Rates of Pay for Oil and Gas Engineers

As with any contracting position, daily rates can vary and are greatly influenced by supply and demand, challenges of the role and the level of responsibility. Contracting in the oil and gas sector makes you a highly desirable candidate as you have very niche specific skills where the range of job opportunities is higher than the contractors available.

Quite honestly we've checked a few sites and the range of daily take home page is huge in the oil and gas sector and ranges from £300 per day to £2,000 for special oil and gas engineers. On average, experienced oil and gas contractors earn £1,000 per day.

When starting out, the rate you charge for your services all depends on the experience and specialist skills you have. If you are a new contractor within the Oil and Gas sector, you cannot expect to demand the same daily rate to that of an experienced contractor who has a wealth of experience.

Negotiating your contract rate is vital as an oil and gas engineer, especially when first starting out– it’s likely that you can increase the standard rate by playing on your skill set. Remember to take into consideration the following when negotiating your daily rate:

Level of experience you have
The demand for your specific skills
Ability to negotiate (very important and something many find uncomfortable)
Keenness for the job

Daily rates are often linked with demand, the oil and gas industry has a constant high demand, as a result contractors can benefit from increased daily rates to compensate for increased workloads.

Below are some examples of contracts you may find. Don't be disheartened that there isn't a £2,000 per day contract, these contracts are usually advertised stating, contract rate negotiable or daily rate available on request, this so they attract the correct skill sets and are not inundated with applicants.

Electrical Engineer (Charted) - http://www.outstanders.com/Contractor/

Required Skills:

At least 10 years in Upstream projects (Platforms, Subsea, Onshore hook-ups etc)
FEED, & Detailed Design experience essential
Previous pre-FEED & Conceptual/Studies exposure would be advantageous
Detailed design of Onshore and Offshore projects
Conceptual engineering philosophies
Bid analysis; Technical review
Commissioning procedures (offshore and onshore). At a detailed level, we would be looking for experience of: HV and LV equipment
Main power generation and Compression gas turbine packages
Power management systems
Main switchboard design and requisition
Emergency generation
UPS systems
Hazardous area equipment
Photovoltaic and wind power generation for un-manned platforms
Daily Rate: £400

Senior Drilling Engineer - http://www.oilcareers.com/

Required Skills:

5-12 years industry experience in drilling
Including experience in the North Sea
University degree in engineering
Daily Rate: £1,150

Systems Engineer Superintendent (Gas)- http://www.fircroft.com

Required Skills:

Minimum HNC, preferably degree in Process or Mechanical Engineering
Minimum 20 years industry experience
5 years in senior technical & management of contractor/supplier personnel
Daily Rate: £1,500

For more information please see Oil and Gas Job Search / Hays Salary Guide

For more information on contracting as an Oil and Gas Engineer, visit the following pages:

If you still have questions about contracting then please contact our New Client Services team on 0500 152500 / 01442 275789 or email jaime.thorpe@sjdaccountancy.com

SJD Accountancy

SJD Accountancy are the UK's largest specialist provider of fixed fee, limited company accountancy services to contractors; we've been acting for contractors across the UK since 1992 and have more than 11,000 clients.

We are the only National specialist firm of accountants with offices in all major UK cities so you’ll never be far from your accountant. SJD also have more qualified staff than any other firm in our market with qualifications from the following major tax and accountancy bodies - ATII, ATT, ACCA, CA, ACA, FCCA, ACMA. You’ll also be pleased to know that we are one of the lowest priced as well.

Free face-to-face meetings. This is another unique service, only SJD offers free face to face meetings - tax is complicated and sometimes only a meeting will do.
Unlimited access to your own dedicated accountant. No call centres, no outsourcing, no automated call handling. Simply telephone, e-mail or meet your own dedicated accountant face to face.
Money back service guarantee. All your telephone calls and e-mails will be answered the same day or we will refund your monthly fee's.
Outstanding reputation. We have won more awards for customer service and accountancy excellence than any other firm in our market.
All inclusive low cost monthly package which includes completion of accounts, payroll bureau, dividends and corporation tax computations, personal taxation, free bookkeeping software, unlimited access to your accountant and all company returns. All this for a fixed monthly fee of £110 plus VAT, which is one of the lowest prices in the market.

If you have any questions about contracting or would like any further advice please either contact your SJD Accountant or call our new client services helpdesk on 0500 152500 / 01442 275789 or email: nikki.hanlon@sjdaccountancy.com.

Appoint SJD Accountancy and never worry about your tax or accountancy affairs again!

You may also find the following pages, guides and case studies useful:

Take home pay calculator - How much could you be taking home
Contractor FAQ - All your frequently asked questions and their answers
First time Contracting or Freelancing? - A summary of the alternatives along with pros and cons
Choosing an accountant - For a full review
Step-by-step Guide to Contracting - Download a FREE copy of our guide
Limited or Umbrella? Can't decide? - We help you decide which is best for you
Guide to Contracting - All the best guides to contracting in one place
Expenses Guide - Know exactly what you can claim
Umbrella company guide - Everything you ever wanted to know about umbrella company services
IR35 Guide - A great plain English guide to IR35