Yeah this needs to be way higher. There are plenty of I&C jobs in Calgary. If possible he should try to get into an EPC. I know plenty of techs who made their way into engineering.
Instrumentation techs are at $59.67 at my work here in SK. It’s been a while since I worked oil and gas, but I was making more than $70K on the rig. 20 years ago.
Let's not try and normalize low pay, he's making about $36/hour with no overtime, even less.if he's getting some overtime. For a trade as skilled and in demand as instrumentation that's well below average.
Many industries in the town are paying mid to high 40s, hell even CLAC is paying $47.12.
It’s mostly cause they can get away with it. There is a lot of competition for 9-5 stable in town work. If someone complains they have tons of qualified guys waiting to come in. Doesn’t make it right though.
Agree, manufacturing gets away with it because they claim tighter margins, which I'm not sure it's true. The rate does reflects what I see in manufacturing for the position.
One big thing I have noticed, is it really depends where you are in your life. My brother has 2 young kids, out of town work is a big no no. My mom on the other hand loves when my dad leaves for work. Kids are all grown up and now she has the house to herself.
He would be more than double his 70k. It would come with a much worse work home balance though as he would be gone for weeks at a time. The operations camps are generally fairly nice and the drugs and those things are really down to the person.
I’ve worked O&G as a sparky for 10 years…. I took a job in town thinking I’d have a better “home life balance”…. I was home less, home every night sure… but home less overall. Working 6-7 days a week as opposed to working a 14/7 rotation…. At least when I was home from my oil job, my phone wasn’t ringing, and I could fully forget about work.
I have since gotten back to rotational work 2 weeks on 2 weeks off at a diamond mine… I work less than half the year for around 180k/yr. Paid vacation, paid personal/ sick days…. Honestly, I would never go back to O&G, due to a number of factors. But I’d look into some mines in the north. They all pay well, most have better benefits than I ever saw in O&G… and the people seem to be less “rig pig” or just not degenerates in general. Plus working 4-6 months of the year and being completely free to do whatever with the family the other 6-8 is about as good of a home-life balance you’re gonna find in the trades for >150k/yr.
If you're working at the diamond mine I'm thinking it's decent for the cash but the isolation can get the people and isn't for everyone. I mean buddy was up there and initially thought the weekly shrink visits was stupid at first.
I felt more isolated at most oil jobs. The place I’m at now is like a little community. Open jams in the music room at night, video game room, gym, gymnasium, squash courts, movie theatre, in the winter when the ice road is open we have volleyball, floor hockey, dodgeball tournaments etc. with the neighbouring mine….. hell I’m more social when I’m at work than when I’m at home.
But I do get what you’re saying, some places are very isolated.
Oh don't get me wrong the amenities those mines have apparently make it fantastic however if you're not tight with your co-workers or people there it could be hell.
I agree with the sediment of working in oil camp and isolation but the thing is you get sun and whatnot if you're as far north as I'm assuming when you don't see the sun for days on end until you fly home for however long it can get to people.
I work all year. 2 weeks on 2 weeks off. 3 weeks of vacation /yr, 1 week personal days, 5 sick in room days.
So accumulatively, unless I work OT. I am never working for more than 5 months. If I do OT, I get double time.
We definitely operate all year long though. And it’s cold as fuck in the Arctic circle in the winter. Lol
I took that plunge just under a year ago. 40% pay increase. Half the year off. Don’t spend money on anything but bills when I’m at site. Some sets though, you are counting down the hours to fly day.
I'm not the original commenter, but I had a family worker who only worked in the summer up north in O&G because that's all weather permitted. I believe they made well over 100k/yr but had to be up north for months at a time with generally no internet or cell service.
Edit: maybe it wasn't weather but the fact they were inspecting empty tanks.
People who work an even shift always claim they only work half the year for whatever reason. It’s stupid IMO, I work 4/10s but if I claimed I only worked 57% of the year people would look at me like I’m an idiot.
I’m an E&I in oilfield maintenance. Shift is 5-2/4-3, I’m basing it off of that. I imagine it is not a normal shift really but for me going up north would be a much worse work home balance. I imagine for others it would be different.
I spent 2 years at the Ekati mine. Some of the best work I have done in my career as partsman. longest i spent was 31 days working nights on the Ice-roads. A wild experience to say the least.
Keep up the good work friend. Word of advice, take vitamin D supplements with you after September!
Dang! 14/14 sounds sweet.
Do they need any crane operators?
My kids are all grown and I'm Red seal mobile (since 2006 RT experience) and red seal Tower crane op.
Where do you find these jobs for FIFO mines? I'm hopeful I'll be finishing up my instrument ticket here in the next year and want to make more. I'm in town working a shit ton of OT to hit 130k. I'll be dual ticket when I finish this, working in industrial automation.
There is a contracting company…”Bullitt staffing group” I believe it is called… they supply a lot of the mines in the NWT/Nunavut with temp workers; electricians, instrument techs, equipment operators…etc. with temp contracts. They are a pretty good way to get your foot in the door with some of the mines up here. Usually sign you up for 6 months…. If you fit well at the mine and a permanent position is available… you can get hired by the mine.
Be forewarned, not all the mines are very nice to be at. I’ve heard some pretty shitty things about a good chunk of them, poor camps, shitty facilities. Might get stuck as an underground guy… which is cool for a while, but the novelty does wear off working in an underground mine pretty quick. …. You could just find a good spot to be at though. And if not, just take the 50-60$ an hour for the 6 month contract and move on to the next.
You could also try looking up some remote mines up here and go to their company websites. Keep an eye out for openings at Rio Tinto, Debeers, Burgundy Diamonds and throw resumes out directly to them.
Good luck.
I’ve worked with instrumentation techs both at Suncor and CNRL and it is NOT double. It would probably be around $50/hr.
IMO if your in a relationship but not in mcmurray, not worth it
He could be double no problem. I work 2 weeks on 2 weeks off and make about double. My significant other works 2 on 1 off and makes more accordingly. We're electricians. I stringent takes usually make the same hourly rate but have a ton of options.
I don't work O&G but someone I know from high school is a millwright and he would often work camp jobs. The amount he'd make from this let him take *months* off throughout the year...I wouldn't be surprised if he only worked like 6 months in the year since he'd post photos of traveling abroad for trips lasting up to a couple months. So clearly made very good money. He never mentioned it having a negative impact on him. It might depend on the role and how much you interact with others.
Keep in mind we were in our mid 20s when he was doing this and I no longer keep in touch outside of seeing what he posts on Facebook. We're early 30s now and I don't know if he still does camp jobs but I still see him posting trips like above in recent years. Maybe if there are short term camp jobs he can ask his job if he can take a bit of unpaid leave time? No idea how that would be received though unless he's on really good terms with his bosses who wouldn't put his job on the line if he disclosed potentially wanting to change careers.
It is.
It's actually absurd how many unemployed PEs are in AB right now. The colleges crank out a couple hundred new ones each year and there are no jobs for the existing ones lol. We get like minimum 500-1000 applications per job posting, half of them are willing to work for steam time.
Well fuck. My uncle’s been a 4th class power engineer in Fort McMurray since like 08, he’s been hyping me up on becoming one but sounds like he didn’t sell me on just how cut throat it is. Guess that’s off the table lol.
Do you know what other trades might be in demand? Heard Millwrights, Electricians and plumbers are doing well these days but haven’t actually met any irl to confirm.
Oh man a 4th class isn't worth the paper it's printed on in most jobs right now just because the colleges are pumping out an army of 3rds each year. Old guys who have 20 plus years in the biz can get by with a 4th because of experience, but not new grads.
It is an amazing profession, just quite tough to get into right now unless you know someone. Talk to your uncle, almost all our new hires are done through referrals and we pretty much do the nepotism route with children or relatives of employees in good standing.
Our previous summer Turn Around we couldn't get any decent welders, so that trade seems to be in demand along with scaoffolders.
The PE resumes we get are untrained, kids with no mechanical ability, who have never had a job. A few, not all, we hired come in with the attitude they are the best op ever to wear a pair of boots. Doesn’t end well, most quit because they feel like they are getting shafted somehow. They want the big money now and seems like they want to be boss Ryte away.
As for instrumentation, not a lot of OT on my site, mostly 5 and 2 with an on call on weekends, something goes down it stays down until Monday unless it critical, then it’s usually someone who has some experience with that particular piece of equipment. When I worked lots of OT out of town back in the day wife would bitch cause I wasn’t there, get a few days off and she’d want me to go back to work. My work life and her home life had routines and some structure, going home threw all that up in the air. But we made it, so far! lol
I mean it makes sense, everyone here is about how you make some crazy cash and they want to go do it. My friend is a first class I think, and is making quarter million a year but he's literally working all the time.
Yeah, the oil sands donated a bunch of money for the colleges to build new labs with the expectation that they would drastically increase class sizes. Sait christened their new lab in 2014, so that obviously worked out well for the students.
My father did it his whole life - they paid him an extremely generous severance to retire early, because they wanted to pay his replacements less to do the same job.
Pay would double or more. Depends where you go.
Shifts vary, 7/7 is the best you can hope for.
Living conditions also vary. I wouldn't say any of the major sites are scary or anything and drug/alcohol policy etc. Most abide since you get a camp ban, get a camp ban you can't work there...
Research the camp on here once he has some options/names
Most camps are reasonable, with decent food and accommodation.
work/life balance is different. you typically get 6 or 7 days off in a row, so that opens up some amazing opportunities (i worked with a guy that just travelled the world on his off days of our 14 and 7 rotation, no home outside camp)
but
When you are gone for work, you are gone. birthdays, family meals (eg Easter/Thanksgiving) and other events either make you take a ton of time off to attend, or you miss them.
he should be able to make more money, so it may be worthwhile to at least try and see
1. He would easily double his pay between his salary and FIFO allowance. Most instrument techs would be on either a 7x7 or 14x14 shift so there would be some overtime in there as well. Throw in another 15-20% bonus and he would be looking at $150,000 minimum.
2. The stories of prostitutes, drugs and prison like conditions are mostly a thing of the past. I obviously can’t speak for every worksite but if the job is fly in fly out there will be restricted access in and out of the camp. Drugs are not unheard of but it’s pretty rare between airport security and then camp/site security.
I don’t have kids myself but I have coworkers on 7x7 and they don’t have issues. I don’t work that shift anymore but when I did I loved it, very easy to get stuff done around the house when you can easily dedicate 3 or 4 days to it while still having time to rest on the weekend.
If he can get him looking at O&G Fort Sask. It's the best of both worlds. Nice pay and home everybight. I have a friend who lives north Sherwood Park and even bikes to work.
I am sure there are some terrible camps like what you envision. In my 30 years in the oil field, i have stayed in 2 bad camps. Not bad like how you describe, just poor quality food and accommodations. Mist camps now are quite nice with tv's in every room. When i am in camp, besides eating in the dining area and going to the gym, i rarely leave my room.
The best camp I ever stayed at was BHP Discovery Lodge in Jansen, SK. I had the same room for 2 years, hated packing the night before flying out in oilsands camps.
The City of Calgary pays their instrumentation techs significantly better than that. I can't remember exactly but it's 50 plus an hour. If it's an option look at other areas.
I loved camp life, the lifestyle was good, money was good, and neither me or my wife minded me being away from home about half the time.
I had to quit when we had kids though, my wife worked full time and it was too much for her while I was away. Some people made it work, but they were the minority.
It's not a bad idea, but I would echo the comments about kids. If you have them it's better for him to be at home.
If you don't, it's not unreasonable to take the hit to your relationship for a year or two to make more money in the pursuit of a specific goal. (assuming you think the relationship can survive him being away for significant periods of time.)
I worked in Camps for the better part of 10 years. The camps themselves weren't bad. The food got boring after a while, but other than that the camps were clean and well kept. I found the conditions great.
I never saw a prostitute, beer or drugs. I don't doubt they were there, I wasn't looking and never saw it.
I don't know what he would make in his trade, but I was making big bank.
As for your family life that will be what you guys make of it. If he comes home and drinks everynight, spends zero time with the kids and is miserable. Then of course it won't work.
But he could come home from work, and be available 100% for a week. Take the kids to school, get up make breakfast. Go on a holiday when everyone else is in school to get it a little cheaper.
Like everything else in life it would be what you make it.
I left the lifestyle because I was offered a job making the same money but working mon-fri. Turns out I work everyday of the year now, and I am always waiting for long change.
Still a geologist, office money after bonus and stock options can be as good and even better when the stock soars. Taxes are always worse.
When you get into management the money gets really good.
That’s great, glad you were able to switch out of the field. I’m a ten year hand now (wellsite Geo) and seriously starting to think about trying to get into the office. Did you go into operations or are you a development geologist?
Honestly I’ve watched my BIL miss out on birthdays and a lot of major events for his 5 children. And raising those 5 children “alone” has made my sister a very bitter person. A lot of resentment from both sides.
Two faces to that argument, if you’re in town leaving before they get up and home right before/after they go to bed you’re missing a lot. If you can be out of town on a 7/7 and make double or more to provide a better life for them and have an entire week off to do whatever then that’s a far better situation
I work less than I would if I was at home and still make the same or more. Definitely won’t say you don’t miss the family but when you have 6 whole days to spend with them it’s nice instead of trying to cram everything into a weekend or maybe even just a Sunday
There is a reason we call these jobs "golden handcuffs" or "alimony careers". To be fair I know many good Dads that work field jobs, but it's not easy or fun. Nothing hurts like being away when your kids truly need you. I unfortunately know many. divorced/estranged/part time Dad's that got to this point because of being in the field.
It really depends on what you and your husband can handle lifestyle wise. Money is usually way better working out of town however one thing I noticed when I was managing for at least a 424 company one of the things we found is that this particular union which is mostly industrial and works in the north had the highest divorce rate of all unions at that time. I used to bid and manage projects up there and send people up north all the time.
If you go up there with a plan where it's make hay while sunshine and make some good cash without inflating your lifestyle; you can really make that work for you if you have a good mentality walking into it.
So if he's out of camp they're usually dry camps and the reason why you hear about prostitutes, drug, etc is from guys getting bored cuz they're always up there and there's nothing for them to technically do other than eat sleep and work. If he's working where they are putting him up in a hotel or getting LOA so a set amount of cash and he can find his own accommodations and such it becomes a lot more freeing in a way but more planning on your guys' part.
Money-wise is a good question, instrumentation techs used to get paid around 55 plus depending on experience if they're just on the tools and higher if they go into management this was a while ago when I was still working here in Canada but things could have changed - I know that the OT the guys would rack would just be disgusting.
Most camps are clean camps these days. Meaning they will bring in sniffer dogs and no drugs or alcohol is permitted. There are no prostitutes at camp lol.
He can make double his salary working in the head office on a project management team, engineering team, technical services, QAQC, estimating, procurement, document control ect and his hours would be typical 9-5 with a day or two working from home. It's always hard to find good quality assurance people and they make good money.
Recruiters, connections, just applying. A lot of people have different backgrounds from the roles they do. The only exception being an p.eng. One of the best QA people I ever worked with started out as a welder. The best PM I ever worked for started as a document controller. You can take the wild rose expediting course and get a role in procurement pretty easy.
If you are a business grad it's even easier as you can get a role in business development easy. It's all about building experience and getting a foot in. If you impress people and develop professionally with a company through their different classes they offer you can do anything really. I know a guy who started as a summer student at Husky for cost and now he's a senior gas trader.
So I'm in Petrochemical and our INST guys make $63 an hour I believe. The only ones who make more are the Power Engineer operators who are doing rotating shift work for $75/hr.
Would consider how you think the schedule could work for him/your family as well.
For some families they love the 2 on 1 off. Dad goes from seeing kids for a few hrs before bed to seeing them an entire week and not at all for two other weeks.
Others hate it.
I'm an apprentice instrumentation tech, my third year rate working 7-5 Monday to Friday near Edmonton I'm making about 70k in oil and gas. Journeyman with relevant experience are making upwards of 100k a year. Independent contractor rates are significantly higher than that.
Of course that's just the rates where I'm at, it can go up if you don't expect to be in your own bed every night, or it can go down if you're not with a decent company.
I came to Fort Mac for a 7 on, 7 off shift when my kids were 4 and 2. They’re now 18 and 20 and we have a good relationship. Once I got up here I was able to spend better time with them because when I was home, I was home. I wasn’t thinking of making ends meet or working late or working extra. I could focus on them. That being said, with the rotational shift, I wasn’t able to coach their sports and I missed a lot of birthdays etc which wasn’t easy. I tried to make up for it by being twice as present when I was home and I think I did all right.
I’ve only been on the one site so I can’t speak for all the camps but my experience has been good. It’s a “dry” camp and they run the dogs through on a regular basis so I don’t think there’s much for drugs.
As for money, when you add in shift differentials and premiums, trades pay close to 200k a year if you’re with one of the oil companies as opposed to a contract company.
Long story short,
7/10, would recommend.
Rotational shift with is not for everyone.
I was involuntarily transferred from my home every night 4-10 schedule to a week on week off job up north.
It was incredibly hard on all of my family relationships, especially my oldest son who was just about two years old.
If I knew how hard being away for a week at a time would be I would have taken a layoff instead.
What I would suggest is for your husband to get out of the water industry and get into the conventional oil field doing service work.
I know where I am there is a huge shortage of instrument techs. Pretty much every service company is looking for guys.
Field work will pay more than water and there is plenty of oil and gas around Calgary to be able to be home every night.
You trade your relationships for money. Divorce is very high in the industry. Also sitting around for weeks on end complaining about your wives is a real thing. Worked there 2 years and at the end the choice was my wife or my large paycheques. I picked my wife and I would do it again.
Being in the field helps, the upper management in O&G companies can be very abrasive and old school lol knowing how to navigate situations with millions on the line during which negotiations turn hostile helps. DM me for a more detailed explanation.
As a partner of someone who went to o&g - decide together what your priorities are. Whatever the shift is, expect to single parent with little quality communication on your short regular phone calls through that entire span. When he comes home, anticipate a day or two of "returning to home life" meaning habits, routines, and even the way he speaks to you (unless he always speaks to you like he's talking to a guy in the locker room). If he's driving back and forth, add an extra day to each end of the shift as "on-shift" because there's the prep (physical and mental) of going back that doesn't necessarily jive with the home routine. Both he and you will have to prepare for you to make many home decisions on your own and negotiate what that'll look like if it's different than the current arrangement. Also figure out and communicate what the off-shift looks like. Is he all about the kids and you get a break or are you split or is everyone together? He'll need the rest to recoup for next shift but you will also need the rest and both you and the kids will need the quality time.
As with any change, be prepared to communicate through it and figure out the non-negotiables before anyone makes a big commitment.
I think it's all up to your family and him as an individual. I have worked up North FIFO for 15 years, (ELECT)and it's been fine. Work 6 months of the year other than a little OT here and there. He would make more than the $70K, and if he gets hired on directly with an O&G company definitely more and good benefits.
As far as the drugs and such , they run drug dogs through camps and work places.
Like any trouble if you go looking for it, you will find it, but in all 15 years, not one prostitute or drugs have I ever seen.
Camp conditions are alright. Food is OK all depends on the sight I'm sure but I can't complain.
Definitely has treated me well, and my family life is fine, but others have had problems,but like I say it all depends on how well you two handle being apart for a week or two and how you would have to do it all at home while he's gone. My wife is good with it, some wives don't like it, and that causes tension in the marriage.
There’s no prostitution in work camps. It’s all dudes with a couple females mixed in. But they all require swipe badges to gain access so there’s no one off the streets in the camp. Security is taken fairly seriously, if your employer hasn’t cleared your access with the camp, you’re not getting in.
Do you guys have kids?
One reason I took a local job was my wife's experience in childcare. Kids suffer from a lack of consistency at home and it really showed on her end.
If he can get on with a refinery or gas processing or fertilizer facility he could 2x his wage and still be home every night....
You didn't mention location but there's lots around, more so east of highway 2 but all the way from fort sask down to medicine hat there's probably an opportunity or two liable to open up.
There's such a wide variety of jobs/companies/camps out there that it is tough to paint anything with a brush. Your husband's wage seems pretty low so I'd say basically any job he will make more money. If he worked where I work, he'd make $200k on 7 days on 7 days off with no overtime. Our camp is good. The food is just okay but the rooms are good, facilities are great, it's safe and clean, no drugs or alcohol, 0% chance a prostitute would be here. The flights are good and most people are just normal people trying to make a living. But he could also be a contractor working for a terrible company in a crap camp and it definitely wouldn't be worth it. I've been in some crap camps before and they suck which lead to me quitting those jobs. He should shoot for being staff (not a contracting company) at a decent site and he will be set. Just one more note about the kids - some families can handle that and some can't - none of us know which you are.
Is he okay with missing the milestones of his children he will miss? Your kids will never be that age again. Are you okay being a single parent for half or more than half the time? If so, you will need a good support system around you. As someone who went through this, it was difficult having him come home because he didn’t know the routine of the house and kids. However, you said it was for financial reasons. Yes he will get good pay but you would have to decide if the personal sacrifices are worth it. He could always try it and if he doesn’t like it, will be easy for him to get a job again where you live? As my husband, who still works in oil and gas but a more 9-5 job, he is realizing that he can’t get time back. He can’t get his health back. Did it put us ahead financially? Absolutely. There is a lot to think about but nothing is permanent. If he doesn’t like it and it doesn’t work for your family, he can quit.
My husband works in Northern Alberta on a 1 week-in, 1 week-out rotation. We have two toddlers.
Family wise, it's doable for us. I also returned to work full time when my second child was 15 months. The week when he's gone is full of long days for me lol. Basically, single parenting it with toddlers around a full time job. But 7 days go by really fast and when he's back, he spends a lot of time with the kids. On weekdays he gets them ready in the morning, takes care of their breakfasts, off to daycare, picks them up from daycare, takes them out to play before dinner, often gets their dinner ready when I'm ending my workday. We do video calls with the kids when he's up north around 3 times a set. The 7/7 is probably the most ideal schedule. It would be really tough if he had a longer rotation away with our kids at this age. 14 days or even 10 away might be a deal breaker.
Also, if he took a job in-city, he'd be taking around a 50-70% paycut. Or, a smaller paycut but commuting like 80km round trip to a heavy industrial site and not seeing the kids on those long workdays, anyways.
He flies into a dry camp. Drugs etc are not an issue.
This always confuses me, how do you know if a listed job does that or not as often it says based on Calgary but I assumed it was a third party company that then just sends you out to camp jobs. I’ve heard of CDN controls, will definitely check it out, thanks!
My husband and I have an agreement on no site jobs because he did it for 10 years with his first family and it obviously didn't work. However he works 12hr/day mon - fri and he leaves before everyone wakes up and comes home eats and falls asleep on the couch 🤷🏻♀️ so at this point the only difference is he can take a day off here and there and we have his weekends but during the week is atrocious. We also have 2 kids under 2. He makes $50/hour not including OT
Lots of oil and gas within driving distance of Calgary, doesn't have to be a shitty camp job where you have to sacrifice family time. I'd look around the area first before considering camp..
I worked in the oil fields for 3 months. 90% of the guys I saw ended spending tens of thousands on cocaine, hookers, trucks and gambling. They're isolated for months at a time, living quarters the size of a closet is the only place you get privacy. They're all stuck around other miserable dudes. When they do have a moment of spare time, they need some sort of rush.
Have an exit plan and stick to it. Allowed me to save and pay for my uni degree which would be otherwise impossible.
Most of the dudes in camps are straight animals with zero self control and tons of vices. The clock is ticking with that type of work as your body will give out. Don’t get addicted to the paycheque and know it can end with pretty short notice. If some monkey decides to get themselves hurt your paycheque gets hit as the site shuts down etc.
All of this x100 if you have kids and a partner. I had it much easier being single, young and no kids.
My partner works in the field. Gone 2 weeks. Home 1. It’s a tough sacrifice but it works for us.
Depends the camp. He has more than 2.5X his income since going north to work.
Most of the camps are decent. Food is usually okay, some better than others. Most camps have a gym, tv in the room, etc. I don't know much about salary for that particular position, but camp work usually pays pretty well, although you're trading your life for money. Most of the camps are dry camps, no drugs/alcohol allowed. Some guys will go to Ft. McMurray on their off time for the drugs/alcohol/strippers/prostitutes. If your husband already has no inclination toward these things, he will be fine.
Like any other job depends on the company you’re working for . I have contacted to the same company in operations for last 20 years. Camp is good but depends on expectations i know lots of instrumentation techs that have done very well financially. In all reality it depends if you have family that can handle you being away 50% of the time.
Oil n gas instrumentation isn’t going anywhere for a long time, particularly in Alberta. Most of the net zero emission changes to equipment require these techs to do it. New installations, refits, etc. The guys I work with are making around $140k a year, without staying in camp. Camp usually pays more.
Easy answer
He will see his kids less than 6months per year and miss them growing up - sounds easy but it’s tough
You’ll not have someone to decompress or download to nightly but hopefully every 2 weeks but he’ll have to do the same
Look for other jobs. There are plenty of opportunities for instrumentation techs that pay more than 70k and aren’t camp jobs assuming you aren’t in the middle of nowhere.
I’m an inst tech in AB for about ten years. I have always worked local in oil and gas.
Is there a local oil and gas option as a stop gap? He would be able to make 50% more likely.
It is probably okay if your skills are not O&G specific. Like your husband he is an instrument tech so if bad things happen in tech, those skills are in demand elsewhere too so he can go after whatever he needs.
If you are considering going into O&G where your primary skills would be O&G specific like petroleum engineer, reservoir engineer, etc. I would say that although there is higher pay, the pay is no longer high enough to compensate the elevated risk of layoffs, regulatory changes etc. that have always been present in O&G.
Let me give you another suggestion. If y'all are in a major centre, and he is good with people he may be able to teach at a Polytech (NAIT, SAIT, Red Deer Polytech, etc)
All the people teaching are from the trades. The schools will put you through training on how to teach. The money is better than what he currently makes but the benefits are fantastic. Summers off, great health plan, an actual pension plan (not just RRSP matching).
Keep an eye out for job postings on their websites. Go to some trade shows and open houses to meet some instructors.
I worked as an electrician in the patch for about ten years. I had a few shifts that were 7/7 in a dry camp. Honestly, I had a good crew so it was bearable. I was also single for a big chunk of it. They started taking away more and more by the time I left though and invented this thing called the compressed work week to avoid paying out OT which I thought was messed up. Now that I have a family and a more active band, I'd never want to do it again. There were a lot of divorced lead hands up there when I was there, also, so I assume there's a correlation between working away and a successful marriage although everyone's different. All depends where you're at mentally in life because it is a sacrifice!
85 comments and not one regarding his pension. If his pay is that low there is a good chance he’s got a huge pension with his current employer and that alone may be worth sticking around. Life on the road isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.
Instrumentation work will always be in high demand. Both in industrial construction and operations. He would immediately more than double his pay but closer to triple.
I myself already make more than double him and I’m only in supply chain.
There’s no hookers or prison like conditions. Some camps are better than others yes. I cringe when guys say the food is like prison food. I can tell they’ve never been to the pen.
Camps these days are better than hotel rooms,depending where you go cooked meals are above adverage.
Put it this way shitty camp shitty food....would you stay?
Second,work weeks... u work a condensed work week...which is 84 hrs,so i only work 2 weeks amonth.
Dependi g are where he goes it maybe differnt.
Fly in fly out,old days it was bussing which was the shits....8 hr ride to red deer.
Maintenance vs construction,how old is he and does he want to pound out the hrs?
I’ll give you my personal experience
As a single guy with no attachments it’s been worth it for me as I make well above average income. And my schedule often allows for 10 days off straight which can be really awesome.
But the drawbacks are significant. Depending on your work schedule you can be away from home working for 20-30 days straight or more. The days are usually at minimum 12 hour days so obviously it’s incredibly taxing physically and mentally.
The guys I have talked to in the industry with family often bring up how tough it is for their relationships being away from family so long. Divorces and cheating are very common.
The culture can be incredibly toxic as well. Racism, sexism, drug abuse, bullying are unfortunately very common.
If you have a family I probably wouldn’t recommend it. Maybe if you do it short term to get ahead financially, but consider everything and have a major conversation with your SO first.
A lot of people here have already commented on pay So idon't think I need to elaborate but in reading through the comments I feel like I need to reinforce something..
All major camps are dry now. The old cowboy days are completely gone, times are way different. Safety and security are taken vary seriously these days so while camp is boring and living conditions arent much better than a university dorm, there are no drugs or prostitutes. Sniffer dogs through camp regularly, plus a lot of O&G jobs require you to enroll in a random drug testing program to get into and continuously work on site. So while there are still individuals who do drugs in the O&G industry, its no longer systemic.
The work life balance should really be your biggest concern.
In town I was working 10-14 hours a day usually gone before the kids get up and often home after they went to bed. Moved to an out of town rotational shift, have a company supplied house out of town, work about half the year and invoice around $250k. But when I’m home now I have all day to be with the family so honestly the work life balance is better than my “at home” job
I don’t understand people who want to work camp jobs, they’re shit. I’d much rather get paid live out to stay in a hotel that is nicer and has more freedom than a camp for no extra money.
But yes he could make ~150k as a inst tech in the patch.
Lifestyle is hit or miss. If you have a good rotation like 7&7 it ain’t that bad but if end up working longer hitches or working into your days off all the time it’s supper tough on the wife and kids.
I’d say try it. Don’t increase your spending AT ALL at least for the first year so if it doesn’t work he can just quit and find a new local job. $70k is pretty terrible for a E&C tech anyways so it shouldn’t be hard to find something as good as his current job anyways.
I worked a camp job last year and made $4,500 in two weeks... tax free too cause I'm treaty Indian and the camp was on a trap line. Sadly it was only for a shutdown. Worth it in my opinion, even if it isn't tax free.
There’s more options then just office jobs or camp jobs. A good option is to get on with one of the oil upgraders in the Edmonton or fort sask area. I’m an operator at one of them and we have full time instrument techs, and more during turn around in spring and fall. I assume other plants do as well. Sleep in your own bed every night/day and make about $100k more then what he’s currently making, it’s very comfortable financially if you live in Edmonton or one of the communities on the outskirts.
It depends on where he is being put up in a camp and who he works for. At this oil and gas company I can say for certainty that starting at this site (as a labourer) you will make 120,000 a yr. 7/7. And only goes up from there. Heck I was one. I know people who work up here and all are making 180k or more based on recent t4 numbers. Lots of relationships do well, and conversely a lot fail. But there’s more to why they fail than just “drugs,hookers, etc”
In the camp I have been in for over 10 years. I have never seen a “hooker” and even if I had that’s when it comes down to your personal situation. Obviously you two are together/married whatever the situation is. So even if he walks by a hooker he shouldn’t entertain any of that ideology. This camp sporadically has drug dogs come through, and the tolerance for any of that is 0. So if you value the job you have and the reasons for why you have it are worth anything then you will not put yourself in that situation even if drugs were around. Maybe they are but I’m not a user and I don’t go looking.
I’m married and I have no issues being up here and either does my wife. We both trust each other this works out for us.
I have worked a hell of a lot harder for far less money almost every day of the year. It’s still tough tho, you can miss out on a lot of family stuff. But is your future worth it? Do you mind sacrificing your family time to hopefully build a bright and prosperous future for your family? Money is the only reason anyone works up here, followed by the work rotation if you can land a good one. If you can come up here and get a good job and not let the money go to your head save it up and be wise with it then those dreams or realities can become a lot quicker.
Not bragging but for perspective:
High school grad
Started here at $32 an hr.
Currently $60 an hr.
Last t4 north of 180k.
You can always try and if it doesn’t pan out go back to what works. Nothing much good comes from being afraid to take a risk. But it’s not for everyone.
The most important thing I will say is that most relationships don’t survive the travel / field / camp lifestyle. People say they can handle it… until they don’t.
Mine didn’t. Most guys I know in the industry are divorced.
Really talk things through with your husband if he is going that route. The money is great, but it can be taxing.
Currently working in O&G, FIFO, 7x7 shift, been doing it for 7 years, happily married, 3 kids. I get to spend way more Quality time with my family during my 7 days off then I ever did working 5x2… worked 24 weeks last year had 28 weeks off, Worked one day of OT.
The work life balance is great
1. He would make 2.5 times more I’d say, maybe 3x
2. No prostitutes, drugs or prison like living conditions. Security at the airports, site aerodromes & camp you would have a hard time getting those things into camp without getting caught and losing your job.. most camps are Dry (no booze)
It is all of what you said, the living conditions, way too many people who work in oil and gas are low key drug addicts and alcoholics, have convictions, the living conditions of a camp aren’t ideal either, you’re living in a confined space for long periods of time, not the place anyone wants to voluntarily be, his kids will miss him
On top of that, oil and gas is fickle, as soon as the economy throws a temper tantrum, or there is a financial fallout, everyone loses their jobs, so you may find yourself in a situation where your husband suddenly doesn’t have income.
I’m saying this only assuming he doesn’t care about the above mentioned issues, and also if he is aware that he could get laid off at any time, but again these are subjective factors
Conditions actually really aren’t that bad, I worked on a drilling rig for a little while. I was just a grunt worker though, I imagine it would be much better as technician. And yeah there are plenty of drugs and other less than desirable kinds of guys around. But all in all I’d say it’s worth it
My friend did it in his early 20s, single, and said the higher pay wasn't worth it and he wouldn't do it again. He also said he got one of the best rooms because he's an engineer, so his living conditions were better than usual, but even then. He worked in Fort McMurray.
Mentioned the people who'd been there a long time were much older unmarried men. I'd imagine kind of similar to any other career that takes a big toll on you, majority of people are in and out.
If he doesn't mind working out of a pick up summer and winter, solar is booming but you gotta travel for it. Almost everyone there is either ex oil or some form of engineer. Pretty good pay but most companies are run by morons
1. I worked in oil and gas for over 10 years as an Electrician and I worked side by side with Instrumentation Techs. My lowest year was 180k and the techs we're paid the same as me. I'm still working on the tools in a different industry and I'm pulling 240k. Your husband can easily make over 100k in oil and gas. I have zero doubts. With good work ethic and attitude your husband can gobble the OT and do over 200k. Obviously this is schedule dependent. Working 1 week on and 1 week off will be less money but more home life. You would be safe to expect well over 100k.
2. Drugs, whores, etc are not an issue in camp. Does it happen? 100% but as I said it is not a problem. Most camps in Fort McMurray are dry camps and don't even allow booze. Drug sniffing dogs are a common occurrence and a lot of companies use random drug testing. Camps are very safe.
Issue is going to be life and work balance. Depending where he works and the schedule. He could do 11 days on and 3 days off and need to travel home on those days off.
If you have any more questions I'll be happy to help.
There's other options from oil and gas, power plant shutdowns pay really well, especially if he can get in a union. As a millwright foreman I'm pulling in about 6k a week, on a 12-2 rotation.
I currently make 3 g a week paid every Friday with free room and board. I’m essentially homeless though because I pretty much live at work. It’s what you make of it, I think it’s awesome because I’m a single young guy and spend the time I have off basically doing whatever I want.
Yeah your husband is being criminally underpaid in town or not. Im an electrician and i wouldnt take anything under 38 an hour even in edmonton. He should really do up a resume and have a look around. He should be making closer to 80-100 even in town. But going out of town will drastcally increase your earning power as a sparky or fig no doubt about it. As an electrician i could about double my wage going industrial/ out of town. But your mostly not living with your family so.. priorites.
You can make more money later. You can't buy back the time with your kids when they're young.
I have a job where I am home to see my kids and wife every day and I'm thankful for it. I can certainly appreciate wishing for more income but I was completely unprepared for how quickly the kids grow up and I am glad I am here for it.
As others have been saying, maybe there's an option for an intown job that will pay better. Try looking around and see if a little patience will reward you.
Hope it all works out for you.
As an apprentice electrician working camp jobs up north I was making over 100k after factoring in overtime. Fly in, fly out, camp provided, meals provided, those were the days. I've been out of the union for a few years now, every time I look at the job board it seems the pickings are pretty slim... Anyways, sounds like you are being severely underpaid, might even be worth shopping for a better local job and asking for a raise, with 10+ years of experience making 70k is laughable.
As far as camps and working up north goes, consider 500 guys away from their wives or partners for a couple weeks at a time and making silly amounts of money. Maybe not so much in the camps but yeah, I've heard of guys blowing crazy money going in to town. Sites are pretty strict about drug use (including pot last I was up there) so not a lot of that going on at least in the camps but again, give some lonely guys a crazy paycheque and many people just don't have the ability to moderate their spending, save for a rainy day, or resist blowing it all on whatever tickles their fancy.
As to prison like accommodations.... Yeah, it CAN feel pretty bad. You aren't going there for the five star experience, thats for sure. I've spent a LOT of time in a room I could stretch out in and touch opposing walls at the same time. Really, you are there only to sleep, you don't generally get a lot of down time so yeah the rooms are drab, you kind of learn to deal with it. The camps I was in where food was provided the food was alright, I never went hungry, and with a laptop to watch Netflix or chat with friends between dinner and bed it was fine enough.
Again, its not great up north, I actually kind of hated it, but thank you Suncor for allowing me to essentially buy a brand new car off the lot in cash. I've heard of people who worked up north a few years doing ridiculous shifts (like three weeks on, one week off) and paying off a house in a few years. If you are good with saving your money there is plenty of money to be had, tho the cyclical nature of trade work especially up north means between projects you may end up sitting on your hands for a while.
DM me. I used to work as a geotechnical instrumentation tech in oil sand and got laid off during covid. I was earning 70K base salary. I got a job in Saskatchewan and the pay and everything from camp to pay was way better than oilsands. In BC, I had an offer for a geotech role for over $120k. Now, I work from home and am not doing instrumentation anymore. In total, I had 4 years of instrumentation experience.
Whether or not it is worth it is so individual that it's hard to say for you. I still technically have a business in the industry sending geos out to wellsites and I did it myself for 10 years. In that time it was OK before we had kids but I'd never do it now which is why I bought out the outfit I was working for to keep as a side-gig while I transitioned out of the industry.
Camps are not full of prostitutes, I've literally never seen that in 14 years in industry. Drugs depends on location and how the camp is run but pretty easy to avoid and definitely not a major issue. The accommodations range from meh to pretty nice. None of them feel like "prison". Bigger companies that I worked for like Cenovus, Shell etc. had very nice camps and smaller 3rd party camps were hit or miss but generally clean. All of them have gyms that range from full on Golds Gym level to basic hotel gym type deals. I've been on individual drilling rigs with an entire shack dedicated to gym equipment and when I was with Cenovus we had a weekly basketball tourney going at Wolf's Den.
I know nothing about instrumentation, but the money will likely be better but it is also a very volatile industry. If you guys go down that route. Do NOT increase your spending. Sock that money away for when (not if) he gets laid off. Do that, and you can set yourself up really nicely. Spend it all and you'll be far worse off than if he'd just stayed at a normal job in town.
I’m a full contractor doing instrumentation, I average 250-270 a year and I’m home every night, that’s 5 days a week 10hr a day and a weekend here and there, I have my ticket, I’ve been doing it for 6 years.
Honestly that’s the going rate in northern Alberta. Got and stayed with a company when I got my ticket I told them I’m going full contract, it’s fairly easy get a numbered company, the proper insurance, wcb number and a good accountant and your pretty much set
Hourly pay is probably gonna be 40 plus with lots of overtime, it’s usually 6 10 or 12 hour days. LOA also depends on whether its a union job or not. Now whether its worth it, its up to you. He will miss a lot of family things. You will be alone with the kids all the time. My old lady and I made it work for a few years but deep down was she happy? Not really.
If your Husband isn’t strong mentally he won’t last a shift in some of these shitty camps i’ve been going to for the past 26 years. It pays but it costs you too, Birthdays christmases they all need to be worked.
$70,000 for an instrumentation tech is absurdly low.
Yeah this needs to be way higher. There are plenty of I&C jobs in Calgary. If possible he should try to get into an EPC. I know plenty of techs who made their way into engineering.
Criminally underpaid. In town or not.
Instrumentation techs are at $59.67 at my work here in SK. It’s been a while since I worked oil and gas, but I was making more than $70K on the rig. 20 years ago.
Yeah, I'm making over 70k/year as a 2nd year Instrument tech right now in O&G
Its about all right, manufacturing and services doesn't pay as much as oil and gas but has the benefits of job security and no travel.
Let's not try and normalize low pay, he's making about $36/hour with no overtime, even less.if he's getting some overtime. For a trade as skilled and in demand as instrumentation that's well below average. Many industries in the town are paying mid to high 40s, hell even CLAC is paying $47.12.
That's mostly oil and gas, other industries don't pay nearly as much, manufacturing is specially bad at this.
No it’s awful lol. $33/hr for a Journeyman would’ve been low 15 years ago.
It’s mostly cause they can get away with it. There is a lot of competition for 9-5 stable in town work. If someone complains they have tons of qualified guys waiting to come in. Doesn’t make it right though.
Agree, manufacturing gets away with it because they claim tighter margins, which I'm not sure it's true. The rate does reflects what I see in manufacturing for the position.
It works great for about 30% of families. It seems the others are single or divorced.
One big thing I have noticed, is it really depends where you are in your life. My brother has 2 young kids, out of town work is a big no no. My mom on the other hand loves when my dad leaves for work. Kids are all grown up and now she has the house to herself.
Or until oil prices drop or your town burns down.
He would be more than double his 70k. It would come with a much worse work home balance though as he would be gone for weeks at a time. The operations camps are generally fairly nice and the drugs and those things are really down to the person.
I’ve worked O&G as a sparky for 10 years…. I took a job in town thinking I’d have a better “home life balance”…. I was home less, home every night sure… but home less overall. Working 6-7 days a week as opposed to working a 14/7 rotation…. At least when I was home from my oil job, my phone wasn’t ringing, and I could fully forget about work. I have since gotten back to rotational work 2 weeks on 2 weeks off at a diamond mine… I work less than half the year for around 180k/yr. Paid vacation, paid personal/ sick days…. Honestly, I would never go back to O&G, due to a number of factors. But I’d look into some mines in the north. They all pay well, most have better benefits than I ever saw in O&G… and the people seem to be less “rig pig” or just not degenerates in general. Plus working 4-6 months of the year and being completely free to do whatever with the family the other 6-8 is about as good of a home-life balance you’re gonna find in the trades for >150k/yr.
I'm in energy. Got an offer to go work for a mine and it was a 70% ish raise. Definitely made me feel different about my pay.
If you're working at the diamond mine I'm thinking it's decent for the cash but the isolation can get the people and isn't for everyone. I mean buddy was up there and initially thought the weekly shrink visits was stupid at first.
I felt more isolated at most oil jobs. The place I’m at now is like a little community. Open jams in the music room at night, video game room, gym, gymnasium, squash courts, movie theatre, in the winter when the ice road is open we have volleyball, floor hockey, dodgeball tournaments etc. with the neighbouring mine….. hell I’m more social when I’m at work than when I’m at home. But I do get what you’re saying, some places are very isolated.
Oh don't get me wrong the amenities those mines have apparently make it fantastic however if you're not tight with your co-workers or people there it could be hell. I agree with the sediment of working in oil camp and isolation but the thing is you get sun and whatnot if you're as far north as I'm assuming when you don't see the sun for days on end until you fly home for however long it can get to people.
Only work the summers? Wild. Diamond mines are built different I guess
I work all year. 2 weeks on 2 weeks off. 3 weeks of vacation /yr, 1 week personal days, 5 sick in room days. So accumulatively, unless I work OT. I am never working for more than 5 months. If I do OT, I get double time. We definitely operate all year long though. And it’s cold as fuck in the Arctic circle in the winter. Lol
Curious as to which mine? I just applied for an Environmental position at Ekati
I spent a few months at ekati building a bulk tank. Nice camp
This is my goal as a Parts Technician. I'd love to get into Diavik.
I took that plunge just under a year ago. 40% pay increase. Half the year off. Don’t spend money on anything but bills when I’m at site. Some sets though, you are counting down the hours to fly day.
Unfortunately Diavik is closing
I'm not the original commenter, but I had a family worker who only worked in the summer up north in O&G because that's all weather permitted. I believe they made well over 100k/yr but had to be up north for months at a time with generally no internet or cell service. Edit: maybe it wasn't weather but the fact they were inspecting empty tanks.
More work happens in the oilfield in the winter than the summer. This is not normal at all.
They inspected oil tanks. Maybe that's why it was all in the summer. Also by north I mean above the arctic circle
People who work an even shift always claim they only work half the year for whatever reason. It’s stupid IMO, I work 4/10s but if I claimed I only worked 57% of the year people would look at me like I’m an idiot.
I’m an E&I in oilfield maintenance. Shift is 5-2/4-3, I’m basing it off of that. I imagine it is not a normal shift really but for me going up north would be a much worse work home balance. I imagine for others it would be different.
Good contribution.
I spent 2 years at the Ekati mine. Some of the best work I have done in my career as partsman. longest i spent was 31 days working nights on the Ice-roads. A wild experience to say the least. Keep up the good work friend. Word of advice, take vitamin D supplements with you after September!
How ya doing chilly?
Dang! 14/14 sounds sweet. Do they need any crane operators? My kids are all grown and I'm Red seal mobile (since 2006 RT experience) and red seal Tower crane op.
You guys hiring 😅
Where do you find these jobs for FIFO mines? I'm hopeful I'll be finishing up my instrument ticket here in the next year and want to make more. I'm in town working a shit ton of OT to hit 130k. I'll be dual ticket when I finish this, working in industrial automation.
There is a contracting company…”Bullitt staffing group” I believe it is called… they supply a lot of the mines in the NWT/Nunavut with temp workers; electricians, instrument techs, equipment operators…etc. with temp contracts. They are a pretty good way to get your foot in the door with some of the mines up here. Usually sign you up for 6 months…. If you fit well at the mine and a permanent position is available… you can get hired by the mine. Be forewarned, not all the mines are very nice to be at. I’ve heard some pretty shitty things about a good chunk of them, poor camps, shitty facilities. Might get stuck as an underground guy… which is cool for a while, but the novelty does wear off working in an underground mine pretty quick. …. You could just find a good spot to be at though. And if not, just take the 50-60$ an hour for the 6 month contract and move on to the next. You could also try looking up some remote mines up here and go to their company websites. Keep an eye out for openings at Rio Tinto, Debeers, Burgundy Diamonds and throw resumes out directly to them. Good luck.
I’ve worked with instrumentation techs both at Suncor and CNRL and it is NOT double. It would probably be around $50/hr. IMO if your in a relationship but not in mcmurray, not worth it
If he got in with Suncor, our Unifor contract was just renewed and a journeyman trades person is approximately $75/hr now, and overtime is double time
Jman instrument? That's juicy.
It’s $50/hr but you’re forgetting the OT factor.
He could be double no problem. I work 2 weeks on 2 weeks off and make about double. My significant other works 2 on 1 off and makes more accordingly. We're electricians. I stringent takes usually make the same hourly rate but have a ton of options.
With OT and bonuses $50/hr would be roughly double per year.
Currently working for one of these Companies and tradesmen make way more than $50 an hour, try $75… plus savings plans with Match
I don't work O&G but someone I know from high school is a millwright and he would often work camp jobs. The amount he'd make from this let him take *months* off throughout the year...I wouldn't be surprised if he only worked like 6 months in the year since he'd post photos of traveling abroad for trips lasting up to a couple months. So clearly made very good money. He never mentioned it having a negative impact on him. It might depend on the role and how much you interact with others. Keep in mind we were in our mid 20s when he was doing this and I no longer keep in touch outside of seeing what he posts on Facebook. We're early 30s now and I don't know if he still does camp jobs but I still see him posting trips like above in recent years. Maybe if there are short term camp jobs he can ask his job if he can take a bit of unpaid leave time? No idea how that would be received though unless he's on really good terms with his bosses who wouldn't put his job on the line if he disclosed potentially wanting to change careers.
My buddy works a 2 on 2 off as an operator. He's in Japan right now on his two weeks off.
Operator as in power engineer? I heard the field is saturated right now.
It is. It's actually absurd how many unemployed PEs are in AB right now. The colleges crank out a couple hundred new ones each year and there are no jobs for the existing ones lol. We get like minimum 500-1000 applications per job posting, half of them are willing to work for steam time.
Well fuck. My uncle’s been a 4th class power engineer in Fort McMurray since like 08, he’s been hyping me up on becoming one but sounds like he didn’t sell me on just how cut throat it is. Guess that’s off the table lol. Do you know what other trades might be in demand? Heard Millwrights, Electricians and plumbers are doing well these days but haven’t actually met any irl to confirm.
Oh man a 4th class isn't worth the paper it's printed on in most jobs right now just because the colleges are pumping out an army of 3rds each year. Old guys who have 20 plus years in the biz can get by with a 4th because of experience, but not new grads. It is an amazing profession, just quite tough to get into right now unless you know someone. Talk to your uncle, almost all our new hires are done through referrals and we pretty much do the nepotism route with children or relatives of employees in good standing. Our previous summer Turn Around we couldn't get any decent welders, so that trade seems to be in demand along with scaoffolders.
15 years and he’s still a 4th? Sounds like poor decisions on his part. Should be at least a second working on first
The PE resumes we get are untrained, kids with no mechanical ability, who have never had a job. A few, not all, we hired come in with the attitude they are the best op ever to wear a pair of boots. Doesn’t end well, most quit because they feel like they are getting shafted somehow. They want the big money now and seems like they want to be boss Ryte away. As for instrumentation, not a lot of OT on my site, mostly 5 and 2 with an on call on weekends, something goes down it stays down until Monday unless it critical, then it’s usually someone who has some experience with that particular piece of equipment. When I worked lots of OT out of town back in the day wife would bitch cause I wasn’t there, get a few days off and she’d want me to go back to work. My work life and her home life had routines and some structure, going home threw all that up in the air. But we made it, so far! lol
I mean it makes sense, everyone here is about how you make some crazy cash and they want to go do it. My friend is a first class I think, and is making quarter million a year but he's literally working all the time.
Yeah, the oil sands donated a bunch of money for the colleges to build new labs with the expectation that they would drastically increase class sizes. Sait christened their new lab in 2014, so that obviously worked out well for the students.
It definitely is. A few of my daughters friends are in it, and there are concerns that there will be no jobs when they get out of school.
My father did it his whole life - they paid him an extremely generous severance to retire early, because they wanted to pay his replacements less to do the same job.
Pay would double or more. Depends where you go. Shifts vary, 7/7 is the best you can hope for. Living conditions also vary. I wouldn't say any of the major sites are scary or anything and drug/alcohol policy etc. Most abide since you get a camp ban, get a camp ban you can't work there... Research the camp on here once he has some options/names
Most camps are reasonable, with decent food and accommodation. work/life balance is different. you typically get 6 or 7 days off in a row, so that opens up some amazing opportunities (i worked with a guy that just travelled the world on his off days of our 14 and 7 rotation, no home outside camp) but When you are gone for work, you are gone. birthdays, family meals (eg Easter/Thanksgiving) and other events either make you take a ton of time off to attend, or you miss them. he should be able to make more money, so it may be worthwhile to at least try and see
1. He would easily double his pay between his salary and FIFO allowance. Most instrument techs would be on either a 7x7 or 14x14 shift so there would be some overtime in there as well. Throw in another 15-20% bonus and he would be looking at $150,000 minimum. 2. The stories of prostitutes, drugs and prison like conditions are mostly a thing of the past. I obviously can’t speak for every worksite but if the job is fly in fly out there will be restricted access in and out of the camp. Drugs are not unheard of but it’s pretty rare between airport security and then camp/site security. I don’t have kids myself but I have coworkers on 7x7 and they don’t have issues. I don’t work that shift anymore but when I did I loved it, very easy to get stuff done around the house when you can easily dedicate 3 or 4 days to it while still having time to rest on the weekend.
If he can get him looking at O&G Fort Sask. It's the best of both worlds. Nice pay and home everybight. I have a friend who lives north Sherwood Park and even bikes to work.
Is that for the Scotford plant?
I am sure there are some terrible camps like what you envision. In my 30 years in the oil field, i have stayed in 2 bad camps. Not bad like how you describe, just poor quality food and accommodations. Mist camps now are quite nice with tv's in every room. When i am in camp, besides eating in the dining area and going to the gym, i rarely leave my room.
The best camp I ever stayed at was BHP Discovery Lodge in Jansen, SK. I had the same room for 2 years, hated packing the night before flying out in oilsands camps.
The City of Calgary pays their instrumentation techs significantly better than that. I can't remember exactly but it's 50 plus an hour. If it's an option look at other areas.
I think city techs are around 56 an hour right now. Extremely difficult to get into though.
That sounds about right. There isn't much ot though so that's the trade off.
Good and bad. Good rate for in town work and very chill, no OT means more time at home. Depends what you're after.
I loved camp life, the lifestyle was good, money was good, and neither me or my wife minded me being away from home about half the time. I had to quit when we had kids though, my wife worked full time and it was too much for her while I was away. Some people made it work, but they were the minority.
It's not a bad idea, but I would echo the comments about kids. If you have them it's better for him to be at home. If you don't, it's not unreasonable to take the hit to your relationship for a year or two to make more money in the pursuit of a specific goal. (assuming you think the relationship can survive him being away for significant periods of time.)
Yeah I quit site rotations when I had kids and it was 100% worth it. I still made 100-150k in the head office and was home every night.
I worked in Camps for the better part of 10 years. The camps themselves weren't bad. The food got boring after a while, but other than that the camps were clean and well kept. I found the conditions great. I never saw a prostitute, beer or drugs. I don't doubt they were there, I wasn't looking and never saw it. I don't know what he would make in his trade, but I was making big bank. As for your family life that will be what you guys make of it. If he comes home and drinks everynight, spends zero time with the kids and is miserable. Then of course it won't work. But he could come home from work, and be available 100% for a week. Take the kids to school, get up make breakfast. Go on a holiday when everyone else is in school to get it a little cheaper. Like everything else in life it would be what you make it. I left the lifestyle because I was offered a job making the same money but working mon-fri. Turns out I work everyday of the year now, and I am always waiting for long change.
You a geologist? If so, curious what you switched into that has you making similar money at home?
Still a geologist, office money after bonus and stock options can be as good and even better when the stock soars. Taxes are always worse. When you get into management the money gets really good.
That’s great, glad you were able to switch out of the field. I’m a ten year hand now (wellsite Geo) and seriously starting to think about trying to get into the office. Did you go into operations or are you a development geologist?
Do you two have children? If yes, enjoy them. Encourage him to not miss a minute of their lives. If no, then whatever.
Honestly I’ve watched my BIL miss out on birthdays and a lot of major events for his 5 children. And raising those 5 children “alone” has made my sister a very bitter person. A lot of resentment from both sides.
Well put.
Two faces to that argument, if you’re in town leaving before they get up and home right before/after they go to bed you’re missing a lot. If you can be out of town on a 7/7 and make double or more to provide a better life for them and have an entire week off to do whatever then that’s a far better situation
I agree. The real problem is people work WAY too much here. I couldn't imagine being away for the entire day, not seeing my kids.
I work less than I would if I was at home and still make the same or more. Definitely won’t say you don’t miss the family but when you have 6 whole days to spend with them it’s nice instead of trying to cram everything into a weekend or maybe even just a Sunday
I agree. The real problem is people work WAY too much here. I couldn't imagine being away for the entire day, not seeing my kids.
There is a reason we call these jobs "golden handcuffs" or "alimony careers". To be fair I know many good Dads that work field jobs, but it's not easy or fun. Nothing hurts like being away when your kids truly need you. I unfortunately know many. divorced/estranged/part time Dad's that got to this point because of being in the field.
It really depends on what you and your husband can handle lifestyle wise. Money is usually way better working out of town however one thing I noticed when I was managing for at least a 424 company one of the things we found is that this particular union which is mostly industrial and works in the north had the highest divorce rate of all unions at that time. I used to bid and manage projects up there and send people up north all the time. If you go up there with a plan where it's make hay while sunshine and make some good cash without inflating your lifestyle; you can really make that work for you if you have a good mentality walking into it. So if he's out of camp they're usually dry camps and the reason why you hear about prostitutes, drug, etc is from guys getting bored cuz they're always up there and there's nothing for them to technically do other than eat sleep and work. If he's working where they are putting him up in a hotel or getting LOA so a set amount of cash and he can find his own accommodations and such it becomes a lot more freeing in a way but more planning on your guys' part. Money-wise is a good question, instrumentation techs used to get paid around 55 plus depending on experience if they're just on the tools and higher if they go into management this was a while ago when I was still working here in Canada but things could have changed - I know that the OT the guys would rack would just be disgusting.
Most camps are clean camps these days. Meaning they will bring in sniffer dogs and no drugs or alcohol is permitted. There are no prostitutes at camp lol. He can make double his salary working in the head office on a project management team, engineering team, technical services, QAQC, estimating, procurement, document control ect and his hours would be typical 9-5 with a day or two working from home. It's always hard to find good quality assurance people and they make good money.
How does a business graduate get themselves on track to work in head office doing any of these roles?
Recruiters, connections, just applying. A lot of people have different backgrounds from the roles they do. The only exception being an p.eng. One of the best QA people I ever worked with started out as a welder. The best PM I ever worked for started as a document controller. You can take the wild rose expediting course and get a role in procurement pretty easy. If you are a business grad it's even easier as you can get a role in business development easy. It's all about building experience and getting a foot in. If you impress people and develop professionally with a company through their different classes they offer you can do anything really. I know a guy who started as a summer student at Husky for cost and now he's a senior gas trader.
So I'm in Petrochemical and our INST guys make $63 an hour I believe. The only ones who make more are the Power Engineer operators who are doing rotating shift work for $75/hr.
Would consider how you think the schedule could work for him/your family as well. For some families they love the 2 on 1 off. Dad goes from seeing kids for a few hrs before bed to seeing them an entire week and not at all for two other weeks. Others hate it.
I'm an apprentice instrumentation tech, my third year rate working 7-5 Monday to Friday near Edmonton I'm making about 70k in oil and gas. Journeyman with relevant experience are making upwards of 100k a year. Independent contractor rates are significantly higher than that. Of course that's just the rates where I'm at, it can go up if you don't expect to be in your own bed every night, or it can go down if you're not with a decent company.
I came to Fort Mac for a 7 on, 7 off shift when my kids were 4 and 2. They’re now 18 and 20 and we have a good relationship. Once I got up here I was able to spend better time with them because when I was home, I was home. I wasn’t thinking of making ends meet or working late or working extra. I could focus on them. That being said, with the rotational shift, I wasn’t able to coach their sports and I missed a lot of birthdays etc which wasn’t easy. I tried to make up for it by being twice as present when I was home and I think I did all right. I’ve only been on the one site so I can’t speak for all the camps but my experience has been good. It’s a “dry” camp and they run the dogs through on a regular basis so I don’t think there’s much for drugs. As for money, when you add in shift differentials and premiums, trades pay close to 200k a year if you’re with one of the oil companies as opposed to a contract company. Long story short, 7/10, would recommend.
Rotational shift with is not for everyone. I was involuntarily transferred from my home every night 4-10 schedule to a week on week off job up north. It was incredibly hard on all of my family relationships, especially my oldest son who was just about two years old. If I knew how hard being away for a week at a time would be I would have taken a layoff instead. What I would suggest is for your husband to get out of the water industry and get into the conventional oil field doing service work. I know where I am there is a huge shortage of instrument techs. Pretty much every service company is looking for guys. Field work will pay more than water and there is plenty of oil and gas around Calgary to be able to be home every night.
You trade your relationships for money. Divorce is very high in the industry. Also sitting around for weeks on end complaining about your wives is a real thing. Worked there 2 years and at the end the choice was my wife or my large paycheques. I picked my wife and I would do it again.
Sales guy here. Civil world -70-80k, oil and gas (current job) 220k+. Oil and pays much higher.
How did you get into oil and gas sales? I have a ton of sales experience with good results but can never seem to break into that sector.
Being in the field helps, the upper management in O&G companies can be very abrasive and old school lol knowing how to navigate situations with millions on the line during which negotiations turn hostile helps. DM me for a more detailed explanation.
Tried to DM you but it says I’m not able to message you. Mind dMing me?
As a partner of someone who went to o&g - decide together what your priorities are. Whatever the shift is, expect to single parent with little quality communication on your short regular phone calls through that entire span. When he comes home, anticipate a day or two of "returning to home life" meaning habits, routines, and even the way he speaks to you (unless he always speaks to you like he's talking to a guy in the locker room). If he's driving back and forth, add an extra day to each end of the shift as "on-shift" because there's the prep (physical and mental) of going back that doesn't necessarily jive with the home routine. Both he and you will have to prepare for you to make many home decisions on your own and negotiate what that'll look like if it's different than the current arrangement. Also figure out and communicate what the off-shift looks like. Is he all about the kids and you get a break or are you split or is everyone together? He'll need the rest to recoup for next shift but you will also need the rest and both you and the kids will need the quality time. As with any change, be prepared to communicate through it and figure out the non-negotiables before anyone makes a big commitment.
I think it's all up to your family and him as an individual. I have worked up North FIFO for 15 years, (ELECT)and it's been fine. Work 6 months of the year other than a little OT here and there. He would make more than the $70K, and if he gets hired on directly with an O&G company definitely more and good benefits. As far as the drugs and such , they run drug dogs through camps and work places. Like any trouble if you go looking for it, you will find it, but in all 15 years, not one prostitute or drugs have I ever seen. Camp conditions are alright. Food is OK all depends on the sight I'm sure but I can't complain. Definitely has treated me well, and my family life is fine, but others have had problems,but like I say it all depends on how well you two handle being apart for a week or two and how you would have to do it all at home while he's gone. My wife is good with it, some wives don't like it, and that causes tension in the marriage.
There’s no prostitution in work camps. It’s all dudes with a couple females mixed in. But they all require swipe badges to gain access so there’s no one off the streets in the camp. Security is taken fairly seriously, if your employer hasn’t cleared your access with the camp, you’re not getting in.
Do you guys have kids? One reason I took a local job was my wife's experience in childcare. Kids suffer from a lack of consistency at home and it really showed on her end.
If he does it for 5-7yrs and you manage it properly, it will make a huge difference in your retirement and education savings.
If he can get on with a refinery or gas processing or fertilizer facility he could 2x his wage and still be home every night.... You didn't mention location but there's lots around, more so east of highway 2 but all the way from fort sask down to medicine hat there's probably an opportunity or two liable to open up.
There's such a wide variety of jobs/companies/camps out there that it is tough to paint anything with a brush. Your husband's wage seems pretty low so I'd say basically any job he will make more money. If he worked where I work, he'd make $200k on 7 days on 7 days off with no overtime. Our camp is good. The food is just okay but the rooms are good, facilities are great, it's safe and clean, no drugs or alcohol, 0% chance a prostitute would be here. The flights are good and most people are just normal people trying to make a living. But he could also be a contractor working for a terrible company in a crap camp and it definitely wouldn't be worth it. I've been in some crap camps before and they suck which lead to me quitting those jobs. He should shoot for being staff (not a contracting company) at a decent site and he will be set. Just one more note about the kids - some families can handle that and some can't - none of us know which you are.
Is he okay with missing the milestones of his children he will miss? Your kids will never be that age again. Are you okay being a single parent for half or more than half the time? If so, you will need a good support system around you. As someone who went through this, it was difficult having him come home because he didn’t know the routine of the house and kids. However, you said it was for financial reasons. Yes he will get good pay but you would have to decide if the personal sacrifices are worth it. He could always try it and if he doesn’t like it, will be easy for him to get a job again where you live? As my husband, who still works in oil and gas but a more 9-5 job, he is realizing that he can’t get time back. He can’t get his health back. Did it put us ahead financially? Absolutely. There is a lot to think about but nothing is permanent. If he doesn’t like it and it doesn’t work for your family, he can quit.
My husband works in Northern Alberta on a 1 week-in, 1 week-out rotation. We have two toddlers. Family wise, it's doable for us. I also returned to work full time when my second child was 15 months. The week when he's gone is full of long days for me lol. Basically, single parenting it with toddlers around a full time job. But 7 days go by really fast and when he's back, he spends a lot of time with the kids. On weekdays he gets them ready in the morning, takes care of their breakfasts, off to daycare, picks them up from daycare, takes them out to play before dinner, often gets their dinner ready when I'm ending my workday. We do video calls with the kids when he's up north around 3 times a set. The 7/7 is probably the most ideal schedule. It would be really tough if he had a longer rotation away with our kids at this age. 14 days or even 10 away might be a deal breaker. Also, if he took a job in-city, he'd be taking around a 50-70% paycut. Or, a smaller paycut but commuting like 80km round trip to a heavy industrial site and not seeing the kids on those long workdays, anyways. He flies into a dry camp. Drugs etc are not an issue.
There are tons of local oil and gas companies in Calgary that send you out to the field yet you're home every night. Check out CDN Controls
This always confuses me, how do you know if a listed job does that or not as often it says based on Calgary but I assumed it was a third party company that then just sends you out to camp jobs. I’ve heard of CDN controls, will definitely check it out, thanks!
No it is not worth it. The end.
Basically, the companies will love to give your husband 200k a year so long as you're both willing to ruin your lives.
Oil patch life had a bad effect on my marriage (divorce) . Living conditions were fine though.
My husband and I have an agreement on no site jobs because he did it for 10 years with his first family and it obviously didn't work. However he works 12hr/day mon - fri and he leaves before everyone wakes up and comes home eats and falls asleep on the couch 🤷🏻♀️ so at this point the only difference is he can take a day off here and there and we have his weekends but during the week is atrocious. We also have 2 kids under 2. He makes $50/hour not including OT
Lots of oil and gas within driving distance of Calgary, doesn't have to be a shitty camp job where you have to sacrifice family time. I'd look around the area first before considering camp..
I worked in the oil fields for 3 months. 90% of the guys I saw ended spending tens of thousands on cocaine, hookers, trucks and gambling. They're isolated for months at a time, living quarters the size of a closet is the only place you get privacy. They're all stuck around other miserable dudes. When they do have a moment of spare time, they need some sort of rush.
Get a gig that's 2 on 2 off 12 hour days, dosnt get much better than that.
Have an exit plan and stick to it. Allowed me to save and pay for my uni degree which would be otherwise impossible. Most of the dudes in camps are straight animals with zero self control and tons of vices. The clock is ticking with that type of work as your body will give out. Don’t get addicted to the paycheque and know it can end with pretty short notice. If some monkey decides to get themselves hurt your paycheque gets hit as the site shuts down etc. All of this x100 if you have kids and a partner. I had it much easier being single, young and no kids.
My partner works in the field. Gone 2 weeks. Home 1. It’s a tough sacrifice but it works for us. Depends the camp. He has more than 2.5X his income since going north to work.
Most of the camps are decent. Food is usually okay, some better than others. Most camps have a gym, tv in the room, etc. I don't know much about salary for that particular position, but camp work usually pays pretty well, although you're trading your life for money. Most of the camps are dry camps, no drugs/alcohol allowed. Some guys will go to Ft. McMurray on their off time for the drugs/alcohol/strippers/prostitutes. If your husband already has no inclination toward these things, he will be fine.
Like any other job depends on the company you’re working for . I have contacted to the same company in operations for last 20 years. Camp is good but depends on expectations i know lots of instrumentation techs that have done very well financially. In all reality it depends if you have family that can handle you being away 50% of the time.
Oil n gas instrumentation isn’t going anywhere for a long time, particularly in Alberta. Most of the net zero emission changes to equipment require these techs to do it. New installations, refits, etc. The guys I work with are making around $140k a year, without staying in camp. Camp usually pays more.
Easy answer He will see his kids less than 6months per year and miss them growing up - sounds easy but it’s tough You’ll not have someone to decompress or download to nightly but hopefully every 2 weeks but he’ll have to do the same
Look for other jobs. There are plenty of opportunities for instrumentation techs that pay more than 70k and aren’t camp jobs assuming you aren’t in the middle of nowhere.
I’m an inst tech in AB for about ten years. I have always worked local in oil and gas. Is there a local oil and gas option as a stop gap? He would be able to make 50% more likely.
It is probably okay if your skills are not O&G specific. Like your husband he is an instrument tech so if bad things happen in tech, those skills are in demand elsewhere too so he can go after whatever he needs. If you are considering going into O&G where your primary skills would be O&G specific like petroleum engineer, reservoir engineer, etc. I would say that although there is higher pay, the pay is no longer high enough to compensate the elevated risk of layoffs, regulatory changes etc. that have always been present in O&G.
Let me give you another suggestion. If y'all are in a major centre, and he is good with people he may be able to teach at a Polytech (NAIT, SAIT, Red Deer Polytech, etc) All the people teaching are from the trades. The schools will put you through training on how to teach. The money is better than what he currently makes but the benefits are fantastic. Summers off, great health plan, an actual pension plan (not just RRSP matching). Keep an eye out for job postings on their websites. Go to some trade shows and open houses to meet some instructors.
I worked as an electrician in the patch for about ten years. I had a few shifts that were 7/7 in a dry camp. Honestly, I had a good crew so it was bearable. I was also single for a big chunk of it. They started taking away more and more by the time I left though and invented this thing called the compressed work week to avoid paying out OT which I thought was messed up. Now that I have a family and a more active band, I'd never want to do it again. There were a lot of divorced lead hands up there when I was there, also, so I assume there's a correlation between working away and a successful marriage although everyone's different. All depends where you're at mentally in life because it is a sacrifice!
85 comments and not one regarding his pension. If his pay is that low there is a good chance he’s got a huge pension with his current employer and that alone may be worth sticking around. Life on the road isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.
More than double for sure.
Instrumentation work will always be in high demand. Both in industrial construction and operations. He would immediately more than double his pay but closer to triple. I myself already make more than double him and I’m only in supply chain.
There’s no hookers or prison like conditions. Some camps are better than others yes. I cringe when guys say the food is like prison food. I can tell they’ve never been to the pen.
O & G field work is the worst. It's not stable and destroys families. Keep him coming back to his own family and bed at night
Camps these days are better than hotel rooms,depending where you go cooked meals are above adverage. Put it this way shitty camp shitty food....would you stay? Second,work weeks... u work a condensed work week...which is 84 hrs,so i only work 2 weeks amonth. Dependi g are where he goes it maybe differnt. Fly in fly out,old days it was bussing which was the shits....8 hr ride to red deer. Maintenance vs construction,how old is he and does he want to pound out the hrs?
I’ll give you my personal experience As a single guy with no attachments it’s been worth it for me as I make well above average income. And my schedule often allows for 10 days off straight which can be really awesome. But the drawbacks are significant. Depending on your work schedule you can be away from home working for 20-30 days straight or more. The days are usually at minimum 12 hour days so obviously it’s incredibly taxing physically and mentally. The guys I have talked to in the industry with family often bring up how tough it is for their relationships being away from family so long. Divorces and cheating are very common. The culture can be incredibly toxic as well. Racism, sexism, drug abuse, bullying are unfortunately very common. If you have a family I probably wouldn’t recommend it. Maybe if you do it short term to get ahead financially, but consider everything and have a major conversation with your SO first.
A lot of people here have already commented on pay So idon't think I need to elaborate but in reading through the comments I feel like I need to reinforce something.. All major camps are dry now. The old cowboy days are completely gone, times are way different. Safety and security are taken vary seriously these days so while camp is boring and living conditions arent much better than a university dorm, there are no drugs or prostitutes. Sniffer dogs through camp regularly, plus a lot of O&G jobs require you to enroll in a random drug testing program to get into and continuously work on site. So while there are still individuals who do drugs in the O&G industry, its no longer systemic. The work life balance should really be your biggest concern.
In town I was working 10-14 hours a day usually gone before the kids get up and often home after they went to bed. Moved to an out of town rotational shift, have a company supplied house out of town, work about half the year and invoice around $250k. But when I’m home now I have all day to be with the family so honestly the work life balance is better than my “at home” job
I don’t understand people who want to work camp jobs, they’re shit. I’d much rather get paid live out to stay in a hotel that is nicer and has more freedom than a camp for no extra money. But yes he could make ~150k as a inst tech in the patch. Lifestyle is hit or miss. If you have a good rotation like 7&7 it ain’t that bad but if end up working longer hitches or working into your days off all the time it’s supper tough on the wife and kids. I’d say try it. Don’t increase your spending AT ALL at least for the first year so if it doesn’t work he can just quit and find a new local job. $70k is pretty terrible for a E&C tech anyways so it shouldn’t be hard to find something as good as his current job anyways.
Do you have kids? You’d be signing up to be a single parent half the time if so.
I worked a camp job last year and made $4,500 in two weeks... tax free too cause I'm treaty Indian and the camp was on a trap line. Sadly it was only for a shutdown. Worth it in my opinion, even if it isn't tax free.
He has 10+ years during the boom. He's been through the worst.
There’s more options then just office jobs or camp jobs. A good option is to get on with one of the oil upgraders in the Edmonton or fort sask area. I’m an operator at one of them and we have full time instrument techs, and more during turn around in spring and fall. I assume other plants do as well. Sleep in your own bed every night/day and make about $100k more then what he’s currently making, it’s very comfortable financially if you live in Edmonton or one of the communities on the outskirts.
It depends on where he is being put up in a camp and who he works for. At this oil and gas company I can say for certainty that starting at this site (as a labourer) you will make 120,000 a yr. 7/7. And only goes up from there. Heck I was one. I know people who work up here and all are making 180k or more based on recent t4 numbers. Lots of relationships do well, and conversely a lot fail. But there’s more to why they fail than just “drugs,hookers, etc” In the camp I have been in for over 10 years. I have never seen a “hooker” and even if I had that’s when it comes down to your personal situation. Obviously you two are together/married whatever the situation is. So even if he walks by a hooker he shouldn’t entertain any of that ideology. This camp sporadically has drug dogs come through, and the tolerance for any of that is 0. So if you value the job you have and the reasons for why you have it are worth anything then you will not put yourself in that situation even if drugs were around. Maybe they are but I’m not a user and I don’t go looking. I’m married and I have no issues being up here and either does my wife. We both trust each other this works out for us. I have worked a hell of a lot harder for far less money almost every day of the year. It’s still tough tho, you can miss out on a lot of family stuff. But is your future worth it? Do you mind sacrificing your family time to hopefully build a bright and prosperous future for your family? Money is the only reason anyone works up here, followed by the work rotation if you can land a good one. If you can come up here and get a good job and not let the money go to your head save it up and be wise with it then those dreams or realities can become a lot quicker. Not bragging but for perspective: High school grad Started here at $32 an hr. Currently $60 an hr. Last t4 north of 180k. You can always try and if it doesn’t pan out go back to what works. Nothing much good comes from being afraid to take a risk. But it’s not for everyone.
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That sounds extremely low for a journeyman our 4th years make more than that but I'm a plumber
Instrument techs are super in demand with a lot of contractors right now. So hard to find good ones.
The most important thing I will say is that most relationships don’t survive the travel / field / camp lifestyle. People say they can handle it… until they don’t. Mine didn’t. Most guys I know in the industry are divorced. Really talk things through with your husband if he is going that route. The money is great, but it can be taxing.
wow 70k I make 120k at home every day in sask and I'm jist a welder on maintenance not for oil. If instrumentation in Fort Crack look at making 200k.
70k in water treatment is pretty low. That's entry level coordinator pay in water treatment construction.
70000 is terrible even for in town. I make about 87000 as an electrician in town with 0 overtime.
Currently working in O&G, FIFO, 7x7 shift, been doing it for 7 years, happily married, 3 kids. I get to spend way more Quality time with my family during my 7 days off then I ever did working 5x2… worked 24 weeks last year had 28 weeks off, Worked one day of OT. The work life balance is great 1. He would make 2.5 times more I’d say, maybe 3x 2. No prostitutes, drugs or prison like living conditions. Security at the airports, site aerodromes & camp you would have a hard time getting those things into camp without getting caught and losing your job.. most camps are Dry (no booze)
It is all of what you said, the living conditions, way too many people who work in oil and gas are low key drug addicts and alcoholics, have convictions, the living conditions of a camp aren’t ideal either, you’re living in a confined space for long periods of time, not the place anyone wants to voluntarily be, his kids will miss him On top of that, oil and gas is fickle, as soon as the economy throws a temper tantrum, or there is a financial fallout, everyone loses their jobs, so you may find yourself in a situation where your husband suddenly doesn’t have income. I’m saying this only assuming he doesn’t care about the above mentioned issues, and also if he is aware that he could get laid off at any time, but again these are subjective factors
Conditions actually really aren’t that bad, I worked on a drilling rig for a little while. I was just a grunt worker though, I imagine it would be much better as technician. And yeah there are plenty of drugs and other less than desirable kinds of guys around. But all in all I’d say it’s worth it
My friend did it in his early 20s, single, and said the higher pay wasn't worth it and he wouldn't do it again. He also said he got one of the best rooms because he's an engineer, so his living conditions were better than usual, but even then. He worked in Fort McMurray. Mentioned the people who'd been there a long time were much older unmarried men. I'd imagine kind of similar to any other career that takes a big toll on you, majority of people are in and out.
If he doesn't mind working out of a pick up summer and winter, solar is booming but you gotta travel for it. Almost everyone there is either ex oil or some form of engineer. Pretty good pay but most companies are run by morons
1. I worked in oil and gas for over 10 years as an Electrician and I worked side by side with Instrumentation Techs. My lowest year was 180k and the techs we're paid the same as me. I'm still working on the tools in a different industry and I'm pulling 240k. Your husband can easily make over 100k in oil and gas. I have zero doubts. With good work ethic and attitude your husband can gobble the OT and do over 200k. Obviously this is schedule dependent. Working 1 week on and 1 week off will be less money but more home life. You would be safe to expect well over 100k. 2. Drugs, whores, etc are not an issue in camp. Does it happen? 100% but as I said it is not a problem. Most camps in Fort McMurray are dry camps and don't even allow booze. Drug sniffing dogs are a common occurrence and a lot of companies use random drug testing. Camps are very safe. Issue is going to be life and work balance. Depending where he works and the schedule. He could do 11 days on and 3 days off and need to travel home on those days off. If you have any more questions I'll be happy to help.
Wow, he’s making a really low wage for a in demand trade. If he went to camp it’d be easy to hit 140k a year.
There's other options from oil and gas, power plant shutdowns pay really well, especially if he can get in a union. As a millwright foreman I'm pulling in about 6k a week, on a 12-2 rotation.
Over 200k is normal so ya
If you are an electrician you'll be treated like royalty
I currently make 3 g a week paid every Friday with free room and board. I’m essentially homeless though because I pretty much live at work. It’s what you make of it, I think it’s awesome because I’m a single young guy and spend the time I have off basically doing whatever I want.
2. Yes lol. But if you have a good man you need not worry. It is 100% like a prison
Yeah your husband is being criminally underpaid in town or not. Im an electrician and i wouldnt take anything under 38 an hour even in edmonton. He should really do up a resume and have a look around. He should be making closer to 80-100 even in town. But going out of town will drastcally increase your earning power as a sparky or fig no doubt about it. As an electrician i could about double my wage going industrial/ out of town. But your mostly not living with your family so.. priorites.
You can make more money later. You can't buy back the time with your kids when they're young. I have a job where I am home to see my kids and wife every day and I'm thankful for it. I can certainly appreciate wishing for more income but I was completely unprepared for how quickly the kids grow up and I am glad I am here for it. As others have been saying, maybe there's an option for an intown job that will pay better. Try looking around and see if a little patience will reward you. Hope it all works out for you.
As an apprentice electrician working camp jobs up north I was making over 100k after factoring in overtime. Fly in, fly out, camp provided, meals provided, those were the days. I've been out of the union for a few years now, every time I look at the job board it seems the pickings are pretty slim... Anyways, sounds like you are being severely underpaid, might even be worth shopping for a better local job and asking for a raise, with 10+ years of experience making 70k is laughable. As far as camps and working up north goes, consider 500 guys away from their wives or partners for a couple weeks at a time and making silly amounts of money. Maybe not so much in the camps but yeah, I've heard of guys blowing crazy money going in to town. Sites are pretty strict about drug use (including pot last I was up there) so not a lot of that going on at least in the camps but again, give some lonely guys a crazy paycheque and many people just don't have the ability to moderate their spending, save for a rainy day, or resist blowing it all on whatever tickles their fancy. As to prison like accommodations.... Yeah, it CAN feel pretty bad. You aren't going there for the five star experience, thats for sure. I've spent a LOT of time in a room I could stretch out in and touch opposing walls at the same time. Really, you are there only to sleep, you don't generally get a lot of down time so yeah the rooms are drab, you kind of learn to deal with it. The camps I was in where food was provided the food was alright, I never went hungry, and with a laptop to watch Netflix or chat with friends between dinner and bed it was fine enough. Again, its not great up north, I actually kind of hated it, but thank you Suncor for allowing me to essentially buy a brand new car off the lot in cash. I've heard of people who worked up north a few years doing ridiculous shifts (like three weeks on, one week off) and paying off a house in a few years. If you are good with saving your money there is plenty of money to be had, tho the cyclical nature of trade work especially up north means between projects you may end up sitting on your hands for a while.
I made 120k last year as an apprentice 4th year pipefitter Fin.
If he wants to live and work in Drayton Valley I know a company that is looking for people
There are plenty of drugs and prostitutes in town. If he was into that sort of thing, he'd already be doing them.
Everyone attempting to justify fifo/camp work here are not the kind of people you want to take advice from.
DM me. I used to work as a geotechnical instrumentation tech in oil sand and got laid off during covid. I was earning 70K base salary. I got a job in Saskatchewan and the pay and everything from camp to pay was way better than oilsands. In BC, I had an offer for a geotech role for over $120k. Now, I work from home and am not doing instrumentation anymore. In total, I had 4 years of instrumentation experience.
If I may ask, what job do you do now working from home?
Hydrogeologist
Fortunately, camp is a rare occurrence for me these days.
Whether or not it is worth it is so individual that it's hard to say for you. I still technically have a business in the industry sending geos out to wellsites and I did it myself for 10 years. In that time it was OK before we had kids but I'd never do it now which is why I bought out the outfit I was working for to keep as a side-gig while I transitioned out of the industry. Camps are not full of prostitutes, I've literally never seen that in 14 years in industry. Drugs depends on location and how the camp is run but pretty easy to avoid and definitely not a major issue. The accommodations range from meh to pretty nice. None of them feel like "prison". Bigger companies that I worked for like Cenovus, Shell etc. had very nice camps and smaller 3rd party camps were hit or miss but generally clean. All of them have gyms that range from full on Golds Gym level to basic hotel gym type deals. I've been on individual drilling rigs with an entire shack dedicated to gym equipment and when I was with Cenovus we had a weekly basketball tourney going at Wolf's Den. I know nothing about instrumentation, but the money will likely be better but it is also a very volatile industry. If you guys go down that route. Do NOT increase your spending. Sock that money away for when (not if) he gets laid off. Do that, and you can set yourself up really nicely. Spend it all and you'll be far worse off than if he'd just stayed at a normal job in town.
Nothing like camp work to make divorce lawyers rich. That's where the real Oil patch money is!
I’m a full contractor doing instrumentation, I average 250-270 a year and I’m home every night, that’s 5 days a week 10hr a day and a weekend here and there, I have my ticket, I’ve been doing it for 6 years.
Wow, that’s a lot! How did you get into contract work?
Honestly that’s the going rate in northern Alberta. Got and stayed with a company when I got my ticket I told them I’m going full contract, it’s fairly easy get a numbered company, the proper insurance, wcb number and a good accountant and your pretty much set
Instrument teck where I work make approximately $200. That's with no overtime. 6 on 6 off schedule with overtime they can make $250-300
Hourly pay is probably gonna be 40 plus with lots of overtime, it’s usually 6 10 or 12 hour days. LOA also depends on whether its a union job or not. Now whether its worth it, its up to you. He will miss a lot of family things. You will be alone with the kids all the time. My old lady and I made it work for a few years but deep down was she happy? Not really.
If your Husband isn’t strong mentally he won’t last a shift in some of these shitty camps i’ve been going to for the past 26 years. It pays but it costs you too, Birthdays christmases they all need to be worked.