I am 8 days away from finishing a 28 day hitch on the oil rig and I am really missing my family. I found out yesterday that they want me to be off for 1 week and then go to Singapore to board a rig headed for the Gulf of Mexico and I will be gone for 45 days and get off somewhere in Africa to come home. I have never been gone from my family that long. Don't know if I can do it.

Wow medic! Very hard call.

That would be a tough one there Medic.

Not being nosey but are they offering any extra financial incentive to do that? If not, that's crazy.

You can do it but i know how hard it is on me now with kids.

Hang in there, JM. It's tough, being away from your family, but everything is a trade. You'll lose some time at home, but you'll gain a buttload of OT to be able to do something special when you get back home.
I went to my rig down in Brazil back in Sept last year...got about 3 weeks or so into my hitch, and we left for the Gulf of Mexico. About 38-40 days into the trip, I disembarked in Trinidad and flew home from there.

28 days away, by itself, seems a long time, but over time, you get used it, plus you'll get about 26-27 days straight at home, once your schedule settles out. That's part of the sacrifice all of us offshore workers make in exchange for what we make out there. It's not for everybody, but if you can adjust to it, it's all good in the long run. I've been offshore for 17 years now, after a 13 year career in law enforcement. Started off working 14/14 hitches, and now work 28/28. Took a few months to adjust to the change, but once I got used to it it wasn't a problem. Usually, when it's time to go home, it's definitely time to go home, but when it's time to go back to work, that's not so bad, either!

What company do you work for and which rig are you on?

I'm not saying it's not difficult, especially if you have never done it before, but us military folks do it all the time and usually for much longer durations. The key is being prepared. Have a good plan of action for things that may come up at home while you are away. Doing so will ease the burden on family. Things to consider are: Financial Planning (bills, banking and unexpected expenses-a major appliance will fail every time I leave for a deployment!, Legal-you may want to consider a Power of Attorney, limited or general depending on your situation and of course us military types always create or update our will. Modern communications have made it much easier to stay in contact with loved ones, but it is still not the same. Make sure you have a good support system for those you are leaving behind, even if it is just someone they can talk with.
It sounds like you may have a choice in this decision, which is usually not the case for a member of the military. Leaving ones family is not something we cherish doing, but it can be made easier with proper planning. Good luck with your decision.

Good advice.

Skype sure is better than letters in the snale-mail or those DSN patch calls "with delays" "with delays", "no you go ahead"!

I spent 1 calendar year away from my wife & 2 children, from Jan 3 2013 to Jan 3 2014 they lived 500 miles away in Indiana. I did get to go up at least once a month and a few times every 3 weeks. Man it was rough, but time passes quickly. I'll keep u in our prayers jungle-medic. Ive been there

I work for Helix and I am on the Q4000. it is the rig that plugged the BP oil spill.

Yea about 28k that I could sure use.

Thank you for your advice and service.

Thank You Robinhedd.

Yes it is YEKRUT

I spend about 26 weeks a year on the road and away from my family. Its usually for short trips but I still am away from the fam just the same.

About a year ago I started thinking about finding an office job where travel would not be as often and I started comparing ACTUAL time spent with and away from the family. Come to find out, even though I am gone alot I still get to see my wife and kids more hours per year than I would with an office job (I work from home when not traveling).

So I would look at this way. Those 28 days you will be home after a long trip will be a whole lot longer time with your family than say you worked 8-10 days, 5-6 days a week.

Make sense?

No way I could do it,it wouldn't be bad getting a little break from the old lady but I couldn't be away from my kids that long,I'd just have to get by somehow

I get a break from her every 28 days and thats enough!

Man I hope things get better for you about seeing your family!!! But you must be 'knocking it down', and that's good for them too!

They are the main reason I do this.

What kind of experience do you need to get a job working rigs off shore. Or do you just have to know someone.