I make £100k a year doing job no one wants – it’s dangerous & lonely but it’s worth it… I get fed for FREE by top chefs
AN engineer has revealed she earns a fortune doing a dangerous and dirty job – but she loves it.
Shams Albayati, 27, works on oil rigs – and some are kitted out with sunbeds, massage chairs, indoor pools and even racing simulators.
Shams works as an engineer across the globe and her job is to fix and maintain “huge equipment”.
Although she admits the job is “not easy” spending weeks away from home, she says “it’s worth it”.
Not only does the career offer adventure and five-star treatment, Shams also makes a fortune, with the average wage for an engineer being more than £100,000.
She told The Sun: “You really need to have the mindset for otherwise you won’t make it in the field.
“It’s hard so you need to be up for the challenge and you can get so mentally drained.”
Although her line of work is one many would consider dangerous, Shams insisted it’s very safe as the weather is constantly monitored and the rig will usually move away before a storm hits.
But, sometimes, when its too late and a storm is already brewing the crew will have to hunker down inside the rig and wait for it to pass while no one is allowed to go outside.
Shams said she has only ever experienced this once – and it was more “exciting” than frightening for her.
She described the industry as “a great place to learn everything” and to “meet a lot of people from all over the world”.
“You will learn so much in a small amount of time, you’ll be exposed to a lot of things, I definitely recommend it,” she said.
Shams’ job has also made her a well-seasoned traveller and has taken her to many places around the world.
“I’ve been to Mexico, I’ve been to Norway, I’ve been to Malta, I’ve been to Kuwait. I’ve been to Lebanon, I’ve been to UAE,” she said.
Although most rigs have comfortable living quarters, a rig in Norway outshone the rest for Shams with incredible food and great entertainment.
“They had everything all types of snack and super healthy options,” she said.
“They had a salad bar, they had everything and every day they would cook something new. We would have salmon one day and steak the next.
“They even had a five-star restaurant chef.”
There was an indoor pool, gym and weights room for workers to stay in shape during their time at sea.
The rig also boasted a gaming room with a race car simulator and a music room.
Massage chairs were also available for staff to relax and spend some much needed downtime.
There was even a sunbed for the crew to top up their tan.
Although everyone on board lives in close proximity, privacy was not an issue as staff had their own room and private bathroom.
Shams said she does struggle with being away from home, especially during the holiday season – but the team on board try to keep each others spirits up.
“We have a mini celebration where they cook something or like for Thanksgiving for Christmas,” she said.
“They make they make a table full of cakes and snacks and try to make you not feel so lonely and so away from home.”
What are FIFO jobs?
FIFO means “fly-in fly-out” – and refers to jobs were employees are deployed to remote areas where they both live and work.
It is common in sectors such as oil and gas drilling and mining where crews have to stay on site 24/7.
Companies will often build cabins where workers can stay – and sometimes even pop-up facilities like canteens and gyms.
FIFO jobs are often well paid as they take over a person’s entire life – but often work a roster system of weeks on and weeks off.
Shifts are sometimes long and days off are few and far between due to the nature of the often gruelling work.
But many people praise the lifestyle and the wages.
Australia is common for FIFO jobs – with many sites in the barren landscape requiring this form of labour.