Oil & Mining Jobs in Europe

With the price of oil as high as it has been, and with the always increasing need for minerals and metals, oil and mining sector employment is huge these days. Even a brief glance at many job boards shows a huge number of jobs at mines and in oil producing areas in North America. And it is the same for Europe as any other region of the world.

The bulk of the actual oil production in Europe is in the North Sea, shared by Norway, Denmark, Germany, The Netherlands, and the UK. But along with the actual oil rig jobs are all kinds of head office jobs in each of those countries.

As for mining, there are large metal mines in Ireland and Sweden mining zinc, copper, and gold, as well as other mines scattered throughout Europe.

While engineers and trades people are the highest in demand in the oil and mining sector, there are also countless human resources, logistics, and IT jobs in the head offices as well. No matter what your profession is, there are probably some openings with large mining firms or oil companies that would suit you.

As an engineer looking for work in this sector, experience is going to count as much as your credentials. Specifically, many firms are looking for oil and gas or mining experience.

If you have the education, but not the experience, expect that you may have to work at a fairly low grade job for a couple of years to get the experience you need.

On the plus side, promotion in these companies is usually quite rapid because of their constant need of new talent. If you have the skills, working in oil and gas or mining for a couple of years is a great way to get some amazing experience and quick promotions.

If you are planning to work on site in the North Sea, there is a whole host of other certifications that companies look for, such as offshore survival and medical certificates like BOSIET.

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For onshore mines, you will generally need first aid training as well. Some companies are willing to cover the cost of this training for you, but many more job postings state up front that you must already possess the required certifications.

There are thousands of jobs in the oil and mining sectors available in Europe. Many of them are posted in newspapers in the various countries as well as on country specific job sites. Also, every mining and oil company will have a careers section on their corporate website.

Generally, working oil or mining means long hours and some isolation. Even if you are working onshore in one of the offices, the hours can be pretty long on the engineering side of things. Balancing that large amount of work, however, is the fact that jobs in the oil and mining sectors tend to pay quite well, particularly if you are working on site. But the long hours may also impede you in exploring and enjoying Europe.

If experiencing the country is a large reason for why you are there, stick to the head office jobs that will be more nine to five and won’t leave you isolated from the rest of the country for weeks on end.