offshore work thumbs up or down

[cold.man]

hi

at present i do supermarket refrigeration, i have had a very colourful career in the refrigeration industry over many years.
light commercial
supermarket
air conditioning
straight forward splits, multi splits, vrv, vrf, package
im what you would call i suppose a dual trader i can do refrigeration aswell as air con service and installation.

also during my career i have worked in western australia for 5 years doing supermarkets, also did work for DOF subsea working on chillers for dive chambers which i found very interesting.

i have always been curious about offshore work but never really looked into it, is it an experience is there alot to learn, is there people on here who have a great career in it or have had a great career doing offshore work.
i have always imagined it to be cut throat ie you go to work one day with a uniform on and wake up the next day and put another on.
i suppose it can be like that in the supermarket industry but you know there,s always work there.
i wouldnt really want to jump the gun if i was ever offered work offshore and find myself out of a job in 12 months time thats why i have never felt like a dabble and looked into it.
BUT IM STILL CURIOUS.

the company i work for now is a great company its a large company and you have your knobs like every other large company, but i feel i dont get paid my worth im a complete work horse. i love my job refrigeration that is, you never stop learning, and i thrive off that.
i might sound like a complete spotter but i believe if you choose a career be the best you can be at the job you choose.
at the company where i work at present i do that and dont benifit in the slightest you just get the call if the **** hits the fan to pull them out of the ****, well i think it needs to be no more yes man for a while.
my old man said to me many years ago nobody hands you life on a plate you have to go out and live it and make the best of it.
this is the reason i am still curious am i missing an oportunity, i cant see things in the future changing for me where i work now.
i would still be in oz if the wife and kids didnt get homsick now im back in blighty and have to make the most of it.

if anyone can give me any feedback on offshore work that would be great?
also if anyone who has been in a position i am in now what did you do?

kind regards

mark

[Tradewinds]

Hi Coldman,

I guess I have been on a similar path as I also come from Perth and now live in the UK. I've been in the oil industry for about the last 6 years and have certainly enjoyed it. When I was self employed I purposely stayed away from the UK oil Industry as the wages weren't much different to what I could get onshore. I just didnt see the point of being away from my family if the money wasn't that much better. So all of my work has been International. Timor Sea, Singapore, Africa, Sakhalin Island and Kazakhstan to name a few.

Working offshore means that you practically have to know everything from refrigeration and air conditioning, ventilation and hazardous area pressurization, PLC strategies, electrical, mechanical, etc etc. It can even take up to 6 months to get the parts you need so you have to really plan ahead. When your offshore, your flying solo and don't have any support. As an engineer, it really slows you down too. There are so many systems in place, that when your onshore you might get 4 or 5 jobs done in a day but offshore, you will be looking at 1 or 2. Of course I understand why (look at what just happened in the Gulf of Mexico when hazardous gas was transferred into the generator room and caused an explosion) and totally agree with why it is done.

You will also need to consider being away from your family for long periods of time. Rotation work can be good because you get more quality time at home with wife and kids but it depends on what rotation you get. Construction can be anything up to 8 weeks on and 2 weeks off where as operation and maintenance can be 4on/4off. Even better if working in Norway. You might find that the hourly rate is similar to what you get in the UK but working 12hrs a day 7 days a week makes it look more appealing. Dont forget you wont be earning when your at home so you need to average it out as gross income per year. BTW even if you work in foreign countries you will still pay tax on all your income in the UK.

The catch 22 about working offshore is that most companies want experienced personnel, but how do you get experience if they won't let you out there? Maybe try working for a local company who does some work offshore in the hope that you can get the callouts etc. It is also a very competitive market so you will be applying for jobs with other hvac engineers all over the globe who may have plenty of experience offshore.

Things have changed quite a bit for me, as my company is now limited and is developing everyday. I guess what I am trying to say is that it is up to the individual to make any job worthwile. The grass definitely isn't always greener so you will have to weigh up job security with job satisfaction.

Hope that helps.

[Magoo]

you need to consider the most important...., family or money.

[install monkey]

also if u do take the offshore route dont forget to turn the gas off or your heating bills will treble!
in my eyes working away is for single men-once you have a family its game over and they dictate when u work and how much overtime u do.also you cant turn back watching your kids grow up.

[Tradewinds]

Very good advice Install Monkey (the kids bit). I can vouch for that.

[cold.man]

thanks very much for the advice tradewinds, install monkey and magoo i think i will stick with what i am doing, it seems it would be very much like FIFO work in oz as you may know tradewinds thats where the money is in oz.
doing supermarket work here i do many hours, but you are right i suppose it would be a single mans life.
i spent 6 years in the forces and was away alot with the work i did and missed the first four years of my oldest 3 kids lives i suppose i wouldnt want to follow that path again as of missing the kids anyway the job was great.