Offshore work oil rigs?

I am interested in working offshore, anyone with any experience that could tell me what its like? coming from a 3rd year apprentice mechanical engineer.Offshore work oil rigs?
As Paul already mentioned, the work is better suited for young, unmarried people. An offshore shift may be two weeks long for example.





The conditions are reasonable, but rather crowded. When I worked on land, I was somewhat careless about wearing my hardhat. Offshore, I never left the crew quarters without a hardhat on - to protect myself against air conditioners, pipes crossing walkways, etc.





There's no place to go if you get bored - and boredom can be a way of life. Everybody is always there ahead of time, waiting, so that the rig won't have to wait on them, so there is lots of sitting around. The food tends to be pretty good because eating is one of the ways that you pass time waiting to go to work.





The money tends to be a good bit better than on land. Some rigs are great, some are dumps.





I would work offshore again, but I would want to see a light at the end off the tunnel. I would not want to work offshore constantly. It's great for some people. Just not my cup of tea.Offshore work oil rigs?
I worked on an oil platform in the North Sea for 15 years. I was a mechanical tech (mechanical fitter), repairing turbines, compressors, pumps, engines etc. We were very busy the vast majority of the time. Working conditions are cramped for maintenance work, most mechanical jobs are awkward as space is at a premium. Accommodation in the North Sea is mostly good on the newer installations (I was on one of the first platforms in the North Sea, where it wasn't so good)





Because I was part of the permanent crew, a lot was expected of us. Outside our normal job, I was a member of the fire team, a certified lifeboat coxswain, and a couple of other things also.





With us, the discipline was normally quite strict, and they certainly got their pound of flesh out of us all. I finished up as a Maintenance Supervisor, and the workload was just phenomenal, way too much.





Since I transferred back to a refinery onshore, the workload is far less. There seems to be all kinds of people doing lots of things - offshore we did it all ourselves.





I didn't mind the first 10 years, but after about that time I started to hate it. The weekend before I used to travel back, I used to get the dark cloud descending. I was glad to finish my stint offshore, and it is definitley NOT on the plan to go back out there unless my a*se is against the wall and I really have to.





Thought I'd better add - there is a big difference between working on an offshore drilling rig (oilrig) and an offshore production platform. Production platforms are usually fixed, drill rigs are mobile. If you're part of the drilling crew on a drilling rig, you'll just be towed to various locations to drill wells (this is before the production platform is installed). There's quite a difference in the equipment you'll be working on too between them. On the drilling rig, majority of time will be maintaining and repairing the big drilling equipment. on the production platform it's usually more oil-related equipment you'll work on such as large pumps, pump seals, air and gas compressors, turbines, and any other mechanical equipment there. (In the early days we did all the accommodation maintenance too)





Good luck
I did it when I was younger and enjoyed it. I was working for an engineering consultancy and we would spend 1 - 2 weeks at a time off-shore, working 12+ hour days (nothing much else to do while you're out there) and getting well paid for it, with time off afterwards.





It probably suits someone without any family commitments who enjoys working hard and then reaping the benefits of that hard work afterwards.
I haven't done it myself, but I work with engineers who do. It doesn't suit everybody that's for sure. The hours can be long 12-15 hour days, you don't see your family %26amp; friends for weeks and you are stuck in one place for that time. No takeaways or cinemas! I guess the answer is to try it and if you don't like it don't do it again!