Working in the Canadian oil sands: 6 figures in 6 months! - Printable Version

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Working in the Canadian oil sands: 6 figures in 6 months! - Vacancier Permanent - 04-19-2012

That's awesome man! Congrats! Can't wait to reach those levels! That kind of coin sure would finance a great lifestyle and leave plenty for biz opportunities and developpments....

Quote: (04-19-2012 09:52 AM)scotian Wrote:  

Quote: (04-18-2012 03:16 PM)Irishman Wrote:  

If you dont mind me asking Scotian what is the rough amount you would make during a 24 day shift?

Thanks

All depends on the amount of hours I work per week, roughly $3500-5000 after tax each week, so after a 24 day hitch I should pocket about about $13-16K, I'm still an apprentice, my journeyman will be making around 20K.

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Working in the Canadian oil sands: 6 figures in 6 months! - scotian - 04-20-2012

Quote: (04-19-2012 06:00 PM)zeeman Wrote:  

Hey I was wondering if anyone knows of the situation in Saskatchewan? I heard places like Estevan, SK is what fort macmurray was 5 years ago and things are ramping up with exploration not only in oil but mining and other natural resource extraction industries. I've checked some job postings and searched the internet a bit, seems a lot of jobs list only 40 hrs a week and are in a mad hiring season for oil, gas, etc. From what I understand living in Saskatchewan is significantly cheaper then living in the major cities of alberta and fort macmurry, and if they pay the same with similar hours, going to saskatchewan is the place to go.

That's true, Estevan is like a mini-Fort Mac right now, a friend of mine worked at the Saskpower plant there on a recent shut down and told me its busy, but its a dump of a town and the housing isn't all that cheap.

I'd rather pay the extra $200-400 per month to be based out of Edmonton than anywhere in Sask to be honest. Maybe I'm being a bit harsh, but to me, Sask has all of the shitty aspects of Alberta: very cold, flat prairie, small town hick culture (ever watch Corner Gas?), reserves everywhere, etc. But it has none of the good Alberta qualities (mountains, chinooks in Calgary, NHL hockey, no PST). If you're not a city type and you want to live in Alberta, consider either Cold Lake or lloyminster, both smaller towns and are very busy with oil and gas, and cheaper than Fort Mac or the big Albertan cities.

I'm sure you'll do well if you decide to relocate to Saskatchewan, it IS busy, the people are very down to earth there and the girls a lot nicer and approachable than Alberta, but I would rather live in Calgary/Edmonton than Regina/Saskatoon, I would surely go bonkers in a town like Estevan.

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Working in the Canadian oil sands: 6 figures in 6 months! - Crow - 04-20-2012

I just moved back up to Fort Mac last week. I've lived here on and off since 1990, grew up here. The town has changed a lot of the years. Right now I travel in the winter and work in the summer. I got a job as soon as I walked into the union hall in Edmonton(millwright union). They need 85 guys right now for various shutdowns.
I'm on the 6 and 6 shift, starting nightshift tonight.
I've been off work since August, travelled through the states and central america, spent every penny I made last summer!

To those looking to come up here: Find a job first! Many people arrive and then struggle to get on at site because they haven't gone through the steps to join the union and wait for a call.

I hear the pipefitters union is taking in new applicants with no experience to get their numbers up. Pipefitting is 4 year trade and the work isn't that bad.

I would say that it's not worth it to move up here unless you are interested in pursuing a trade, or driving heavy equipment.
Also, the real estate game is pretty big up here, although I'm not sure if the market is in as much of a boom as it was 2 years ago.

If anyone has any questions about Fort mac in general I might be able to help.

And what scotian says about the money is true, its great!

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Working in the Canadian oil sands: 6 figures in 6 months! - Jayman77 - 04-21-2012

Well I've made up my mind, and I'm definitely going for this. As soon as i get my G.E.D I'm heading out there, which will probably be around Christmas. I've decided to pursue a career in welding, since there's a lot of welders in my family. I'm glad to hear they get payed well out there.

also if you don't mind me asking, what trade are you in? i think i read the wrong post, but it said you were still an apprentice making over a 100k??

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Working in the Canadian oil sands: 6 figures in 6 months! - Jayman77 - 04-21-2012

oh and I almost forgot. You said company's will hire you as a laborer and let you prove yourself before they offer an apprenticeship. Let's say I find one in fort mac that's willing to do this, would i have to relocate there? I would love to just rent a cheap place in Edmonton and live there on my off days, then drive up to work and live in a camp while I'm there. Do most of these companies offer camps for laborers and apprentices? I apologize if you've already answered this before.

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Working in the Canadian oil sands: 6 figures in 6 months! - scotian - 04-21-2012

Quote: (04-21-2012 02:11 AM)Jayman77 Wrote:  

oh and I almost forgot. You said company's will hire you as a laborer and let you prove yourself before they offer an apprenticeship. Let's say I find one in fort mac that's willing to do this, would i have to relocate there? I would love to just rent a cheap place in Edmonton and live there on my off days, then drive up to work and live in a camp while I'm there. Do most of these companies offer camps for laborers and apprentices? I apologize if you've already answered this before.

If you drive up to Fort Mac and look for work there, you will likely be hired as a local, some companies offer living allowances or housing incentives, but probably won't for a labourer. You'd likely work in town or on-site and be home every night, so that may interest you because you could still have a social life (well as much as you can in a city like Fort Mac). You can also move to Edmonton or Calgary and be hired for a Fort Mac camp type job and fly in and out on a rotation, that's what I'm doing now. As for my trade, I don't want to post it on a public forum with so many lurkers, but I will say that I'm a member of the United Association pipefitters union, so I'm sure you could figure it out from there (hint: not only pipefitters are UA members).

Anyway, I just started this pipeline job about 100 kms east of buttfuck nowhere, its brutal, the weather sucks (still snowing, cold at night) and the mud is insane, oh well, 100 hours a week is what I signed up for.

I'll post some pics of the camp I'm staying in soon

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Working in the Canadian oil sands: 6 figures in 6 months! - DerMul - 04-21-2012

Quote: (04-12-2012 01:59 PM)Irishman Wrote:  

Hey guys good to hear a few are on the way or already there.

I have had to put off moving there for a while yet. One my visa has still not been approved fully. It keeps getting delayed and it has now been 3 months waiting approval. Secondly I have been offered a sweet summer job back home so am going to use that to save up some more before I leave plus its a great job with lots of gaming and fitness opportunities. I have moved my flights out to the early september now.

Will be interesting to see how the others get on how will be there before me. Fair play to everyone who has the balls to make the move.

I have not been using the forum to much the last few weeks but once I start using it more Ill be sure to add in anything of value I find.

Peace

Hi Irishman

Did the IEC give you a reason as to why your visa is being held up?
I have my flights booked for 20/06 from Shannon / London to Calgary.
I paid for my visa two weeks ago so I'm just waiting to hear back from them.

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Working in the Canadian oil sands: 6 figures in 6 months! - scotian - 04-22-2012

pics from my camp room:

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Working in the Canadian oil sands: 6 figures in 6 months! - scotian - 04-22-2012

Pics from my camp room: some good reading material there and nasty vinegar shit

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Working in the Canadian oil sands: 6 figures in 6 months! - scotian - 04-22-2012

Pics from my camp room: as you guys can see, its not luxury living but something similar to a college dorm.

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Working in the Canadian oil sands: 6 figures in 6 months! - scotian - 04-22-2012

I'm so busy on this current job, I don't even have time to eat my supper in the dining hall, I have to get it to go an have it in my work truck. On the menu that night: lemon pepper cod, pork chop, tex-mex chicken, steamed veggies and some side salads, I didn't bother with the rice, pasta and potatoes.

Its basically all you can eat in the dining hall and yes, all you can drink chocolate milk!

[img][/img]

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Working in the Canadian oil sands: 6 figures in 6 months! - NeVerGymLess - 04-22-2012

Do any of the guys still work out at night or have to gave up the weight lifting lifestyle ? My company is paying for my crane ticket and class 1 right now. Might ask to send me up to Fort mac once I finished my training.

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Working in the Canadian oil sands: 6 figures in 6 months! - scotian - 04-22-2012

Quote: (04-22-2012 08:37 AM)NeVerGymLess Wrote:  

Do any of the guys still work out at night or have to gave up the weight lifting lifestyle ? My company is paying for my crane ticket and class 1 right now. Might ask to send me up to Fort mac once I finished my training.

Lots of guys work out in the gym after work, depending on the camp, some have classes for kick boxing, yoga, spinning, etc. I'll post a pic of the gym in the camp I'm in later. Good job getting into crane operation, great trade: "lift high and lay low".

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Working in the Canadian oil sands: 6 figures in 6 months! - Screwston - 04-22-2012

Now why can't North Dakota have little dorm rooms like that

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Working in the Canadian oil sands: 6 figures in 6 months! - scotian - 04-22-2012

Here's some pics of the gym, nothing too fancy but has everything you need; cardio, squat rack, free weights, etc. This is a small camp, about 700 man, the bigger ones have better gyms. They also have a "women's only" gym here, by the looks of some of the whales I've seen floating around here, it doesn't get much use!

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Working in the Canadian oil sands: 6 figures in 6 months! - scotian - 04-22-2012

[img][/img]

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Working in the Canadian oil sands: 6 figures in 6 months! - irish crane - 04-22-2012

Hi Scotian,
Firstly thanks for the thread and all the time you've spent on it,makes for some very interesting reading from where I am.
I'm a 33 yr old tower crane driver from Ireland and am looking to follow this guide and get work in the tarsands.I think the best route for me would be to get an apprenticeship to get my journeyman and am wondering how to best go about this.Is it just a case of getting myself over there and applying like you say?

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Working in the Canadian oil sands: 6 figures in 6 months! - Bad Hussar - 04-22-2012

Great thread Scotian. I think you've put in more work here than anyone else has in any other single thread.

Just curious how flexible companies are about the rotation for camp jobs in your experience. If you're hired initialy on a 7/7 shift, say, will they ever agree to something like 14/14 or ideally 24/11 (if they pay O/T). To me the 7/7 rotation is no good unless you live in Edmonton or Calgary. Otherwise the constant travelling from Calgary to wherever will cost too much and not give you enough time there to even make it worth your while.

I'm talking about direct hires with companies like Suncor or Canadian Natural, not contractors, if that makes any difference.

Lastly, out of curiosity. Do the charter flights from the remote camps to Calgary acctually terminate at YCC's main terminal, or another airfield/part of the airport?

Cheers.

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Working in the Canadian oil sands: 6 figures in 6 months! - scotian - 04-23-2012

Quote: (04-22-2012 03:07 PM)Bad Hussar Wrote:  

Great thread Scotian. I think you've put in more work here than anyone else has in any other single thread.

Just curious how flexible companies are about the rotation for camp jobs in your experience. If you're hired initialy on a 7/7 shift, say, will they ever agree to something like 14/14 or ideally 24/11 (if they pay O/T). To me the 7/7 rotation is no good unless you live in Edmonton or Calgary. Otherwise the constant travelling from Calgary to wherever will cost too much and not give you enough time there to even make it worth your while.

I'm talking about direct hires with companies like Suncor or Canadian Natural, not contractors, if that makes any difference.

Lastly, out of curiosity. Do the charter flights from the remote camps to Calgary acctually terminate at YCC's main terminal, or another airfield/part of the airport?

Cheers.

There's lots of different rotations available and it really depends on the site, once you're experienced and have qualifications, you can pretty much negotiate your shift. I'm currently on a 24 and 4 schedule, they're brutal but that means I can take off half the year. I've worked them all, month on month off was pretty good but a month is a long time to work.

As far as getting to Fort Mac from Edmonton or Calgary to work, the companies pay for everything and the flight is only 45 minutes. For example, when I worked at CNRL on a 2 weeks on & 1 off rotation, I'd get to the Edmonton international airport at 7:30 (the flight centre is behind the main airport at a small terminal, same deal in Calgary), be on the plane by 8:00 and on site by 9:00. I'd check into my camp room and be at work by around 10-10:30, and of course all that travel time is paid, even my half hour drive to the airport, same deal with the flight back.

You're right 7/7 sucks if you're flying somewhere else after that, Vancouver or elsewhere isn't bad because you can fly direct from the Fort Mac airport and its only an hour flight, and since BC is an hour behind, you don't lose time. Flying east is a different story.

Also, lets say that you live in Vancouver or Toronto or somewhere far away and your company won't pay your flights (most will at least give you a flight allowance, especially for senior guys), you can claim the costs of those flights on you taxes every year and you'll get most (maybe all?) of that money back. Its called the T2200 form and you can find more info here: http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/E/pbg/tf/t2200/

And all companies pay OT (some time and a half, others double, like mine), I'm pretty sure its illegal not to after 40 hours. So if you work seven 12 hour shifts, thats 84 hours, so 44 should be OT hours.

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Working in the Canadian oil sands: 6 figures in 6 months! - scotian - 04-23-2012

Quote: (04-22-2012 02:34 PM)irish crane Wrote:  

Hi Scotian,
Firstly thanks for the thread and all the time you've spent on it,makes for some very interesting reading from where I am.
I'm a 33 yr old tower crane driver from Ireland and am looking to follow this guide and get work in the tarsands.I think the best route for me would be to get an apprenticeship to get my journeyman and am wondering how to best go about this.Is it just a case of getting myself over there and applying like you say?

Its best to do your homework and see if your qualification will be recognized over here first, if so, then you may be eligible for the Alberta Provincial Nominee Program under the skilled worker category:

http://www.albertacanada.com/immigration.../ainp.aspx

Employers from both Alberta and Saskatchewan have been going to Ireland to poach you guys, and I can assure you that you'll be welcomed out here, check out the Saskatchewan site too:

http://www.aeei.gov.sk.ca/immigration

Even if your quals aren't recognized, you are eligible for a youth work visa for 2 years in Canada (but hurry up because I think once you're 34 you can't do it, I posted the link on an earlier page of this thread).

Both places have booming resource sectors and a very bright future for anyone who decides to move there.

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Working in the Canadian oil sands: 6 figures in 6 months! - Bad Hussar - 04-23-2012

Thanks for the insight Scotian. Much appreciated. Good to know that travel between Calgary and the camps doesn't usualy involve any waiting around doing nothing.

24/4 sounds really brutal. But as you say if you're only doing 6/7 of those rotations and take the rest of the year off it could be worth it. For me the 24/11 sounds best since with 11 days free you can pretty much travel anywhere in the world and have at least 7 full days there. Even to the other side of the world.

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Working in the Canadian oil sands: 6 figures in 6 months! - irish crane - 04-23-2012

Thanks Scotian,that's some handy info.
I have emailed the albertans to see how recognised my quals are so hopefully I'll get a positive response.
There's hardly many tower cranes on the sands,all crawlers and mobiles yeah?

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Working in the Canadian oil sands: 6 figures in 6 months! - scotian - 04-23-2012

Quote: (04-23-2012 10:42 AM)irish crane Wrote:  

Thanks Scotian,that's some handy info.
I have emailed the albertans to see how recognised my quals are so hopefully I'll get a positive response.
There's hardly many tower cranes on the sands,all crawlers and mobiles yeah?

I'm not sure which types of cranes are out here as I'm not too familiar with the trade, all I know if that there's lots of cranes out here, big ones and small ones. These are the three biggest crane companies that I see out out here:
-http://www.mammoet.com
-http://www.myshaksales.com/
-http://www.sterlingcrane.ca/

Also, most of the crane operators work under the International Union of Operating Engineers, local 955, check them out too: http://www.iuoe955.com/

I remember last year I was on this job and a big Mammoet crane broke and they had fly in a guy to fix it all the way from Holland, I imagine he made a few bucks to do so, so if anyone is interested, crane mechanic is probably a pretty good trade too!

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Working in the Canadian oil sands: 6 figures in 6 months! - Vacancier Permanent - 04-23-2012

Hey man, it's great to see another guy here who works there. Great advice on joining a union first...but for someone fresh in the game, how would one go about that? Would you suggest to go straight to their head office and ask to be registered even without being part of their trade at the time but looking to get into it? Can you shed some lights into that?

Scotian,
Thanks for posting pics of your room at the camp, it really gives a good idea of what to expect.

Has anyone else from here made the move to AB or is about to make it in the nexg 1-3 months? I'm ready to pull the trigger and go soon...

Quote: (04-20-2012 07:23 PM)Crow Wrote:  

I just moved back up to Fort Mac last week. I've lived here on and off since 1990, grew up here. The town has changed a lot of the years. Right now I travel in the winter and work in the summer. I got a job as soon as I walked into the union hall in Edmonton(millwright union). They need 85 guys right now for various shutdowns.
I'm on the 6 and 6 shift, starting nightshift tonight.
I've been off work since August, travelled through the states and central america, spent every penny I made last summer!

To those looking to come up here: Find a job first! Many people arrive and then struggle to get on at site because they haven't gone through the steps to join the union and wait for a call.

I hear the pipefitters union is taking in new applicants with no experience to get their numbers up. Pipefitting is 4 year trade and the work isn't that bad.

I would say that it's not worth it to move up here unless you are interested in pursuing a trade, or driving heavy equipment.
Also, the real estate game is pretty big up here, although I'm not sure if the market is in as much of a boom as it was 2 years ago.

If anyone has any questions about Fort mac in general I might be able to help.

And what scotian says about the money is true, its great!

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Working in the Canadian oil sands: 6 figures in 6 months! - irish crane - 04-24-2012

thanks man

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