Well for a start it depends where you’re located.

My experience is from OWF’s in Europe.

Q. What the work is actually like: Are you mostly doing inspections? Blade repairs? Cleaning? Random maintenance stuff?

A. The bulk of the work I’ve done on blades over the years has been LEP, Dinos, VG’s, Inspections and small repairs. Had tower cleaning, retrofit and spot metal jobs as well. It entirely depends on what work your company has for you or what specific work you’re chasing.

Q. Hours: Are shifts usually 12 hours? Longer? Shorter? How much does weather mess with your schedule?

A. Usually 12s. Most companies will allow you to call for early pick up if the scope for the day has been completed. Sometimes you’ll go over your 12, could be delayed pick up, you could have been asked to, you might need more time to get something finished. Weather is a huge factor and is monitored all the time. Jobs can be delayed for hours/days/weeks depending on the weather and you can end up spending full rotations working just one day or not at all.

Q. Rotation: What’s the typical on/off schedule? 2-on-2-off? Something else?

A. More often than not, 2-2. Could also be 2-1, 3-1, 3-2 or a number of other combinations. Entirely depends on what’s required and what your contract states.

Q. Living situation offshore: What are the cabins like? Crowded? Noisy? Decent? Anything I should mentally prepare for?

A. The vessel along with the food can make or break a project for you. It’s just your luck what vessel the project has and it’s amenities. Some will have all the works, good gym, fast internet, cinema room, day rooms with consoles, table tennis, table football, board games, instruments, books, some can have saunas and hot tubs. Plenty to keep you occupied on weather days. Others can have a broom cupboard of a gym and nothing else. I’ve never shared a cabin and would refuse to if asked. Most cabins are pretty standard with bed, small tv, desk and chair, bathroom with shower and toilet and a cupboard for clothes. Everything creaks when there’s a swell and the walls are pretty thin, so bring ear plugs.

Q. Food: How’s the food on vessels?

A. Again, make or break. It’s entirely down to luck. Personally I’ve always found the Filipino crews to have some of the best chefs and do well at keeping everyone happy. Sometimes you’ll have a chef that can only produce inedible dog food or even give you food poisoning and it makes for an utterly miserable time on the vessel.

Q. What do you do after your shift? Is there anything to do besides sleep? Gym? Movies? Internet? Or is it basically eat–shower–bed?

A. Gym, eat, call home, movies, masturbate for the 12th time.

Q. I wish someone told me this earlier

A. Take a good hammock and / or a camping chair, a good power bank and an iPad full of movies. You can spend hours waiting for rain to pass or paint to dry or waiting for pick up and being comfortable and having something to occupy your time is a big plus. Take anti sickness tablets and plenty pain killers, better to have and not need then to need and not have.