Entry Level Roustabout Jobs

Many people contemplate becoming a roustabout once they hear just how much one of these positions pays. While this is definitely understandable, not everyone is cut out to make it as a rig worker. Then there is also the issue of location. When you’re looking at a state like Louisiana there are many roustabout job openings at many possible places for someone willing to do the work. Louisiana roustabout jobs are also interesting because this is one of the rare locations where there is a lot of work both onshore and offshore. Oil exploration in this region takes place in swamps just as often as it takes place out in the Gulf of Mexico. Because of this, workers looking for this type of job in Louisiana can find work in many different cities throughout the state, though of course it never hurts to start in New Orleans.

The pay for different roustabout positions will vary greatly depending on your skills, past experience, years with the company, and the exact type of job you are hired for. Many entry-level positions pay along the lines of $900-$1100 a week for untrained and unskilled beginning laborers. However if you have any type of experience or bring some specialized skills like welding, machine repair, construction, or heavy machinery use, chances are good that you will earn even more and might even eventually end up with the supervisor roustabout position, which can pay well over double what entry-level workers earn.

You will want to be aware that there could be quite a few differences between the Louisiana jobs exploring for oil on the swamps and working on an actual offshore rig in the Gulf of Mexico. Each environment is very different, providing its own sets of challenges, working conditions, and specific ways of doing things. In most states or most countries for that matter, the majority of roustabout work is going to be found on the offshore oil rigs. The fact that there are so many openings for land exploration is pretty unusual for the United States and puts Louisiana up there with Alaska is having some of the most active onshore oil exploration.

Even though sometimes the hiring takes place in major cities, if you really want a Louisiana roustabout job you may have to be willing to relocate and to also consider looking for work in some smaller cities that are out in the boondocks a bit. Towns such as Youngsville and Arnaudville have a reputation for posting roustabout work and are worth looking at if you strike out everywhere else. You never know what the emphasis is going to be on, whether it’s the offshore oil rigs that get the majority of attention these days or if oil exploration in the bayou requires a few more brave hands willing to risk snake bite, mosquitoes and whatever else in order to get their foot in the door.

There are still many great opportunities to land a roustabout job in Louisiana, and being open to both types of work will only help your cause.