Interview for oil industry position - Aberdeen, Scotland 1

[ScottyUK]

I've picked up an interview for an onshore engineering position up in Aberdeen with one of the offshore facilites management companies. I'm a Chartered Engineer with roughly 10 years experience in power generation looking to jump industries so I'm happy enough with the general electrical engineering aspects of the role and with the needs of a continuous process industry. I'm looking for some hints on what industry-specific topics I should research prior to my interview. I'm not trying to become an expert, but some familiarity with the terminology of the industry would be useful.

Any information about Aberdeen as a place to potentially relocate to, and anything which would help me in the salary / benefits negotiation would be greatly appreciated.


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Sometimes I only open my mouth to swap feet...

 

[atlas06]

Hey scotty, I take it you mean Aberdeen scotland; not Aberdeen, Maryland in USA (home of the US army proving grounds), right? Can't insert that smiling face here.

Looking for Hints?: go for the words "bio", "Green". since you're in power generation, you'd be better off looking into the green energies, bio-fuels and the likes.
My guess is that you must have a lot of winds in Aberdeen which may be good for wind energy or do they grow sugar cane in Aberdeen for bio-fuels? nah!!
Well, hope it won't be winds out of bag pipes for you(keep smiling).

May be you did not get a good hint from me but I hope you that you got a smile. With 10 G's experience, go on and interview them instead of them interviewing you. when an engineer has 10 years of experience, he is the most sought after engineer . Experienced, still young, not too expensive, fantastic, you are looking like James Bond (do you?) at this point in your carreer. Be fearless and they will be at your feet, you don't need to know it all, the employers are at your mercy, especially if it involves moving to...Aberdeen.

 

[zdas04]

Actually, most of the companies I know of operating out of Aberdeen are the multinational "majors" (if that word still means anything) since it is still so very expensive to operate in the North Sea. All of the majors are being pressed very hard to move further into green energy sources (BP is the worlds largest producer of solar panels for example). Conversations about "renewables" might work.

Get a feel for the units we talk in. I've worked with a bunch of the North Sea guys and it is not uncommon to hear them talk about "scufs" and mean "standard cubic feet" or "barrels" and mean 42 US gallons. Then the next guy will revert both gas and liquid measurement to cubic meters. If someone says their platform produces 50 million scufs/day (or MMCF/day, same thing) you just need to know it is a pretty big number, but not really huge for the North Sea.

When I've interviewed people changing from another industry into Oil & Gas, they got points for learning a few basic terms, but it wasn't deal killer if they didn't. The ones I always invited to leave were the ones that acted like they really wanted to stay in Power Generation, but the pay sucked so they were willing to prostitute themselves in Oil & Gas for a few years to pay off their student loans. If you're serious, show it, act like you made a mistake for the last 10 years and the shades have been removed from your eyes and your new dream is Oil & Gas. It doesn't have to be that blatant, just don't act like you're "settling".

David

 

[gerhardl]

Hi Scotty,

Suggest: search also homepages for the two main competitors to the one you are going to visit, especially their homepages for vacant positions, and coming technical development projects.

With your background also: power supply to offshore installations, generated onboard or cabeled from land (if relevant) or supply ships power systems (if relevant).

Also suggest recent development of subsea constructions and subsea construction development and cabling (opposed to onshore, platforms and ships).

While you are at it: why not check for positions and wages on the Norwegian side of the North Sea, where at the moment there is a general,larger shortage of qualified offshore (and all other typoes) of engineers. English would be the working language, or project posting in englishspeaking countries could be an option.

Could at least bring in some negotiating points.

Best wishes!

 

[Ussuri]

Aberdeen as a place is not too bad to live in. Its big enough to have pretty much everything you would need (population around 210,000) and small enough that you can be in the countryside in around half an hour.

The city itself is built more or less entirely from Granite, making it very grey. Add to that the dull (driech) weather it can seem permenantly grey. Plus cold too, 1.5 degrees this morning with a touch of snow. I have heard a lot of people call it miserable.

House prices are above the average with a major shortage of suitable properties. Nowhere near London though. We have reached the stage people are now queing and living in their car for a week just to get a chance of buying a new build. I think renting is not much better with a good two bed flat running in at circa £1000 PCM.

There is a massive shortage of qualified engineering staff in Aberdeen so it worth knowing what else might be available. One thing I found though was that although there is a shortage they will still not take just anyone.

Traffic in Aberdeen is terrible. It takes me on average 45min to drive 6 miles in the morning. I could cycle, but dont fancy taking my life into my hands.

Salaries in O&G tend to be higher than their couterparts in other industries, with a lot of positions filled by contract staff.

The North Sea output is on a downturn with big drops in oil production since the heyday and gas following suit in a number of years. However, due to the oil industry Aberdeen has become a centre of excellence so both BP and Shell are building new offices, so this is an indication that they plan to keep a major presence here. There are no new platforms being built that I am aware of so most of the topside work is likely to be modifcation, repair and maintenance. The subsea industry is growing at the moment especially with the move to deeper and deeper water.

A couple of links which may be useful, the website of the council which is full of facts and figures. The local newspaper, which has a specific energy section. The offshore europe page, a two yearly exhibition to showcase oil and gas (dont look for a house when its on)

http://www.aberdeencity.gov.uk/ACCI/web/site/home/home.asp

http://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/index.jsp

http://www.offshore-europe.co.uk/

 

[prohammy]

Interesting one Scotty.

I've been tempted a few times to have a look at these sort of positions myself (my design experience is a nothing to do with O&G) especially on the contract side, the rates are always quite high compared to here in East Mids. However, I've never actually got round to talking to an agent about it even though I have dealt with one or two of the agents who advertise on Jobsite.

The one thing that puts me off is the whole issue of relocating....its a long long way up north from here.

After saying that I plan on keeping an eye on this thread to see what the general concensus is.

Kevin Hammond

Mechanical Design Engineer
Derbyshire, UK

 

[TPL]

Depends where you are based in the UK - Aberdeen is a looong way away and popping done to see relatives at the weekend might not be practical (which could be a good thing!!)- it would be a 10 hour drive each way for me, or a 75 minute flight which I couldn't afford (>GBP100 a head for myself, wife and 3 kids) + car hire.

Check the salary carefully - you probably won't earn as much working for a support company as you would working directly for an oil company (direct hire or contract)

Winter sports are allegedly available if you are into skiing - but I had a look at the Lecht and it looks fairly bleak.

Technically - most power gen will use gas turbine drivers - either small industrials (often overhauled in situ) or aeroderivatives (removed from site for factory overhaul). This would be a useful discussion point.

Offshore installations have lots of motors (fans and pumps), so you might want to think about these.

You could try discussing control systems - anything installed 20 years ago is now obsolete and in need of replacement if there is any plan to operate the asset for much beyond 5 more years.

Safety is a real big issue, so you need to be aware of what standards are applicable to offshore installations

I wouldn't worry about the fact that production has passed its peak - the majors might move out, but there are plenty of smaller operators who can extend field life through having smaller overheads. Whilst the big and easy fields have been exploited for a long while, there are many smaller pockets of oil and gas that can be brought on stream if the price goes high enough to justify the investment.

 

[ScottyUK]

Salary looks fairly good compared to generation at the moment, but I'm probably looking at commuting or renting for a while which will knock the stuffing out of the raise to the point where it will break even with where I am now. Realistically I would have to relocate within six months or not take the job.

I'm very familiar with heavy frame turbines and have some knowledge of aeroderivatives so these should be ok. Synchronous machines are a part of everyday life here so hopefully there might be a question on them.

Motors and controlgear is more familiar country, as is DCS control systems. The offshore safety I'm much less familiar with - I'm ok with land-based surface hazardous area installations although not by any means an expert. That's something which training and experience will bring - we just don't have that much haz area equipment at our plant. What are the standards and how do they differ from shore-based? Most of the equipment seems to be reasonably familiar types and brands; there just looks to be a lot more installations to what I would know as Zone 0 or Zone 1 if it were onshore.

Looking toward the longer term, I guess a move to one of the big oil companies would be easier from another oil industry company rather than trying to break in from the outside. Is this a reasonable train of thought? I wonder if my prospective employer is reading this - it would be just my luck that a copy of this thread was slid across the interview table: "And what does THIS mean Mr. Scott??"


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Sometimes I only open my mouth to swap feet...

 

[TPL]

"And what does THIS mean Mr. Scott??"

It means you are doing some homework prior to interview.

Don't BS about the safety stuff - they will have seen your CV and know your background - if asked, tell them what you know about safety in your industry, Zone O and Zone 2 and make sure that you are up to date with CE markings and the requirements of ATEX.

You might want to check out the HSE website - there's loads of stuff related to safe offshore working practices.

Working for a support company will put you in direct contact with the oil companies, giving you access to the 'grapevine' where many jobs can be found.

 

[ScottyUK]

Update:

Thanks for the input from all of you. It is greatly appreciated. Now for the bad news!

I've pulled out of the interview because my wife isn't really behind the move and the salary / bennies / bonus doesn't offer a big enough improvement to incur the relocation costs and potential loss of her salary for a period. The relocation costs are pretty steep due to the UK 'Stamp Duty' which is a property tax of increasing severity as property value rises. My last house move resulted in a contribution of £12k to Gordon bloody Brown's Treasury and I certainly can't afford that on a regular basis.

I am disappointed to say the least: the main reason for not going to the interview is that I am pretty sure I would have accepted the position had it been offered and I think domestic harmony would have become even more strained than it is this evening had I done so. Tonight my wife has said that she would have moved to Aberdeen, even though last night she was pretty set against it, and thinks I am blaming her for the missed opportunity. Which I am. Marital bliss is descending into something resembling the Cold War: the hallway is our Checkpoint Charlie. If she occupies the kitchen I will be running my own version of the Berlin Airlift to the local takeaway!

I need a beer.


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Sometimes I only open my mouth to swap feet...

 

[BrunoPuntzJones]

ScottyUK,

Don't worry too much about it. If you're really set on a move, you don't have to let this stop you. Just get the missus on board early this time. That way she can start looking for employment concurrent with your job search and she will also (hopefully) feel more supportive and excited if she's involved.

 

[Ashereng]

Yup. Career and family balance is tricky at best.

Never know, this could be a blessing in disguise. The next job opportunity may be even better.

"Do not worry about your problems with mathematics, I assure you mine are far greater."
Albert Einstein
Have you read FAQ731-376 to make the best use of Eng-Tips Forums?

 

[ScottyUK]

Thanks guys - I'm pleased I'm reading this after we had a doorstep row as we left for work. I hate going to work after an argument.

Hopefully things will calm down soon and an even better opportunity will come along.


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Sometimes I only open my mouth to swap feet...

 

[Jordonlaw]

ScottyUK,

I had the opposite experience. There I was working happily within aerospace down south when this woman got her tallons in me. Next thing I know I had quit the job, sold the house and moved 400 miles to the Borders with no job and few prospects. It all worked out eventually (no rows or children involved) and I'm now involved with an subsea supplier. But any further north and travel downwards gets much more difficult and requires much more planning and expense.

But hey, when global warming hits a bit more there will be a great tourist trade in young kids being transported to see 'real' snow up here rather than something on TV. House prices will rise and we can all move south again when we retire !

 

[prohammy]

Scotty,

Always a c**p way to start your day. I never like the arguments, but remember that there is always the make-up to look forward to.

In earlier post I said it was long way to Scotland, well truth is that we (family) moved here (UK) from Rep of Ireland 3 years ago and another upheaval for wife and kids is probably too much at the moment (unless it was back to Ireland).....kinda see where you are.

As AsherEng said, next oppurtunity will hopefully be better for both of you. Keep logging on to Jobsite


Kevin Hammond

Mechanical Design Engineer
Derbyshire, UK

 

[Pud]

Scotty,

Look on the bright side!

Aberdeen is a long, long way from St. James' Park!!


Cheers

Harry