Of all the possible drilling rig jobs that are available, among the most appreciated by the rest of the offshore bunch are the guys and gals in the catering department on the offshore oil platforms. When you are working in the offshore oil drilling business, you will be working hard. The two most important things to those working offshore are food and sleep. And for those working on the offshore rigs, the catering department helps with both, by providing good, healthy food to fuel the body, and a nice place to rest when the work day is over.
Out of all the departments petroleum refining training courses on an offshore drilling platform, the folks in the catering crew probably do more than anyone. The food is typically outstanding, and just what the hard working oil drilling workers need to keep their bodies and mind strong, alive and motivated. The housekeeping staff makes sure the beds are clean and the clothes are washed. It’s the kind of service you would expect from a good hotel, but it is also available on the offshore oil platforms.
Of all the jobs on the oil rigs, working in the galley is actually one of the toughest. You will be working very long hours, and going for weeks at a time without a day off. This workload adds up, and there is some pressure to make sure everyone has as much to eat as they want, and that the food you serve is of restaurant quality. You will, however, receive a lot of thank yous and appreciation from the hungry crew members when they get their food from you – and they mean it.
Where a person begins in the catering department of one of these rigs will depend on the kind of previous experience one has. If you don’t have any previous cooking experience, but wish to learn, you can look at starting as a galley hand or utility hand, cleaning the kitchen, washing the dishes, or even working as a housekeeper or in the laundry room. But earnings for even the entry level positions are quite a bit higher than what you would make on land.
All of the workers in the offshore catering departments do hard work, and those that show some talent and promise will rise in the ranks very quickly. Moving up from galley hand, after some good training and mentoring, people often become bakers, night cooks, day cooks, stewards and even chefs. And the money goes up with the skill and responsibility; camp boss jobs can pay upwards of 75 k a year.
The greatest thing about these jobs, however, is the opportunity it will provide you to move into whatever area of a rig you would like to work in. Say you wish to become a driller. First, you will need to become a roustabout or roughneck, and getting that opportunity comes easily if you are already making contacts and working with the people who would be hiring you.
If, after you have finished with this, you are still captured by the thought of working on the rigs in the oil and gas business, and are willing to start with offshore catering jobs or other entry level oil and gas industry work, then make up your mind to take the next step! Learn about who the offshore oil industry contractors are that are have a need for entry level workers; you will learn there are several of them. Email them your CV and resume, line up some interviews, and just like that, you’ll become part of thousands of workers taking home great money performing work they love, and having the free time to spend those enormous earnings too.