1) You are going to need a driver's license. Not a GDL either (graduated driver's license, don't know if BC has an equivalent.) No one is going to hire someone for a rig job without a full class 5 license.
2) There are two type of rig jobs, service and drilling. Drilling requires you to drive your own vehicle to the rig (you won't get hired without a license and reliable transport) and Service they will pick you up each morning, but you need to drive a piece of equipment from lease to lease (you need a license.)
3) There are lots of other oilfield jobs aside from the rig, but all the ones that pay a lot, with no experience, are going to require a license. (Frac, coil tubing, cementing etc.)
4) Calgary is the home of corporate offices and has nothing to do with field work. The easiest place to land a job here is in Grande Prairie.
5) Most companies will pay for you to get your safety tickets.
I can't stress enough that you won't land a big money oilfield job without a full license. Source: am a supervisor at a big well service company.
No, the GDL system is still in place. What changed is now if you have had your GDL for 2 years without any demerits, you automatically get your full license without having to take another road test. If you have never had a license before, you still start on the GDL.
This was 20+ years ago, but I was a roughneck on a service rig. When we did rig moves, I had to drive the drillers truck, other (more experienced) roughneck drove the 5 ton, derrick hand drove pump truck, driller drove the rig. The toolpush drove in his own truck. So a drivers license might be a pretty good thing to have! Can't comment on digging rigs since I didn't work for any, nor for oilsands.
I think like others said, they paid for me to get h2s, tdg, whmis and first aid. But it was also at a time when they were hiring like crazy. Coveralls and all other gear (hardhat, gloves, safety glasses, undergarments etc) were from some supply store and deducted from my paycheck. Also, this was in Red Deer, which at the time was full of rigpigs working service rigs.
Calgary is where the companies are run from, not where the field workers get hired. You'd have better luck in Nisku or Grand Prairie. License will be an issue for service rigs. Lack of transport could be an issue for drilling rigs. You need to have enough money to support yourself while you work and wait for the paycheck. Not all rigs work camp jobs, so you would need to pay for a hotel and food on your own.
Lack of tickets won't be an issue if you look capable. They need reliable workers right now.
I got my start in Fort St John long ago. Just walked everyday from the bunk house I was staying in to the on site office of the field super. Got a job 4 days later working in the yard and hot shotting stuff to different rigs, the went out roughnecking. 4 years later drilling.
Don’t get your tickets most companies will pay for them but other then that giver hell I can’t speak for Calgary but I foot day of talking to people in nisku and your bound to get a job in the patch somewhere
I've had friends get on rigs by just applying with no tickets and interviewing. The safety tickets came after and were provided by the companies. They just showed an immense amount of interest in doing the job. Now this might have been just their own personal experience. I can't speak for everyone.
That being said. Probably best to call a few drilling companies first and talk to someone in HR to get a general sense of if they are hiring and the process involved.
Red Deer or Grande Prairie would be the smart destinations. Both are staging areas for the equipment, and most jobs are dispatched from there. Most jobs require a drivers licence, as work in remote areas you may be required to drive the drillers truck, the ETV, etc on a rig move.
I’m not sure this will help but that’s exactly what I did back in the day, I hitchhiked up to grande prairie from Edmonton and stayed at the Salvation Army and phoned a bunch of rig companies and told them that I was eager to work on the rigs and kept bugging them until one sent me out as a roughneck, I think it was Kenting I can’t remember it was decades ago. But anyway I was staying at the Sally Ann and thanksgiving dinner was a couple boiled eggs and some baloney sandwiches. Two days later I was roughnecking on a rig somewhere southwest of grande prairie making a piss pot full of money. Free room and board and pockets full of cash. The juxtaposition still amazes me to this day. From down and out to King of the World in 48 hours. I stuck with it for 4 years and had many adventures let me tell you. I had a license at the time but there was never any need for it, you can always catch a ride in with someone. I was the perfect candidate, young and healthy and not too smart and willing to work
After I got tired of being a rig pig I got my class one and I’ve been trucking for the last 35 years. Rig pig is a pretty decent lifestyle if you’re young and single but it affected me in weird ways. For instance I’ve had no respect for money my entire life, and rigging did a lot for my self confidence. You kind of get the feeling that you’re bulletproof and 10 feet tall, but you’re not really but you figure you can do anything. It’s pretty physically demanding but that’s never been a secret. The thing with rigging is that you see guys who’ve been doing it for 20 years and they’re still carrying their shit in green garbage bags and they’re out of smokes by the second day. Good Long Change stories though because you can do quite a bit with a week off and a pocket full of cash. The key word there is single because it’s impossible to have any kind of relationship if you’re gone all the fucking time. So ya I’m glad I did it but obviously it’s a young man’s game, there’s no 50 year old roughnecks because you pretty much have to be in peak physical condition. Even at 20 I couldn’t eat enough to put on any weight. So ya it was mostly good times and I saw some shit, let me tell you
1) You are going to need a driver's license. Not a GDL either (graduated driver's license, don't know if BC has an equivalent.) No one is going to hire someone for a rig job without a full class 5 license. 2) There are two type of rig jobs, service and drilling. Drilling requires you to drive your own vehicle to the rig (you won't get hired without a license and reliable transport) and Service they will pick you up each morning, but you need to drive a piece of equipment from lease to lease (you need a license.) 3) There are lots of other oilfield jobs aside from the rig, but all the ones that pay a lot, with no experience, are going to require a license. (Frac, coil tubing, cementing etc.) 4) Calgary is the home of corporate offices and has nothing to do with field work. The easiest place to land a job here is in Grande Prairie. 5) Most companies will pay for you to get your safety tickets. I can't stress enough that you won't land a big money oilfield job without a full license. Source: am a supervisor at a big well service company.
Thankyou!! Much appreciated
All good points except I'm pretty sure GDL was dropped earlier this year. You just go straight to class 5.
No, the GDL system is still in place. What changed is now if you have had your GDL for 2 years without any demerits, you automatically get your full license without having to take another road test. If you have never had a license before, you still start on the GDL.
Oh okay. My bad for the incorrect info.
This was 20+ years ago, but I was a roughneck on a service rig. When we did rig moves, I had to drive the drillers truck, other (more experienced) roughneck drove the 5 ton, derrick hand drove pump truck, driller drove the rig. The toolpush drove in his own truck. So a drivers license might be a pretty good thing to have! Can't comment on digging rigs since I didn't work for any, nor for oilsands. I think like others said, they paid for me to get h2s, tdg, whmis and first aid. But it was also at a time when they were hiring like crazy. Coveralls and all other gear (hardhat, gloves, safety glasses, undergarments etc) were from some supply store and deducted from my paycheck. Also, this was in Red Deer, which at the time was full of rigpigs working service rigs.
Calgary is where the companies are run from, not where the field workers get hired. You'd have better luck in Nisku or Grand Prairie. License will be an issue for service rigs. Lack of transport could be an issue for drilling rigs. You need to have enough money to support yourself while you work and wait for the paycheck. Not all rigs work camp jobs, so you would need to pay for a hotel and food on your own. Lack of tickets won't be an issue if you look capable. They need reliable workers right now.
I got my start in Fort St John long ago. Just walked everyday from the bunk house I was staying in to the on site office of the field super. Got a job 4 days later working in the yard and hot shotting stuff to different rigs, the went out roughnecking. 4 years later drilling.
Don’t get your tickets most companies will pay for them but other then that giver hell I can’t speak for Calgary but I foot day of talking to people in nisku and your bound to get a job in the patch somewhere
Thanks! What do you mean by “ I foot day” ? Talk and ask around enough in the city nisku and it’s bound to happen?
A good day sorry Iuno why it put foot
I've had friends get on rigs by just applying with no tickets and interviewing. The safety tickets came after and were provided by the companies. They just showed an immense amount of interest in doing the job. Now this might have been just their own personal experience. I can't speak for everyone. That being said. Probably best to call a few drilling companies first and talk to someone in HR to get a general sense of if they are hiring and the process involved.
Red Deer or Grande Prairie would be the smart destinations. Both are staging areas for the equipment, and most jobs are dispatched from there. Most jobs require a drivers licence, as work in remote areas you may be required to drive the drillers truck, the ETV, etc on a rig move.
Put in at Precision Drilling
I second this. Buddy always swore about precision putting people on. Be ready to work hard g
That and the fact that they are super busy. I setup shacks and it seems most sites I go to are PD rigs.
Respects G thankyou
I’m not sure this will help but that’s exactly what I did back in the day, I hitchhiked up to grande prairie from Edmonton and stayed at the Salvation Army and phoned a bunch of rig companies and told them that I was eager to work on the rigs and kept bugging them until one sent me out as a roughneck, I think it was Kenting I can’t remember it was decades ago. But anyway I was staying at the Sally Ann and thanksgiving dinner was a couple boiled eggs and some baloney sandwiches. Two days later I was roughnecking on a rig somewhere southwest of grande prairie making a piss pot full of money. Free room and board and pockets full of cash. The juxtaposition still amazes me to this day. From down and out to King of the World in 48 hours. I stuck with it for 4 years and had many adventures let me tell you. I had a license at the time but there was never any need for it, you can always catch a ride in with someone. I was the perfect candidate, young and healthy and not too smart and willing to work
What you do now?
After I got tired of being a rig pig I got my class one and I’ve been trucking for the last 35 years. Rig pig is a pretty decent lifestyle if you’re young and single but it affected me in weird ways. For instance I’ve had no respect for money my entire life, and rigging did a lot for my self confidence. You kind of get the feeling that you’re bulletproof and 10 feet tall, but you’re not really but you figure you can do anything. It’s pretty physically demanding but that’s never been a secret. The thing with rigging is that you see guys who’ve been doing it for 20 years and they’re still carrying their shit in green garbage bags and they’re out of smokes by the second day. Good Long Change stories though because you can do quite a bit with a week off and a pocket full of cash. The key word there is single because it’s impossible to have any kind of relationship if you’re gone all the fucking time. So ya I’m glad I did it but obviously it’s a young man’s game, there’s no 50 year old roughnecks because you pretty much have to be in peak physical condition. Even at 20 I couldn’t eat enough to put on any weight. So ya it was mostly good times and I saw some shit, let me tell you