview for my leasehand position. I filled out a form online and sent in a resume. When they called me it was to come in and do orientation. I was already in.
No one mentioned my degree or asked any questions about it. It was on the resume of course but that's about it. No one else on my rig had a degree and I never said I had one. Not a smart idea to mention that haha. My rigging crew just thought I was some farmer from Ireland looking to make sure cash haha.

A good link for what they look for is:

http://www.savannaenergy.com/docs/drilling.pdf

or

http://www.toughnecks.com/



Now for MWD they are looking for a technical aptitude. Maths, physics, engineering, science, chemistry etc. Also add in office skills like computers, spreadsheets, reports and so on. Here my degree helps big time. But so would anything else that shows you are suitable for the job.

MWDing is actually a kind of well kept secret. A lot of people on the rig have no idea what we do or have not even ever heard of the job. When I first landed I rang a few drilling companies to ask about positions and they thought I was messing about 'MWDing', none of them had heard of it. Sometimes it has different names too. I seen some safety sheet the other day and I was down as a drilling engineer and on another I was down as a directional driller. It is a nice little niche position. Lots of people do it for 15 years and never try move up. The effort-pay ratio is easily the best on the whole rig.

Remember that although these jobs are both rig based they are very different. They are nearly always different companies. They don't talk or even see each other that much. The company I am with only have MWD and Directional Drillers. I have not talked to or seen any of the drilling crew in 3 days. Well I see them out the window moving pipe around. In fact now that I think of it I have not really been outside more than 2 minutes at a time in 3 days. Jesus.

Irishman im not understanding one thing here.

How did you move from a leasehand to MWD so quick? Did you just move into a new company? And you havent said anything about working as a leasehand. How was it? Was this really tough as people were saying it is?

Sounds like MWD is a somewhat entry level position on the technical side of things (as opposed to the labour side) that you can jump into with a technical degree or the right credentials.

From there, you can branch into the technical side of things and get into directional drilling, become an independent contractor, and charge out $300/hour to projects that you may pick and choose from around the globe.

Alternatively, you can branch towards the management side, become a rig manager making $100+/hour. Then step into a contracts/sales position with a huge salary, where you'll have to opportunity to win additional cash and prizes on the order of hundreds of thousands for making the "correct" decision regarding who to give contracts to...

Did I get that mostly right, Irishman? haha

(12-17-2012 09:15 AM)pitt Wrote:  Irishman im not understanding one thing here.

How did you move from a leasehand to MWD so quick? Did you just move into a new company? And you havent said anything about working as a leasehand. How was it? Was this really tough as people were saying it is?

Alright so I will do the timeline of what happened. I got hired as a leasehand. I didn't have a truck so I waited for a fly in- fly out camp job. Several weeks later I was still waiting so went out an got my licience sorted and bought a truck. I told the drilling company I had got the truck and they then said they would send me up in the following days.

While all this had been going on I had been applying for MWD positions online. Right after I got the truck but before I actually left to work as a leasehand I got a call from an MWD company (not saying who) to come in for an interview. I went in and got the job. They actually wanted me to actually start straight away. I explained that I had already commited to go work as a leasehand but that when I was back from that first rotation I would switch companies and work for them.

I did that for a few reasons. One I wanted the experience of working as a leasehand and knowing that I could do it. I also knew that I would get paid a lot faster from my leasehand rotation so it would be a nice cash influx while I was waiting to get paid as an MWD. Finally I wanted to show the MWD company that I am a loyal person and that when I commit to a company I won't just drop them at a minutes notice to work for someone esle. They were impressed by this and also that I would work as a leasehand in the first place. Got a nice bit of respect for that and it has also helped me a lot to get that week of experience.

So to completely clarify: it is two different companies that have nothing got to do with each other. I didn't have to work as a leasehand I could have just rang them up and told them I wasn't going to do it. I am glad I did it though for the reasons stated above.


Ill post up about my week as a leasehand later

Hi Scotian, I read through the thread and I have some questions for you.

Some background.

-I will have a degree in Kinesiology in 5 months. (Probably worthless there.)
-I'm completely unskilled as far as blue collar work.

You mentioned some 4-12 week classes in your original post. Could you elaborate a little more on what kind of jobs you can get with those type of classes, and what kind of certification I should be trying to get? I'm VERY serious about getting up there, working hard and getting paid. There are just so many job titles and listings, I don't even know where to begin.

Also, would it be realistic for a new person to make $65K in their first year there? I really appreciate this thread and your advice as I continue doing my own research. There aren't a lot of places on the internet that have this much information from people with first hand experience.

(12-19-2012 02:02 AM)wisty Wrote:  Hi Scotian, I read through the thread and I have some questions for you.

Some background.

-I will have a degree in Kinesiology in 5 months. (Probably worthless there.)
-I'm completely unskilled as far as blue collar work.

You mentioned some 4-12 week classes in your original post. Could you elaborate a little more on what kind of jobs you can get with those type of classes, and what kind of certification I should be trying to get? I'm VERY serious about getting up there, working hard and getting paid. There are just so many job titles and listings, I don't even know where to begin.

Also, would it be realistic for a new person to make $65K in their first year there? I really appreciate this thread and your advice as I continue doing my own research. There aren't a lot of places on the internet that have this much information from people with first hand experience.

Most important question is, ARE YOU CANADIAN?

You kinesiology degree will be pretty much useless unless you want to work for one of the camps as a personal trainer or recreation manager, not the best money but you'd be using your degree and the job would be very easy, and inside.

Now about the trades, you'll have to decide on your own, there's many options. You could always come out and work for a bit on site as a labourer or some kind of helper to get your feet wet and decide from there. re-read the thread, search some videos on youtube, etc.

I made over $60K my first year fresh out of school working 40-50 hours/week, home every night in Calgary, I also had about 6 weeks of vacation that year so ya, $60K is doable, especially farther up north.

(12-19-2012 02:35 AM)scotian Wrote:  

(12-19-2012 02:02 AM)wisty Wrote:  Hi Scotian, I read through the thread and I have some questions for you.

Some background.

-I will have a degree in Kinesiology in 5 months. (Probably worthless there.)
-I'm completely unskilled as far as blue collar work.

You mentioned some 4-12 week classes in your original post. Could you elaborate a little more on what kind of jobs you can get with those type of classes, and what kind of certification I should be trying to get? I'm VERY serious about getting up there, working hard and getting paid. There are just so many job titles and listings, I don't even know where to begin.

Also, would it be realistic for a new person to make $65K in their first year there? I really appreciate this thread and your advice as I continue doing my own research. There aren't a lot of places on the internet that have this much information from people with first hand experience.

Most important question is, ARE YOU CANADIAN?

You kinesiology degree will be pretty much useless unless you want to work for one of the camps as a personal trainer or recreation manager, not the best money but you'd be using your degree and the job would be very easy, and inside.

Now about the trades, you'll have to decide on your own, there's many options. You could always come out and work for a bit on site as a labourer or some kind of helper to get your feet wet and decide from there. re-read the thread, search some videos on youtube, etc.

I made over $60K my first year fresh out of school working 40-50 hours/week, home every night in Calgary, I also had about 6 weeks of vacation that year so ya, $60K is doable, especially farther up north.

I'm American. :/ As I've seen in parts of the thread, this makes things more difficult since I currently have no skills. I was hoping a 3 month certification of some sort would make me desirable to at least one company up there.

I'll go back over the thread and keep doing research. One way or another I'll make it happen.

Americans head to ND. Canadians head to AB. No big difference...

Just writing to introduce myself and to say a huge thanks for all the awesome info on this thread. John Mack here from Ireland. I came across this forum and thread while searching for information on Alberta and the sands. Boy was i happy when i found it. It took about 3 weeks to read it all, a little every night, but it's a great source for anyone looking to make the move. So much useful data and good advice.

Luckily I got a job offer back in November to go to Calgary on a temporary foreign worker visa as a carpenter but I was still undecided on whether to go or not. The construction industry in Ireland has literally ground to a halt over the last 3 years. It's really bad here. Deader than a toad with a brick up its arse as they say. It was booming for years but not anymore unfortunately.

Am doing as much research as i can at the moment in preparation for the move. So much stuff to sort out; police certs, visa forms etc etc. Am getting there slowly though and fingers crossed will be in Canada in the Spring.
By the way if anyone from Ireland, U.K. etc is reading this and looking for any info, would be delighted to help if I can. (with what little i know so far) Just drop me a pm. It all seemed very complicated at first but it gets easier as you go along and there are some great Canadian government websites explaining the process clearly.

I've actually done camp type work before in Australia and mainland Europe so I know what to expect if I do end up going north. Camp life is definitely a unique experience. A bit scary at first but not so hard as it seems once you get used to it. I've met some characters I can tell you. All sorts of people on those jobs. But some of the friends you make there are for life. When you're stuck in the middle of nowhere for weeks on end working your bollocks off together, you get to form great friendships along the way. Probably like the army a bit maybe.
So yeah I wasn't sure what the situation was in Canada. I knew a little about the oil sands but not much. Pretty much all I'd heard about northern Alberta was that it's colder than a husky's tits pullin' nine suckin' pups up a hill with a fully-laden trap in the dead of winter with a mouth full of porcupine quills. So this thread has been so great for someone like me who didn't know much about it and was searching for good info. It convinced me to make the move!

I've written to one or two of you already to say a personal thankyou. Hopefully we'll get to meet for a beers in the near future. Peace out.

John Mack

Same here John Mack, been reading here for awhile. I'm from the US, & I'm a Union Ironworker by trade. Been doing some research about going north to work, have gotten a passport, had a background check, even filled out past employment forms & sent my resume. Haven't heard anything yet but fingers are crossed for some luck.

Awesome to see new guys planning their move to AB! Welcome John and twitty! Read and re-read and even print the good stuff and take them with you, read them always to motivate and inspire you. In less than 2 weeks, I'm starting my 1 week pre-employment course here before returning to AB to make it happen this time around. I'm pumped and can't wait to get the ball rolling and start cashing in.

Happy new years everyone! May 2013 be the BEST year to date, a year that will DWARF 2012 and every year prior to that! Let's get rolling guys!!!!

Twitty,

You should be able to contact Local 720 and dig something up. Lots of opportunity--especially if you are already a journeyman.

Some of the steel companies I've worked with are A&H, Sherwood steel, and Harris steel and I'm know at least one of them is looking.

Albertaworkers.com is where I first found out about all this work. I've gone through all of the processes listed but still haven't heard anything. I am a journeyman with over 16 years of experience, although I haven't worked out in the field for about 2 years.

Quick update about my situation: Spoke with my cousin's husband (let's call him Joe) at our family Christmas party, just got married last month. He's an Irishman from Newfoundland and his whole family is pretty much in Fort Mac. He said he did a 1 year stint there but said the work wasn't for him, more of a white collar guy. His brother and sister have been up there since the mid-80's and pretty much has it made there. Owns a scaffolding company. His family moved there one by one and they're all making big bucks there and owns a lot of property.

Long story short, I told him about how I'm moving to Edmonton, using scotian's blueprint. He immediately shoots down the blueprint and says "No, you're not doing that. I'm gonna have you move in with my sister in Fort Mac and I'll be sure to talk to them to get a job for you." I told him how I'm very grateful that he would consider doing that for me. However, I've also had many experiences where people have burned me, or talked a big game about providing this or that, but never followed through. So when it comes to people telling me that stuff, I take it with a grain of salt. I continue on with planning as though I've never heard that offer.

I get a call a few days ago from Joe. Says he talked to his sister and brother, and they've agreed to let me stay in their basement for a few months while I get on my feet, show me around town, get all my admin stuff taken care of. They would also have a job lined up for me when I get there. He asks, "So I know you're trying to be an electrician, but to start off, what do you wanna do? Scaffolding? Heavy machinery? Drilling? What?" I told him that I'll take anything at this point. He responds, "Well scaffolding makes a ton of money, so I'll see if I can get you started there." His nephew is a foreman at one of those sites so I may end up working under him.

So now he wants me to send a resume, get my safety tickets, and send that stuff to him. Says that 'we need to get the ball rolling' because it takes about a month to get word through their contacts in the industry and to make sure the paperwork and the job is lined up by the time I get there.

As happy as I am about this, I'm still being very cautious about relying on such options. Like I said, I've been burned before, obviously it's never a good experience. Only until it actually follows through, will I be happy about it. Otherwise, I'm taking it with... 2 grains of salt now.

Anyway, just an update. I'll let you guys know what the news is once it comes closer to Feb. Hopefully the guys that talked about heading over there in Feb or the guys that have just discovered this thread will actually follow through. Definitely wanna meet the guys that are already there.

Happy New Years!

Money sounds awesome out there.
I'm 18 just out of highschool looking for camp job in a nice camp.
anyone know which companies have nice camps?
also what would be a good trade to get into out there?

(01-02-2013 01:24 PM)Jay_Bird Wrote:  Money sounds awesome out there.
I'm 18 just out of highschool looking for camp job in a nice camp.
anyone know which companies have nice camps?
also what would be a good trade to get into out there?

It's not the company, it's the area you are in.

For trades, almost any trade is in demand. Heavy Duty Mechanic/Technician is one of the best paying ones. Pipefitting, Welding, Scaffolding all are in demand.

There is lots of good information in the thread, so if I were you I would reread from the beginning. Lots of stuff that will help you avoid some mistakes and help you pick the best option for you.

I looked into north Dakota, doesn't seem the same. Labor jobs starting at 12/ h...anyone move there or researching it?


Nm info is around page 6

I'm finishing school in June, should I wait till winter to move to Canada or go straight there?