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8 reasons why you should work in the oil and gas sector

Written by: Georgina Bloomfield
Published on: 28 Jul 2016

If you’ve seen other articles on the E&TJ website, you’ll recognise similar posts about why you should work in various sectors within the engineering industry. This time it’s all about oil and gas. There are concerns that the industry isn’t long for this world due to global crude oil shortages. However, it’s not time to start panicking yet. There’s still a lot you can get out of working in the oil and gas industry.

You WILL be busy

As previously mentioned, there are lots of concerns surrounding this sector due to global shortages and the demand for renewable energy increasing. At present, the industry provides three quarters of the UK’s primary energy, and it’s expected to double production in the next 15 years. As well as this, the world of oil and gas is all about tapping into the world’s resources, and there will always be a need for people to do this, whether it’s for sustainable energy or using the current methods. Technology is constantly expanding in this area, so you’ll always be learning new things. Even if resources ran out a year from now, you’d have loads of transferrable skills you could transfer onto new and developing areas of the industry.

There’s plenty of various work surroundings

When you think of the oil and gas sector, oil rigs offshore and using heavy machinery may come to mind. For some, this is a perfect work environment (especially if you hate office life) with lots of variation. However, many jobs in oil and gas are based in labs and offices, so you have a good choice of which work environment you prefer, which a lot of jobs can’t offer.

You only need to work for half of the year

Disclaimer: This doesn’t apply for all jobs in the oil and gas sector. If you’re based in an office, you’ll most likely be doing core office hours (9-5 Monday – Friday). If you’re based offshore on an oil rig, you’ll be working for long hours and extended periods of time; 12-hour shifts for maybe up to six weeks. But, once you’ve completed this intense course, you’ll get the same period of time off work, which means you’d only work for half of the year. Winning!

You can really earn the big bucks

Most salaries for experienced workers in this sector exceed £50,000. If you’re starting out as a gas engineer, you can earn up to £30,000 once you’re qualified. There’s a lot of opportunity to grow and climb the career ladder in this sector, and you can even earn £150,000 and higher as a drilling consultant!

Tech, tech and more tech

The industry uses the most up to date state of the art technology to get top results. You’ll always be learning new methods of technology and how to utilise it in the best possible way. By developing your knowledge as you work in the sector, you’re constantly adding new strings to your bow.


Your educational background could be more useful than you think.

Due to rising apprehensions over sustainability, the industry needs as many people as possible to suggest how to continue to get fuel for this planet. If you’ve come from a background of environmental studies, you could easily work in this sector. It’s an issue that’s never going to disappear, and solutions need to be reached as soon as possible.

You can travel the world

It’s not just the UK that needs oil. It’s demanded from all over the globe, and once you’re trained and experienced enough, the world is your oyster. You’ll have the option to travel anywhere you wish to. If you’re working offshore, there are various locations you could work too.

Training opportunities and other benefits

The oil and gas sector is rife with training and development opportunities. Many employers provide excellent training for their staff because they want to keep their talent. A lot of employers will also offer other perks such as bonus schemes, good pension plans, private healthcare and dental care, childcare support and more.

Still interested? There are lots of skills you’ll need if you want to enter this field of work. Firstly, a degree in a relevant field will be to your advantage. If you have a background in electrical or mechanical engineering, you’re off to a good start. It’s also extremely important that you have an awareness of the latest health and safety procedures in the industry. A lot of the offshore work is dangerous, so you won’t even get considered to get sent there if you’re not clued up.

You don’t have to go straight to the biggest companies either. You can work your way up through smaller companies so you can gain the best experience possible. As the oil and gas sector starts to develop even more, these smaller companies will grow with the sector and be extremely valuable places to work.  

Why not have a look at the jobs in oil and gas we currently have on our website here. Don’t forget to come back regularly to see new job postings. If you don’t want to miss out, follow us on Twitter at @EandTJ.