(09-10-2013 04:59 PM)shanehsmp Wrote:  Found this site with a good list of service Rig companies and their contact information/websites.

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

Service rig contractors see hundreds of resumes!
What will make your application stand out?

a class 5 driver's licence with air brake endorsement
a class 3 driver's licence
experience showing you are comfortable working outdoors in all weather conditions.
experience working with heavy equipment.
experience in a labour-intensive line of work (ie. construction)
experience working in a team environment

man you guys are getting confused with terminologies and different areas of the oil patch. If you want to understand the industry more suggest you pickup a book that outlines the structure of the oil industry, check this site out: http://www.petrostrategies.org/Learning_...ibrary.htm

fort mac =/= drilling

Drilling jobs are mostly around alberta in cities like red deer where holes can be drilled for crude oil or natural gas that can eventually be turned into operations. After the wells have been drilled and if there's a good amount of reserves they get hooked up to pumpjacks and/or storage tanks or linked to pipelines that go into plants. A lot of it is natural gas that's piped up into huge refineries and chemical plants around the major cities in Alberta of Red Deer, Edmonton, and Calgary.

Fort MacMurray is the staging grounds and in the center of the athabasca oilsands where bitumen is originally surface mined, there's no drilling; they get giant excavators to dig out thousands of tons of dirt. It's then brought to upgraders and refineries where it's processed into Western Canada Select (WCS). This is where a lot of the good jobs are, because the sand NEEDS to be processed into heavy/light crude.

The main form of huge employment is from the energy service industry, the major ones have HQ in either edmonton or calgary which often have structured hiring programs. You can still get jobs through walk ins, but if you want an easier time you should drive to outlying towns like Edson, Red Deer, Wetwaskin, Grande Prairie, etc. Also you have to understand for hiring each Branch is DIFFERENT! Just because the Edmonton office isn't hiring doesn't mean the one in Edson or Calgary isn't.

People deciding on the move should read the thread on in it's entirety and NOT skim.

Also you better get your ass over here ASAP! if you want to catch the hiring bonanza before it ends in September if your looking for industrial work, it slows down but hiring will be strong. Hiring for industrial tradesmen working for refineries and oilsands operations is Big in Fall & Spring, whereas for drilling it starts going REALLY strong when the ground freezes around October.

I hope that clears things up about hiring seasons and the oil patch.

Help help help!!

Ok, here's the deal fellas. As i said, my pal works somewhere in Norwegian waters on a off shore platform as a chief electrician. Finally went out for a dinner with him last night. And here's the deal. He says there's great chance in hiring me for a basic positions (rostaabout, roughneck or whatever) but everyone is asking for at least minimum expirience, so therefore we made a conclusion that the best solution is to lie, i.e. to write bunch of bullshit in my CV. Now, he's not sure how we should manage that. How much should we lie? Are they checking every damn thing in CV? Should we lie that i also have all those safety, medical courses (it's difficult for me to travel from Croatia to Great Britain to get em if i'm still not sure will i get a job or not, and it's expensive as well). Please anyone who were in similiar situation, or knows anything about it, help and give a few hints!!

(09-12-2013 08:23 AM)Jourgensen Wrote:  Help help help!!

Ok, here's the deal fellas. As i said, my pal works somewhere in Norwegian waters on a off shore platform as a chief electrician. Finally went out for a dinner with him last night. And here's the deal. He says there's great chance in hiring me for a basic positions (rostaabout, roughneck or whatever) but everyone is asking for at least minimum expirience, so therefore we made a conclusion that the best solution is to lie, i.e. to write bunch of bullshit in my CV. Now, he's not sure how we should manage that. How much should we lie? Are they checking every damn thing in CV? Should we lie that i also have all those safety, medical courses (it's difficult for me to travel from Croatia to Great Britain to get em if i'm still not sure will i get a job or not, and it's expensive as well). Please anyone who were in similiar situation, or knows anything about it, help and give a few hints!!

They may ask you for your safety certificates. Just list two or free companies on your cv and list relevant experiences, i doubt they will check on that. Give the number of a good friend in case they decide to call you (use names of small companies, so you can't be easily tracked).

Do you know anything about the pay in Norway? Is it good as in Canada? How much would a roughneck earn there?

(09-12-2013 10:02 AM)pitt Wrote:  Give the number of a good friend in case they decide to call you (use names of small companies, so you can't be easily tracked).

Good catch, thanks. I'll propose him the same.

Quote:Do you know anything about the pay in Norway? Is it good as in Canada? How much would a roughneck earn there?

I think he mentioned something like 2.500 or 3.000 euros for starting positions, which is something like 4 or 4.500$ if i'm right. I think that's pretty good considering you're basically working only 14 days a month (it's 14/14 shift mostly).

I'm looking to dive in to this.

Currently studying full-time undergraduate program at a university in Ontario, but thinking of taking some time off to take a chance with this great opportunity.

What is the ideal plan of action? This is what I have so far:

- Fly over to Alberta (places like Calgary and/or Edmonton).
- Get a place to stay. Either hotel or something cheap until I get a job.
- Seek out companies such as CEDA and Clean Harbors and apply in person.
- Take Safety training courses such as H2S Alive, CSTS, First-Aid prior or during the process of trying to find a job.
- Find ideal oil sands job, or one that can sustain me until I do.

Naturally, given the fact I've never travelled out alone and never been under pressure to find a job like this, I am a bit nervous and unexperienced.

Also, how am I to construct a strong resume/cover letter when all I got in mind is my current studies information and past work experience (that consists of just part time restaurant gigs)?

I've been told that it is now hiring season, and I want to ensure I can set this into motion immediately. Looking to get as prepared and informed as possible.

Thanks in advance.

Capitao,
To answer your questions:

I'd say fly to Edmonton as Edmonton is more blue collar/trades while Calgary is more white collar and head offices of the companies in Alberta as a general rule.

Forget hotels unless you want to spend a lot of money. For starter, I'd recommend you stay initially at Hi Hostel a block from Whyte Ave, which is the happening part of Edmonton. However, keep in mind you can only stay at Hi-Hostel for a maximum of up to 2 weeks before they kick you out. So during that time, use your time to get your tickets done and to find yourself a place to stay. For options regarding places to stay, you can rent a room in a house for 5-600$/month or if you can find 1 or 2 other guys you get along with and trust, to get an apart together. Might be cheaper and a better deal.

Once you're there and you have your basic tickets (H2S Alive, First Aid, CSTS), then it's a matter of personally going to the shops and persisting till you get hired.

Regarding resumes, I'd recommend you keep it to as simple as possible as remember, this is blue collar territory, so companies/hiring personnel don't need nor want to see all the details of your job as they do in Ontario. So just put the name of the places you worked, the time frame and your title. Nothing more. Keep it simple and make it all in one single page.

Yeah spring (March-April) and Fall (Aug-Sept-Oct) is the hiring season for new guys. But if you are persistent, you can find jobs throughout the year save maybe the end of Dec as pretty much everything shuts down for the holidays season.

All in all, that's a bold and great move. I'm happy for you and I'm sure you'll be very glad you did it. Any other questions, post them in here and either myself or others on the ground will be more than happy to help.

All the best my friend!

Nascimento,

If you want to be as informed as possible, this thread is a goldmine of info. Absorb everything here.

That being said, your game plan is ideal and on the right path. We (RVF oil sands crew, as I believe we were labelled as) all ran the same plan, and we're all employed, settled, and on the path that this thread promises: success. Don't over-complicate your plan, because there isn't much complication to begin with. I agree that it is scary to make such a move since it is new territory for us East-Coaster's and those abroad. Keep in mind that when and if you get here, network ASAP and as often as you can, and physically hit up the shops/offices and ask for the owner/manager, with resume on hand. This greatly increases your chances of getting hired, no matter what is on your resume.

Also, you WILL encounter hiccups and obstacles. You cannot calculate every variable, no matter how informed you are. You learn the most when you're actually here, and learning from others face-to-face. Seeing as you're already a Canadian citizen, that's half the battle.

The hardest part of all this is making the move. Kinda like giving a speech or presentation. You get the jitters before you go up there in front of that crowd, psyching yourself out with 'what-if' scenarios, but once you do it, it really isn't so bad.

I have to sort out some details over the next couple days, and do some final thoughts before coming to a final decision.

If I were to book a flight in 1-2 weeks from now, say the 27th (friday, start looking for work on the monday) is that still a good time in terms of a high number of job openings? As mentioned it's hiring season from Aug-Oct, but I don't want to feel like I jumped in on this one too late.

I feel like I could do a week from now as well (say the 22nd) but it wouldn't be optimal as I still have some things to finish up here beforehand, including get prepared.

Also want to have time to not only take in 200% of this thread, but also other research. This is my first time ever travelling alone and going for it after all.

Although my motivation is high, the last thing I want is to get there, get settled, and not find a job after some grinding due to a lot of the openings having been taken up.

Hey guys... Just wanted to say I called out to Nisku yesterday and dropped into 3 drilling companies. Following the advice from here, I just talked and made sure they knew I was enthusiastic. Two said they would take me on in a few weeks as the season hasn't totally kicked off yet. The third company ( and one of the biggest) told me to attend for a drug/fitness test on Tuesday and expect a call Wednesday for orientation! While I was in the offices, the phones never stopped ringing with guys expecting to get hired over the phone. If you get yourself out here, it really is that easy!

I know scotian says lots of ex-cons work in the oilsands, but how hard is it to get a skilled trade position with a (hard) drug trafficking conviction? Assume the conviction is a couple years old and the person in question has served their time.

Would you have to jump through a bunch of hoops?
Or do they even do background checks on scaffolders/electricians/welders etc? Does it just depend on the company and the position?

(09-14-2013 04:17 PM)DLZ Wrote:  I know scotian says lots of ex-cons work in the oilsands, but how hard is it to get a skilled trade position with a (hard) drug trafficking conviction? Assume the conviction is a couple years old and the person in question has served their time.

Would you have to jump through a bunch of hoops?
Or do they even do background checks on scaffolders/electricians/welders etc? Does it just depend on the company and the position?

Most companies don't do background checks unless you're going into a supervisor position.

(09-14-2013 03:49 PM)celticman Wrote:  Hey guys... Just wanted to say I called out to Nisku yesterday and dropped into 3 drilling companies. Following the advice from here, I just talked and made sure they knew I was enthusiastic. Two said they would take me on in a few weeks as the season hasn't totally kicked off yet. The third company ( and one of the biggest) told me to attend for a drug/fitness test on Tuesday and expect a call Wednesday for orientation! While I was in the offices, the phones never stopped ringing with guys expecting to get hired over the phone. If you get yourself out here, it really is that easy!

Can you pm the company dude? I wanna call them too

(09-14-2013 04:17 PM)DLZ Wrote:  I know scotian says lots of ex-cons work in the oilsands, but how hard is it to get a skilled trade position with a (hard) drug trafficking conviction? Assume the conviction is a couple years old and the person in question has served their time.

Would you have to jump through a bunch of hoops?
Or do they even do background checks on scaffolders/electricians/welders etc? Does it just depend on the company and the position?

As long as you don't have any conditions such as not being allowed to leave your province, then you'll be okay, I've worked with tons of guys who have priors for selling crack, robbing banks, beating their old ladies and especially DUIs. If companies gave a shit about criminal records, no work would be done in the oil patch, I work with criminals every day.

Read this article, it'll blow your mind, from the article:

"Tales of employer desperation are many and varied these days, especially in the alternative reality of Alberta's labour market. But few cases illustrate the situation as well as that of Gary Reber, an amiable ex-con who now happily swings a hammer on a downtown Edmonton construction site. Two years ago, Reber was on the uphill side of a 6 1/2-year prison sentence -- the outcome of a disastrous, if uncharacteristic, 2003 altercation with a couple of police officers. A money manager with a few addiction problems, he had been partying hard with buddies in his hometown of Leduc, Alta., and when the RCMP pulled them over, he says, he "freaked." There was a melee, during which Reber overpowered the cop who was holding him. If that wasn't bad enough, he then hopped into the empty cruiser, threw it into gear and punched the gas. The car lurched forward, severely injuring one of the officers.

By the time he reached jail, Reber was a wreck: his wife had left him, he'd lost his kids, and his once-thriving career in the financial sector was over. "It was serious," he says solemnly, "and I deserved everything I got." But the modern economy is all about redemption, and Reber's arrived in the form of a unique initiative co-funded by an Edmonton construction company that could only have happened in a red-hot economy.

Under the program, prisoners housed at a federal institution near Red Deer would receive three months of training, while Clark Builders, a construction company desperate for workers on job sites across Western Canada, gets to recruit from what is, quite literally, a captive labour pool. It sounded like a long shot, but proof that Clark's gamble paid off now arrives for work each morning at the foot of a high-rise project on Edmonton's north side. After eight months on the job, Reber is supervising his own crew, training to become a crane rigger, and pulling down a respectable $18 an hour. "With overtime and everything else, I figure I'm making about $4,000 a month," he says, grinning. "That's not bad for a guy who just got out of jail."

For those considering moving up to the Oil sands for work. I would recommend getting a fly in fly out 7 on 7 off or similar type of set up. The title of this post is 6 figures in 6 months. 6 months is all you would want to spend up here in this hell hole.

Its quite ironic that this thread is so heavily talked about on a site that's dedicated to getting notches. You must ask yourself some serious questions before making a move up here, such as how important is getting laid to you ?

(09-14-2013 10:35 PM)Tokyo Wrote:  For those considering moving up to the Oil sands for work. I would recommend getting a fly in fly out 7 on 7 off or similar type of set up. The title of this post is 6 figures in 6 months. 6 months is all you would want to spend up here in this hell hole.

Its quite ironic that this thread is so heavily talked about on a site that's dedicated to getting notches. You must ask yourself some serious questions before making a move up here, such as how important is getting laid to you ?

In addition, you're either working all the time, and never actually have time to go out and see your friends/game/do shit, or you're sitting on your ass for a month, bored as fuck since everyone else is stuck in the former (working all the time or away from town).

Once you start making serious dough and have enough tickets it becomes less of an issue, but at the very beginning it's generally important to budget both your time and money.

(09-14-2013 10:35 PM)Tokyo Wrote:  For those considering moving up to the Oil sands for work. I would recommend getting a fly in fly out 7 on 7 off or similar type of set up. The title of this post is 6 figures in 6 months. 6 months is all you would want to spend up here in this hell hole.

Its quite ironic that this thread is so heavily talked about on a site that's dedicated to getting notches. You must ask yourself some serious questions before making a move up here, such as how important is getting laid to you ?

I have to agree with this and that's exactly why if I'm working away from civilization in the oil patch, I have to take at least a few months off each year (took 7 off last time) to go to a foreign poosy paradise and chase women. It isn't, however, impossible to get laid while making big money in the oil sands or elsewhere. If you're working in a remote camp, especially a dry one, then yes its tough, although I managed to bang a couple of camp tramps, they definitely weren't anything to write home about.

If you're actually living in the city of Fort Mac and working close to town, say a 10/4 rotation of 12s, home every night, then its totally possible to have a social circle and somewhat decent lifestyle, get a girl friend or try to pick up at the local night clubs and bars, although competition is fierce. I had a couple of Filipinas on the go up there when I lived in Fort Mac.

I just spent three months straight working in an even bigger shit hole than Fort Mac, a small town called Estevan, Saskatchewan and I managed to get some tail there too, I'll do a proper write up on that town when I get some more free time.

Tokyo, you should write in more detail about your experiences working Alberta.

Scotian or any of the other guys have ye done much or any work in the offshore oil game off St johns?? I am thinking strongly about it in the future I am in Canada have all my courses done and a job offer of 14/7 in Christina lake camp base as an electrician.. My plan would be to do this for a while and try to find out more about the offshore work.. As been said many times before I made the move solo from Ireland and it seems to all be working out.. Just taught I would update and let all ye guys who have helped me out so much of my progress as I start my oil patch and hopefully down the line my offshore career. Thanks:-)

Is there positions that hire for armed guards? People with military and private military contracting experience? Right now im in an ok spot make 200 a day to shoot penflares at kids haha. basicly chill for 8 hours.

(09-15-2013 10:08 PM)salmonfella Wrote:  Scotian or any of the other guys have ye done much or any work in the offshore oil game off St johns?? I am thinking strongly about it in the future I am in Canada have all my courses done and a job offer of 14/7 in Christina lake camp base as an electrician.. My plan would be to do this for a while and try to find out more about the offshore work.. As been said many times before I made the move solo from Ireland and it seems to all be working out.. Just taught I would update and let all ye guys who have helped me out so much of my progress as I start my oil patch and hopefully down the line my offshore career. Thanks:-)

No but I have a few friends who work offshore NS and NFLD and they do well in their trades, union scaffolders, most of the work for my trade is non-union and I refuse to work non-union simply because they pay less. Most offshore hitches are three weeks on, three off, I could easily get a similar rotation in Fort Mac (I recently turned down that exact rotation at Surmont 2) and I'd rather live in a condo in Fort Mac and have a personal work truck than be on an isolated rig in the middle of the north Atlantic. Also, I don't mind Fort Mac so much, so long as I know I'm going to get out of there after a couple of months, I have friends and family there and in my time off I go hunting and fishing , hang out and drink with buddies and go throw toonies at strippers at Show Girls, you can't do that offshore, no booze allowed!

(09-16-2013 05:14 AM)CallSignBigRed Wrote:  Is there positions that hire for armed guards? People with military and private military contracting experience? Right now im in an ok spot make 200 a day to shoot penflares at kids haha. basicly chill for 8 hours.

Not that I know of, there's aren't too many security issues in the oil sands other than guys smuggling booze and drugs into camps and the drama that involves. I suppose they have to look out for Green Peace and other eco-terrorist organizations who like to sneak on site and hang banners as publicity stunts, actually I wouldn't mind having armed guard on site to shoot at those dickheads!

Seriously though, most security guards in Fort Mac are fresh off the boat immigrants, mostly from Africa, its the lowest paid job on site.

That's pretty dumb because my experience is Africans are fucking retarded. You should see how they operate over here in Iraq and afghan.

***retarded when it comes to military/security operations

(09-15-2013 09:01 PM)DjembaDjemba Wrote:  

(09-14-2013 10:35 PM)Tokyo Wrote:  For those considering moving up to the Oil sands for work. I would recommend getting a fly in fly out 7 on 7 off or similar type of set up. The title of this post is 6 figures in 6 months. 6 months is all you would want to spend up here in this hell hole.

Its quite ironic that this thread is so heavily talked about on a site that's dedicated to getting notches. You must ask yourself some serious questions before making a move up here, such as how important is getting laid to you ?

In addition, you're either working all the time, and never actually have time to go out and see your friends/game/do shit, or you're sitting on your ass for a month, bored as fuck since everyone else is stuck in the former (working all the time or away from town).

Once you start making serious dough and have enough tickets it becomes less of an issue, but at the very beginning it's generally important to budget both your time and money.

You're right im in a similar situation ill be here 8 months before I get vacation. You will be rusty once you the ground because your social skills diminish because of non contact with women. Depends on what your life goals are. Mine is trying to save up for a house.

(09-16-2013 11:09 AM)CallSignBigRed Wrote:  That's pretty dumb because my experience is Africans are fucking retarded. You should see how they operate over here in Iraq and afghan.

***retarded when it comes to military/security operations

Speaking of foreign security guards, a friend of mine posted this pic on his Facebook wall with the caption "So I'm pulling in shell security says "hang on I have to do my pray" drops a rain jacket and goes all downward dog on the side of the road.. Is this real life??"



Honestly I don't give a shit about religion but if I was the client (contractor, oil company, etc) and I had a line up of trucks full of guys at the security gate waiting for this dude to pray, I'd be pretty pissed off, lost time=wasted money.

After a few days of heavy thinking and a sleepless night, I have decided that at the moment this is not for me.

My interest is still very high, and it's definitely a stepping stone to what I want to achieve. It's a few combined external factors that are keeping me from going through with this at this point in time.

Great thanks to VP, kdog, and celticman for the information so far, and of course to scotian for this thread.

Meanwhile, I'm be keeping an eye on this thread and following the experiences. This remains a great option for me in the near future.

(09-16-2013 04:08 PM)Nascimento Wrote:  After a few days of heavy thinking and a sleepless night, I have decided that at the moment this is not for me.

My interest is still very high, and it's definitely a stepping stone to what I want to achieve. It's a few combined external factors that are keeping me from going through with this at this point in time.

Great thanks to VP, kdog, and celticman for the information so far, and of course to scotian for this thread.

Meanwhile, I'm be keeping an eye on this thread and following the experiences. This remains a great option for me in the near future.

Its all good man, no big rush, Alberta and western Canada in general should be busy and have plenty of opportunity for years to come (hopefully!). Come out when you're ready and if I"m in Etown we can meet up with some of the RVF oil sands guys for some drinks.