Do you love your job in ROV once you get one?

[Booter111]

Hi,
I am about to do a course. I have 10 years experience and quals in hydraulics, electrical and mechanical engineering and a lot of other experience in other related areas. Can anyone reccomend a recent and up to date course they have done which was good value?
I see some of the providers tell you about the great pay rates you will get and how the industry is screaming out for people but I am sure that all changes once you have completed a course huh?
Looking for honest answers. If you have done one and consider it to have been a rip? Or was great?
I am really just looking for a change of scene. The money in ROV is about the same as what I am on now but I need a change.
Also, does anyone out there want to tell me how much they hate/love their job?
Great! Thanks! Hope to hear from all sorts of interesting poeple!

[Paul Bond]

Have a read through the various forums on here – you might find the answers you are looking for.

At the end of the day you should be changing career for what you want to do, not for what other people think.

[Mike Kidd]

Let me think
Same money
Soft bed at home with wife v 4 man cabin, shared bathroom and toilets
Pub on the corner v Rec room with Africa Magic 24/7
Etc Etc Etc

If I could get the same money at home I would poke this job up the arse, even if the next job was not a rig but a flash new construction boat, but then of course I have been working at sea since I was 16 so maybe something draws me back 😀

[Andy Shiers]

It’s a funny ol’ game 😯
When you’re away , you want to be home , when you’re home you want to be away !
A big piece of advice to "Greenhorns"
If you have never been away from home for periods longer than a week and the wife is used to you being around the house everyday then I would say that this Industry is NOT for you.
We have the worst marriage break-ups than any other Industry in the world 😯
This is possibly one of the reasons why this happens , The wife is used to you being there all the time and canna cope ! " When the cat’s away , the mice will play" 8)
On the other hand this change of profession might bring back the romance AGAIN 😕 But the statistics prove otherwise……………………….. Sorry 😉

[Cabledog]

A day alongside is a day wasted 😯 😯

Later
Dog

[Scott Beveridge]

Lost,

Speak for yersef’… I like staying home… Alas, the greenbacks beckon.

[James McLauchlan]

The money in ROV is about the same as what I am on now but I need a change.

Out of interest to myself, and maybe other members, what is your job at present and at what level. What you have written is a sure indicator of how far we have slipped, in the ROV industry, on the pay front.

I agree on the marriage thing. If you are married and your wife is not used to you being away for weeks on end, many times a year, you may need to take that into consideration. You might adapt to working with a bunch of guys n gals offshore but she may not adapt to you not being around for weeks on end.

The job itself is quite enjoyable although the condition in which you live and work may not be. In general crappy boats and rigs are getting fewer as the years go by but there are still a good number around. There are many new boats on the scene and more to come so further improvements will be seen (gradually).

Yes, the industry is busy for now off the back of high oil prices however, the price of oil is dropping and a worldwide recession is showing signs of digging it’s heels in. Slowly industry will cut back on production which in turn will lead to less demand for energy resources. As a result oil will most likely drop further. Eventually the Operators will start pulling their belts in and there will be less demand for ROV people and systems. It will be a couple of years yet before we see that happen but if oil continues to fall we will be in a downturn around the back end of 2010 is my guess.

[Ray Shields]

The money in ROV is about the same as what I am on now but I need a change.

Out of interest to myself, and maybe other members, what is your job at present and at what level. What you have written is a sure indicator of how far we have slipped, in the ROV industry, on the pay front.

I’ve never understood people when they say they could earn the same onshore as they do offshore.

If I do 70 days a year offshore that is the same as me working locally for a whole year.

There was also a quote how plumbers, electricians etc onshore get £17 an hour which was the same as they were getting. Thats only £204 a day. Only people starting off are on that surely?

Also the plumber/electrician may get paid that an hour but they do not work 12 hours a day and hence earn that every day,unlike offshore.

To answer the original question:- read through the forums about people opinions about ROV training schools.

[Booter111]

Hi,
Great to see the replies! I was concerned mine would be read and answered with the "just another rookie" comments.

My history and background is aviation. I am a licensed aircraft engineer with approvals to perform and certify maintainance and inspections on certain commercial aircraft. These authorisations are valid but limited to certain regions/countries of the world. I also was lucky enough to work for an airline which gave its staff (when wanted) experience in everything from soldering in a new diode, to replacing a main landing gear hydraulic actuator.

I hope the indication of the ROV pay rates slipping due to my posting of similar rates (which are only on contract basis not full time) is removed? When aircraft suffer extreme faults, they tend to leave big smoking holes in the ground, or water as some of you might have investigated in your industry.

I have read several of the forums on this site and see the ROV industry is very very similar to mine. Even the technical speak is the same, troubleshooting, reliability, gurus, etc…. I also get the impression it has the same kind of people.

I am out of aviation now and miss the people the most and miss them them least if you know what I mean.

I am looking for something different, a bit of travel which I am used to and a decent challenge. I think the people in ROV sound like a good crew to work with. (do not suffer fools/idiots very well 🙂 )

Travel is great and I think the limit is four to five weeks.

I think I will do the Challanger Taffe course in Perth and go from there.

If any of you need a additional crew member, someone with excellent technical, engineering and troubleshooting skills who is very easy to get along with, give me a call.

boyd@wwp.co.nz or PH: NZ +64 3 5481635

Regards
Boyd Sofield.

[Kiwitech]

For my very first post I would suggest getting your Offshore Medical sorted before parting with any cash for courses.

No sense in paying for the course if you aren’t allowed offshore .
Where in NZ are you, looks like Nelson from the phone number

[rover22]

Excellent advice Kiwitech, get the medical before the training, it could save you a lot of trouble. People have been known to fail medicals due to pre-existing conditions that prevent them going offshore and if it is the last in line after ROV/TECH/Survival training, it could be very costly. I hope more prospective trainees read this

[Andy Shiers]

So . Answer to your question…………………………
Yes 😀 But it also depends on the characters of the team 😀

[James McLauchlan]

For my very first post I would suggest getting your Offshore Medical sorted before parting with any cash for courses.

Good point and I feel it’s worth adding to FAQ’s.

Somehting like…..

I am thinking of taking an ROV training course, what is the first thing I should do before paying for it?

You still doing FAQs Ray or shall I?

[Ray Shields]

For my very first post I would suggest getting your Offshore Medical sorted before parting with any cash for courses.

Good point and I feel it’s worth adding to FAQ’s.

Somehting like…..

I am thinking of taking an ROV training course, what is the first thing I should do before paying for it?

You still doing FAQs Ray or shall I?

s’ok I’ll do them, could do with a run through to see if any other bits updating.

Ive got loads of time on my hands 😀 😀 😀

[liddelljohn]

I actually love the job …but not some of the people or conditions i have to work with sometimes.

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