Every year, hundreds of thousands of workers head offshore to work in the oil and gas industry. They spend huge portions of their time away from home, hard at work in the middle of the ocean. But what is life like for these individuals? Do they enjoy their work and who is this type of career suited for? We’ve gone in search of the answers to these important questions.

The Commute

Well, you can certainly forget about those long, painful drives to the office each day. Road rage will be a thing of the past because you’ll be taking to the sky to travel to work. Most offshore workers find their way to the rigs by helicopter transportation. It’s a short ride, usually from the nearest point of a port but can take up to an hour. The first time in a helicopter can be quite nerve racking, but once you’ve travelled this way a couple of times, you’ll find it easier. However, all offshore workers must have helicopter safety training so that they know what to do in the event of an accident.

The Isolation

The good news about being on a rig is that you won’t be isolated while working. You’ll be living, working and playing with your coworkers throughout the year. Because of this, you’ll form tight bonds that you don’t usually find in most offices. If you are a lone wolf, you might find working offshore could be the perfect career because you have no ties back home. But, if you are a member of a family it can be difficult to leave them behind for weeks on end. In the past, this meant very little communication between loved ones. But now you will find most offshore rigs, have internet connections as well as phone signal. You’re never more than a skype call away from seeing your kids or your partner.

The Holidays

Working on an oil rig is a tough gig, but it certainly has benefits. One of these is surely the fact that you get holiday durations that rival that of a teacher. You can work a couple of months and then spend a month away in a tropical location, enjoying your earnings. The average offshore worker also earns quite a large salary, so there is no need to be frugal. You may find yourself going abroad on holiday with the family at least once a year.

The Accommodation

You might believe living off shore is a pretty poor experience, but you’d be surprised. Rig owners work with the top designers to ensure offshore accommodation is built to the highest standards. They do everything they can to make the rig feel like a second home. The best rigs will also have inbuilt recreational areas with pool, television and computers.

The Danger

Sailors often say “worse things have happened at sea.” They might not if they understood the terrible situations that have occurred on an oil rig. However, these can be prevented as long as everyone is strict when tackling health and safety issues. As long as you keep a wary eye, an oil rig is no more dangerous from any other place of work.

We hope this post has given you more information of the hidden world offshore workers inhabit. Perhaps it sounds like the right career for you.