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I work offshore at the moment and I'm anticipating getting laid off soon.
I'm sure the industry is going to do its usual and lay off far too many people, then complain that there's a skills shortage in a year and a half when things bounce back.
I work for a service company doing MWD so my skills aren't really transferable. If I do get laid off I want to concentrate on finding something in a job where the skills are transferable and is also applicable onshore, hence NDT.
I'm wondering what the most common way into the industry is. Do you do some courses and then try to find a job or is it more normal to find a job and then they send you on the courses?
As far as I can tell, the main thing is a rope access ticket. The guys & girls on our place are like The Flying Wallendas. The rest of it seems to be use of the NDT equipment, which I suspect is a day or two course. I'll see if I can find one of them to ask.
As for which comes first? Job or courses? You're always going to be more employable with the qualifications ready to go.
Here is some useful info on the NDT side:
[url= http://www.bindt.org/Certification/general-information/ ]BINDT[/url]
I think in the case of NDT do the courses then look for a job offshore, just make sure you speak to someone first so you do the worthwhile ones. I guess if you have a degree of some kind then it may be possible to get into a company like Oceaneering, CAN, TRAC, Storck then do the courses, but I can't think of many people (if any) who did it that way around.
As above, having a Rope Access ticket is probably also required in most cases.
I just replied to an ad in the local paper and was trained from scratch (i'm still not very far from scratch 8 yrs in though, and only on rad. Consensus seems to be that if you get 3 disciplines then you're laughing). This is working a standard test house on castings/welds though. Presumably you know about NDTcabin for their job listings. Just as well to bang CVs around really, as general experience may get you in. Goodrich were hiring a whole ago I think..
You can finance yourself through a course and it'll probably help (plus you'll then own your ticket, rather than the co. Potentially keeping it). Expensive startup though. Good luck with it, times are still hard at our place
Of the 8 other rope techs within the company I work for, 6 have assorted NDT tickets. None of them has ever managed to get a job in NDT, and we don't do any.
One of the guys nearly got a gig last year but after waiting for 3 weeks him and the other 14 guys who were supposed to be being taken on we're all told the contract had fallen through.
Make of that what you will, but it seems to be like offshore work for rope techs in that you need to be persistent, lucky or a mate of somebody just to get your foot in the door. Don't beleive the course providers when they tell you it's a gravy train, they just want to sell another course.
I am, been in the industry for about 6 years.
Currently work in the North sea but i have bounced around the globe before i got sick of the continually long pain in backside trips.
Firstly there is a bit of a marketplace saturation with techs. Basically far too many guys getting the tickets and not enough companies offering work to inexperienced guys. Even though you have experience offshore it doesn't mean the companies will take you on unfortunately.
A good mate of mine recently paid a small fortune to get the qualifications he needed, luckily he got a contract in Saudi for NOV, 8 on 4 off. He is the only guy working out of all the people he met in the 6 weeks he did the training.
I am a level 2 on the ropes with enough hours to get my level 3 but i am weighing up my options currently and will probably make a sideways career move soon.
My email is in my profile, drop me a line with your number and i will give you a ring OP. There is a lot of info you need and it would be a lot easier to explain over the phone.
🙂