Wages on oil rigs (no experience), Williston area (Hope: real estate, mortgage)

[laina1980]

Originally Posted by Tundra dweller

It doesn't matter too much what they say they start you out at, you will make money if you find work as a floorhand. Between all the pay increases, overtime, safety pay, bottom hole pay, bonuses, etc. you will make enough money. I know a guy who has worked floorhand for two years and paid taxes on 120K last year. He has just moved onto another position which pays less, but gets him out of some of the brutal weather.

Do a google search for the Williston shopper, and then look at the help wanted ads, there will be tons of places to apply. Then actually go there and apply.

Or you could take the two week floorhand course at Williston State College and have your pick of employers at the conclusion, when they all show up to interview you at once.

$200K is a bit much for water truck drivers. I'm hearing between 80-100K for those who aren't Owner/operators.

Thanks for the tip on The Shopper, went and looked it is real asy to navigate. A lot of jobs there even for not in oil field. Was impressed with that. Very unimpressive though was the rentals. Basically nothing and the few there were out of town. Would be good though if one was gonna buy, seems ok.

[RatHockey]

Originally Posted by murreybn

My buddy works on a work over rig and the start pay is $24 a hr. He works 10 days on 5 days off. Its a 24hr rig so for everyday he shows up he gets $100 per diem on top of his $24 and hr for 16 hours a day. He also lives in a man camp which he doesn't prefer but it is free.

murreybn,

Couple of quick questions for you about your buddy's job.

Which company does he work for?
Did he have any oilfield experience prior to this job?
Does he live in a man camp year round?
What is his overtime rate, do they go after 40hrs 1st 5 days?
Does he have internet access in the man camp?

If your buddy gets paid 1.5 for ot after 40hrs and the per diem included he is making over 130,000 a year. Thats pretty impresive pay.

Thanks for the info.

[lara916]

Originally Posted by come_back_kid

I'm sorry I can't answer all your questions. With no experience I'm sure you'll probably start at the bottom of the ladder. In an earlier post it was stated that some college kids were making $ 25 an hour on a casing crew. It didn't say anything about overtime. Try going back and reading previous posts or wait for Roloff1976. He seems to be pretty much in tune with what's going on and gives out good advice.

I am going to be honest and I won't go into specifics about names or companies but my sisters husband just quit his job as a roustabout because he was generally treated as a slave. Apparently there are no laws in Montana about overtime, and he was being bullied into working 10 hour days, 7 days a week. Upon making some calls we did find out that at the very least the company had to provide water and a bathroom.....the men had been digging a hole and just had to go when they needed to in the open. Not ideal. Please check out the company in advance and if things don't seem right call in an anonymous audit!

[RampageInAZ]

Originally Posted by lara916

I am going to be honest and I won't go into specifics about names or companies but my sisters husband just quit his job as a roustabout because he was generally treated as a slave. Apparently there are no laws in Montana about overtime, and he was being bullied into working 10 hour days, 7 days a week. Upon making some calls we did find out that at the very least the company had to provide water and a bathroom.....the men had been digging a hole and just had to go when they needed to in the open. Not ideal. Please check out the company in advance and if things don't seem right call in an anonymous audit!

Um, not to be rude but your sisters husband was working on a rig and complained about 10 hour days? Has he ever worked in the oil field before? 12-14 hour days and even longer, are considered the norm. You seriously didn;t think people with no skill and no degree were going to ND and making $100k by working 8 hours a day with weekends off did you? The big money is in overtime, plain and simple. If he wants to be a part of the boom and have a piece of the pie he needs to man up work the hours. Make his money for a year or two, SAVE it, and bail, if he can't do it for a career.

I work 12 hour days like its nothing and its always funny to hear people cimplain about working anything longer than 8 ho0urs, like its some god given right to not have to work over 40 hours or have every weekend off.

[Tundra dweller]

Anybody can start a roustabout company it's not like you are going to work at Haliburton or Schlumberger. I know a roustabout company that consists of two people, the owner and a hired hand. And he has more work to do than he can handle. And yes, the money is in overtime and it is not easy.

[movver]

Hello, my husband is thinking of getting a job in willston, says he heard some postive things about it , any thoughts????????????

[laina1980]

Originally Posted by movver

Hello, my husband is thinking of getting a job in willston, says he heard some postive things about it , any thoughts????????????

Hello, my husband is also going to start applying. I did some research prior to coming on this forum and let me say this forum has WAY more info than any other source.....I looked at the Shopper which is a local paper there and saw a few good leads. My husband is getting his CDL permit first before he applys, we are also going next month to check it out as we are not too far from there.....Good luck!

[grcelizabeth]

Yes. 40hrs. PAID on his wk. off. Per diem depends on the location, but he's guarenteed 12hr/day. However, he never gets less than 16hrs./day and basically it equals 83k annually with per diem. When he gets his tanker endorsement (just has to pay the fee and take the test, already learned it all), he can drive the tankers up to Williston from Dickinson where they stay over night and get 26hrs.+ AND $50 per diem in Williston so it can add up very quickly. So 83k is the bare minimum.

I also agree that you need to research the company. Not all companies offer good benefits/housing/food/quality treatment, ect. Hubby works for Superior Well Services, which just joined Nabors. They have many awards for excelling in equipment and safety (two HUGE things) plus they are VERY family friendly orientated. Many companies say they are, but really aren't. His company made sure I KNEW what he was getting into, in fact, I was required to go with him to the 2nd interview. Anyhow, many of the things the company does and offers, is to benefit families. They prefer to get guys with families not just because they aren't drunk/high, but because they have something to motivate them whether that may be money or stability, but the weather is harsh and the work is not easy, so you need some kind of motivation.

These guys work such long hours that you won't see them everyday when working so there's no point for us to live in N.Dakota. His crew travels back south (we're in CO) at the end of the 2wk. rotation but there are many crews from all surrounding states. Housing is provided while up there, so why be miserable and pay extremely high rent to live there on the wk. off?

Originally Posted by RatHockey

Grcelizabeth,

So you husband is making 16 per hour and paid straight 40 for the week off..correct? Then that would make on average of 100 hours per work week at 1.5 OT- 1440 plus 1st 40 of 640 for a total of 2080 for that week. Then 2 weeks w/OT = 4160, plus 640 for week off = 4800 per 3 weeks. There is roughl 17- 3 week periods per year = 81600 per year not including per diems and other certifications that would increase your yearly pay----not bad for an entry job.



Which companies are noted the best to work for- Halliburton, BakerHughes, Weatherfor etc ?

[NDtrucker]

Originally Posted by laina1980

Hello, my husband is also going to start applying. I did some research prior to coming on this forum and let me say this forum has WAY more info than any other source.....I looked at the Shopper which is a local paper there and saw a few good leads. My husband is getting his CDL permit first before he applys, we are also going next month to check it out as we are not too far from there.....Good luck!

Not sure of what exactly he is applying for or experience level, however many new to trucking people don't last here. Even some experienced over-the-road highway drivers do not stay long. Winter driving here requires skill to navigate through rough terrain, and may require frequent chaining and unchaining of tires. This is a big reason why there are many job openings in driving here.

[hockeyd11]

Originally Posted by Broncogirl

Hello, well what a busy day, anyways it appears that the company my bf works for starts the newbies out at 20 and then of course raises after that as you prove yourself. However, when they are in schooling for it before they go to an actual rig, the wage is $14/hr. which is here by Williston. They have a catered camp to eat at and take meals to the rigs with them, and they stay in skid houses when working. On their 7 days off your on your own as where to live. Overtime after 40 hours. Like I said he has been there for a long time and is making around 32 bucks an hour.

What are some of the companies out there that are good to work for? Or what company does your bf work for? My hubby is going to go out there but we aren't sure of the companies we should be looking into.