Does anyone have any personal experiences to share on leaving PEI to find employment opportunities working on an oil rig in Alberta? I've been looking into it and it appears as though the going rate is about $24/hr with $50-$140/day in living expenses paid tax-free. Based purely on the numbers, that looks like only $50,000/year. Is it worth it?

Is the salary higher than I think it is?

50,000 looks pretty good when your only making around 20,000 here.Try finding a job on the island that pays 24/hr in the summer let alone in the winter.All you have to do is ask around,almost everyone know someone working in Alberta now.

The people i know who are working out there now tell me 24/an hour is about right for starting with a company or are an apprentice or labour.Not only this the more experience you have the more your rate of pay rises.There are also more job available so this can lead to a better paying job too.

I think I had unrealistic expectations. So much conversation about it being the beacon of wealth and opportunity. I guess I expected higher incomes, particularly in areas where danger is involved.

Especially for unskilled labour, it's more the availability of overtime hours that's helping people pull in the $$ than it is their actual salary or hourly wage. A lot of the people who go out there and claim to be making "huge money" are working 75 hours a week to make what seems huge in comparison to their near minimum wage job they had here. Having said that I do know trades people (skilled, ticketed) who had been working here making decent money (40-60k) and go out there and make double or more.

Unskilled workers Alberta
Camp helpers 12-15 and hour
Seismic helpers 12-16 an hour
Pipeline helpers 14 -20
but long hours 12 -14 a day

Rig hands $24/hr ...and up with experience
Truck Drivers 20/hr and up to $150,000 a year depending on position and experience (not bad compared to 10/hr - 17hr on PEI)

The thing is it is very easy to move up in alot of these positions and the wages keep getting higher


Experienced Skill Labor , electricians , plumber, pipe fitters, mechanics
60,000 and Up for Oil patch positions. lots of guys making over a hundred grand

The average wage in FT.Mac used to be 90,000 a year ..but you also have to had the high price of housing there.

For me 90,000 was not near enough for me to want to live in Fort Mac
I have had close to 20 years in the patch

A lot of drilling companies work a 3 week on, 1 week off schedule. You'll live in a camp somewhere in Alberta or B.C. for your 3 weeks on and work 12 hours a day, everyday. Based on $24 an hour and a $50/day living allowance, that's roughly $85,000 a year.

If you're interested in working a rotation where they'll fly you back to PEI, I'd give Calfrac a try. Just google them and you'll be able to come up with somewhere to send your resume. I believe they work 22 days on, 13 days off. I know a number of guys from both PEI and NB that work for them. They'll fly you from Charlottetown to Alberta and back to Charlottetown on every set of your days off. You'd do a little better than $100,000/yr if theyre busy.

Hope that helps.

My last job offer with a company in Alberta was $24 an hour. It ranges though and they will talk, so it seems!

If you have training in a skilled trade and are inter provincially ticked/red sealed, you have an enormous advantage over the unskilled laborers. Skilled trade makes big bucks in Alberta, particularly in Fort McMurray. There aren't really big bucks for laborers, but still better than PEI. Skilled trades, however, are pretty good. I know process operators/Power engineers making $200K annually.

A 2 yr college course in Power Engineering you can make up to $250,000 a year, work 3 weeks in 1 week out (or something like that).

I was out trucking, making about $400 - $500/day. Wasnt safe. I am going out now with a new company, starting pay is 32/hour time and a half after 8 hours!

My advice, take a couple months and get a ticket before you go out, it will pay back big time.