Jobs / Interviews / Contracts

[D Walker]

Went for an interview last Friday, thought it had gone quite well,
Indeed it had, got offered the role today,
Then we started with the terms etc,
Staff role for what may only be 6 months work and....................................................a 65% pay cut.
Are they for real, I get the feeling because oil and gas is on its knees they feel they can offer what they want as some people may take it. I told them my present rate before hand......

Have a feeling I will be staying put, dont these people know I am saving for another Maserati !!!!!

 

[hoyin]

**** right. Tell em to stuff it!!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[philw696]

Wow that's insulting for sure.
They are doing a fair bit off shore down here mate.
Know someone working off shore at New Plymouth.

 

[D Walker]

Will see if they are willing to play ball, it would mean I am home during the week.

But I aint going to sell my sole!!!!

or soul even

 

[philw696]

Too right Dave never do that

 

[CatmanV2]

Didn't you know ball park salary before you went for the interview?

C

 

[rockits]

That is some difference! I can't afford a pay cut by 1p let alone 65%. I still can't get the mortgage amount I need.

Can't see how you are going to negotiate that up to where you need.

 

[daverichardson]

Off for a sort of i/view tomorrow for Hurricane who have a large discovery West of Shetlands.
To write procedures etc.
Not sure they can afford me though.......................

 

[D Walker]

No, was indicated contract, negotiable but similar!!

 

[MrMickS]

Took about that for my current position, maybe a little more. That said I reckon I was probably overpaid in the last role and I do own some of the new venture so hopefully its a temporary state of affairs. No way would I have taken this amount of cash if that wasn't the case.

 

[CatmanV2]

No, was indicated contract, negotiable but similar!!

Blimey. That sucks.

C

 

[midlifecrisis]

When our company was advertising for engineers at Edinburgh, we got a few enquiries from ex-RAF my trade group (TG3- Ground Electronics) who had moved into oil and gas but since the collapse have found it hard to retain their positions and wanted to come back into airports. Obviously we chose existing Airport engineers over them as they were more current. One could hardly spell ILS...lol

I'm sure the industry will recover though, these things are cyclical.

 

[Needamaser]

Oil industry using the downturn to lose dead wood and cut back on some of the stupid money that was getting paid to contractors etc.
Reality just now is oil companies can pick and choose who they want and what the terms will be. Lots of friends and clients in the industry from the bottom to the very top and no one is having an easy time.
Shetland I am told is going to need workers in the very near future but there are politics involved too.
There are still about a dozen rigs lying dormant in the Firth here and that says it all.

 

[D Walker]

I appreciate there is a different model and what I would say the businesses in the North East have never paid Aberdeen rates anyway, no where near, the amount I was offered for the role was actually less than what I left the services for nearly 9 years ago.
As you say the industry is using the downturn to get rid of a lot of high wage dead wood, and a lot of Aberdeen based companies are "restructuring" which basically means closing all the assets outside of Aberdeen and protecting their own jobs. I should know, the amount of Aberdeen based people on this contract now is huge while they have bagged everyone else, regardless of being dead wood or not, but what I will say there are people who say they will work for £x/hr, and that is what you will get !!!

 

[allandwf]

Offshore is picking up again, but depends what trade you are in, some are in high demand, but onshore engineers on projects were hit hard. No massive pay cuts near me, quite the opposite. Once 3/3 rota was rolled out there was a huge turn around as people chased the old 2/3 rota. Staff turn over is still reasonably high, I suppose I am in the fortunate position of almost being able to dictate my terms. Good luck in your quest, give me a shout if I can chase anything up for you.

 

[Needamaser]

Offshore is picking up again, but depends what trade you are in, some are in high demand, but onshore engineers on projects were hit hard.

Seems to have bottomed out and on the way back slowly. One client is working flat out again but working in Nigeria and Qatar. Their Aberdeen site is on a skeleton crew.

 

[D Walker]

Thanks Allan, appreciated.
The role was as a fit out supervisor for modules that are going to Azerbejan. The plan they have is a shocker as the company that build the modules has started to fit them out, however they tried to do it with people who build modules so they have no construction / fit out expierience and lost a load of money on the last ones they did. This new project is for 3 modules now, then another 9 and 18 potentially if they deliver the first 3 (In September)
They have come back with a revised hourly rate offer, still £17 hr short of what I am on now so I am going to put my cards on the table and tell them what I am on. I did not expect the same on Teeside but I also did not expect the offer they made.
Neither did my ex-boss who is the Senior PE !!

 

[Contigo]

Once oil prices rise (they are on the rise and have been for some time now) then it will bounce back, it's like anything, cyclical!

 

[Needamaser]

Thanks Allan, appreciated.
The role was as a fit out supervisor for modules that are going to Azerbejan. The plan they have is a shocker as the company that build the modules has started to fit them out, however they tried to do it with people who build modules so they have no construction / fit out expierience and lost a load of money on the last ones they did. This new project is for 3 modules now, then another 9 and 18 potentially if they deliver the first 3 (In September)
They have come back with a revised hourly rate offer, still £17 hr short of what I am on now so I am going to put my cards on the table and tell them what I am on. I did not expect the same on Teeside but I also did not expect the offer they made.
Neither did my ex-boss who is the Senior PE !!

That is interesting Dave.
I was involved with a company who were handed a contract to build the modules and that developed into fitting out.
Previous company were supposed to have had problems which was why the firm I dealt with were given it at virtually no notice. Combination of unrealistic timescales, lack of info as to what was required, then with the downturn in the industry they were told modules were not needed having built them and ultimately very slow payment put the company under.
Probably different people and this was about a year ago.

 

[D Walker]

That is interesting Dave.
I was involved with a company who were handed a contract to build the modules and that developed into fitting out.
Previous company were supposed to have had problems which was why the firm I dealt with were given it at virtually no notice. Combination of unrealistic timescales, lack of info as to what was required, then with the downturn in the industry they were told modules were not needed having built them and ultimately very slow payment put the company under.
Probably different people and this was about a year ago.

Think it will be a different company. Traditionally this company has built and supplied modules, fire proofed buildings. structures etc with a turnover of £7m, its a private company, they have now moved into providing the whole package and won contracts to do so. On the last project they did it themselves with the people they had hear who had no expierience of managing projects beyond building and fire proofing the basic box, so it was basically first up, washed and dressed got in. For instance, they left the cable pullers to it, who left approx 5m of cable at each end for every cable for glanding, result, another drum required = £50k(loss-not budgeted for). I asked for a look at build plan in the interview, so I got showed a load of bars, I said okay, thats the high level plan, wheres the detailed one.
Err, thats the plan, we know we have x cables to pull in so its all in one line, ok, show me the norms, err, done on expierience, who's - a construction electrician, or designer.
Those that have met we will say I am quite quiet, but I actually felt like I was doing the interview in the end, unfortunately the construction manager appreciates that but its HR running the show.
Balls in their court, they cant identify a suitable candidate from within, i've said if we cant agree something before I go on holiday in order to allow me to tender my notice, then I cant really start until near April. Thing is they are paying designers etc, anyway my ex boss is getting involved now as well, he thinks it will be extremely hard to achieve completion by September. But as I said to him, they interviewed a dozen people or so, if they think they can get the right person £32.5k (staff) a year or £21.5 an hour contract then employ them!!