How to Get a Job on oilfield Without Experience

How to Get a Job on an Oil Rig Without Experience

What experience do you need to work on an oil rig?
How to get a job offshore with no prior experience
How to get into offshore work with no experience

Are you looking for a job on oil rigs and don’t have experience? You've come to the right place! Working on an oil rig offers many benefits that few other jobs offer. In exchange for spending long periods abroad, you'll receive extended vacations, giving you extra time to spend with family and friends, enjoy hobbies, travel the world, and more. Considering the risks of the workplace, many offshore jobs also offer good pay. In the UK, the average salary for offshore workers is £60,400, well above the national average of £45,800, with many jobs earning over £98,000. It's no surprise, therefore, that this position is in high demand. Getting a job abroad may not be easy for those without a qualification in a relevant skill (such as engineering), but it is certainly possible. Fortunately, as oil and gas recruitment experts, our team is here to help you every step of the way. Continue reading to learn how to get a job on oil rigs with no experience...

How to Get a Job on oilfield Without Experience

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Ways to Get a Job on an Oil Rig with No Experience

1. Start with Entry-Level Jobs

Some offshore jobs don't require prior experience. While these jobs are physically demanding, they provide an ideal opportunity to advance to more technical roles over time. Here are some examples:

Roughnecks : Also known as laborers, perform basic job tasks, such as maintaining equipment and loading and unloading cargo.
Deck Cadets : Supervise equipment and assist with operations.
Motorhands : Support the operation of the engine and equipment.

Vocational training programs provide on-the-job training for many types of roles. Offshore workers tend to experience rapid career progression, so you can expect to advance to higher positions once you develop basic skills, experience, and contacts abroad.

2. Highlight Relevant Skills

When applying for offshore jobs, be sure to highlight relevant skills to demonstrate your suitability for offshore life. Depending on your role, this may include:

Physical Fitness: Working offshore is physically demanding and requires you to be strong and agile.
Adaptive Ability: It's important to feel comfortable working in isolated environments, sometimes in adverse weather conditions.
Teamwork and Communication: Effective cooperation at sea is crucial to ensuring safety and efficiency. Additionally, you will work, sleep, and eat near your colleagues, so the ability to interact with a wide range of people is important.
Basic Mechanical or Technical Knowledge: Basic skills in areas such as welding, plumbing, or mechanics can make you more attractive for entry-level positions.

3. Certifications

Most companies require you to complete the Basic Offshore Emergency Training (BOSIET) course, which teaches you about emergency protocols and maritime safety. The certification is valid for four years. After that, you will need to complete a course called Further Offshore Emergency Training (FOET). You will also need a Minimum Industrial Safety Training (MIST) certificate, which covers basic hazard prevention practices, and an external medical certificate confirming your fitness for work.

For some positions, your employer will cover the cost of this training, while for others, you'll be expected to arrange and pay for it yourself.

4. Visa Requirements

For UK workers, you won't need a visa if you're working within 12 miles of the coast (UK territorial waters). Beyond more remote locations, visa requirements vary depending on the location of the platform. More and more countries also require a Seaman's Book, a seafaring passport that records your service and work at sea.

5. Education

While it's possible to start a career abroad without a university degree, it's often a prerequisite for those seeking roles that require more advanced technical skills, such as engineering or management positions. For positions that don't require qualifications, you'll usually need to have some GCSEs or standard qualifications.

6. Work Abroad with Experience in Offshore Work

From painters to cleaners, many offshore companies are also looking to hire workers for jobs unrelated to platform operations, ideal for people seeking an outdoor lifestyle with experience.

How To Get a Job in the Oil Industry With No Experience

This is the story of a man who worked in the oil industry about 40 years ago—and according to him, not much has changed since.

He started from scratch. Literally. He walked down a road lined with oilfield service companies and applied to every single one. He estimates that he submitted around 50 applications. What helped him stand out was his background—growing up on a farm gave him solid work experience and a strong work ethic.

His first job was as a roustabout in West Texas, which is pretty much the lowest position in the oilfield. His tasks included cleaning pumping stations, digging trenches, laying pipelines, replacing valves, and cleaning oil tanks. It was tough, dirty work. He’d often ride in the back of a crew truck, show up every day no matter the weather, and just get the job done.

After two years, he started applying for drilling rig positions but had no luck. Eventually, he landed another roustabout job—this time as a “yard hand” with a drilling company. The man who hired him, named Jim, had been injured in a previous rig fire but showed resilience and continued to work in the industry despite the challenges he faced. Despite his rough appearance and raspy voice, Jim saw potential in him. “We’ll see if he lasts,” Jim said. “Put him on rod picking or grinding all day and see if he holds up.”

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And he did. He proved himself in the yard. One day, a rig worker didn’t show up—likely due to a hangover—and he got pulled in to cover. That was his first real step onto a drilling rig.

Rig work, though, was a whole different world—far more demanding. He recalls how challenging the job was, with many workers facing serious injuries, and unfortunately, he lost a close friend in an accident while on the rig.

He started on the rig floor as a “worm”—the greenest hand on the team. His first duty was throwing the lead tongs, a physically demanding and dangerous job. It wasn’t something they let just anyone do, and it was clear he had to earn his place.

Of course, favoritism was part of the game. He overheard a conversation one day between the driller and the motorman in the crew truck. The motorman said, “That new kid works better than Jimmy. We should let Jimmy go.” The driller replied, “Can’t do that—Jimmy’s dad is a boss in the office.” But they acknowledged his skill and told him they’d put in a word. Within a week, he was a steady hand on the rig.

A few months later, the derrick hand didn’t show up—giving him the unexpected chance to climb the derrick. He held that position all summer before taking winter off to return to college.

The following spring, he and a couple of friends hopped on a freight train to New Orleans and started working day jobs. Eventually, they decided to try offshore work and applied to a company called ODECO. His friends were rejected for lack of experience, but he was told to show up at a dock on a specific day and catch a work boat to the rig.

Back to roustabout work again—cleaning, lifting, and doing whatever needed to be done. But this time, offshore pay was far better. He earned nearly 1.5x what he made on land, and with all the overtime (working with barely any sleep), he brought home three times the money.

His final takeaway? If you’ve got a family member in the office, you’ve got a head start. If not, you’ll need to prove yourself—day in and day out—until someone notices. That’s what happened with him. He “made them a hand,” and that made all the difference.

Here are some oil rig jobs that may employ professionals without a high school diploma

Steward: The Steward helps keep the oil rig organized and sanitized by performing cleaning tasks throughout the facility.

Assistant: Assistants can work in a variety of roles, such as Drilling Assistant or Porter Assistant, assisting with various tasks within the drilling team.

Apprentice: Some apprenticeship programs may accept professionals without a high school diploma. Trainees can learn specialized skills, such as welding or electrical work, under the supervision of management team members.

How to Apply for Entry-Level Oil Rig Jobs Through Contracting Companies

Oil rigs rely heavily on contracting companies, and it's best to apply to one of these companies for a low-level position in their yards/bases.

To clarify, drilling companies own the rigs and staff them for drilling and maintenance operations. Oil companies contract with drilling companies to provide them with rigs. Oil companies typically design wells and supervise drilling to ensure targets are met safely. Oil companies also contract with specialized companies to perform many of the specialized tasks required, such as casing operation, cementing, well logging, mud engineering, inspection, testing, catering services, mud logging, and many more. All of these companies hire unskilled employees and promote them if they demonstrate the necessary skills and work ethic to advance.

The best way to enter this field is to visit an oilfield center where drilling and service companies have bases and see if anyone is hiring. Work hard, and you may end up on a rig.