A drilling engineer is a member of staff who develops, schedules, costs and plans the process of drilling gas and oil wells. In some cases they would also be required to supervise this work in order to ensure effective testing, abandonment and completion of required tasks. Drilling engineers are usually employed on land, platforms offshore or on mobile units " this would be by an oil or gas company, contractor or private service company.
Recruitment agencies search for drilling staff that show aptitude and skill on administering drilling and service contracts, supervising drilling crew on site and also the planning of wells. Drillers often work alongside geoscientists, geologists and other similar professionals.
Drilling is a skilled role and as such, there are no formal qualifications needed when applying for such a job. Recruiters and other companies would look for members of staff who display the above talents and show a hardworking and positive working attitude. There are in-house certificates that can be acquired such as mechanical and marine engineering.
A starting salary for someone in the drilling industry is between £30,000 and £35,000 and this can rise to between £50,000 and £100,000 for more seasoned and experiences professionals.