There are really two roles here, whilst the technician will ensure routine and reactive maintenance is carried out, the engineer will be responsible for new systems and to ensure the consistent operation, reliability and optimisation of existing systems.
Instrument Technicians
You will be charged with fault finding and repair of instrumentation, making modifications and installing new equipment. You’ll work with the health and safety advisor to identify potential risks and complete risk assessments.
Instrument Engineers
You will provide more of a consultative role, assisting offshore and onsite teams with technical problems and solution finding. Monitoring performance of systems and ensuring instrumentation systems meet statutory and regulatory requirements.
Salary and Progression
As a technician you’re salary will start at £20,000-£25,000 and rise to £40,000. However as an experienced engineer with chartered status you could earn well in excess of £50,000-£60,000. From either of these roles your progression can take you to lofty heights including Maintenance Manager and even Offshore Installation Manager.
Training and Experience Requirements
All instrument technicians and engineers should have an amount of experience onshore in similar roles before targeting the offshore sector.
Instrument Technicians should have a level 3 NVQ or SVQ certificate and or an OPITO / ECITB Technician certificate. An engineer would be expected to have these as well as additional relevant experience and ideally a degree in an engineering discipline. As you gain higher positions, you might be asked to become a Chartered Engineer.
In addition, to work offshore, you will require valid basic offshore certificates including:
- BOSIET
- MIST
- CA-EBS
- Shoulder Measurements
- Offshore Medical
It is likely that an employer will ask for other certificates too. It’s always a good idea to look at a range of job posts to identify commonly requested training requirements.
