After 18 years on shore in the chemical industry I left 3 weeks ago to go offshore, anyway after a few days I sort of "cracked" and rang my old boss and asked for my job back!!
he immediatly said yes and even changed my notice dates so my service and pension are unchanged.
I returned from offshore on tuesday and to be honest my second week was better and I didn't feel so down in the dumps.
I had a meeting on friday with my old boss and he wasn't exactly pleasant!!
I dropped him in the poo by leaving as he had failed to train staff to do my job when he had promised for 2 years to sort it out as a result I wasn't doing my own job for that time just filling in in a lower position.
He seemed to think he had bailed me out not 50/50 and said stop whinging and get on with it and you owe the company 4 days aswell (something else he failed to mention on the phone )
problem is my family think I should forget about my old job and get stuck into the new one I really don't know what to do I did miss my family whilst away (wife/child) my wife wants me to go offshore as financially it is a massive difference and should ease money problems forever.
really stuck here as at the moment I have 2 jobs!!
due back at my old job on wednesday so really need to make a decision now but can't, I have weighed up the options but I don't get a clear winner.
never felt so low as I do now (apart from last week on the rig!!)
the guys on the rig were great and just said it takes time to settle i'm sure it does but I really am not sure what the hell to do.

steve

 

is the extra money worth been away from home??????

 

steve if your old boss is gonna be that much of a cock with you before you even return to your old job, think about how he will be once he is in charge of you again.

its not your fault he hasnt trained people to do the job, thats irrelevant to you anyway, id say stick at your new job, you will get used to it and im sure you wont regret it, whereas from the sounds of your boss, he would make your life more difficult in the long run because he was annoyed you left

 

it can take a while to settle offshore m8,took me about 4 trips before i settled since then its been no problem,quite enjoyable actually

 

That would be my impression aswell, your EX boss sounds like a complete tool!!

 

New jobs are allways pony. Especially if your away from the ones you love.
You changed jobs for a reason no doubt. You should always remember that.

It will all calm down but I would stick with the new path.

 

give the new job more of a chance.when i went to work in holland for 3 months i hated it at first but ended up staying for 2 years.

 

Money is not everything and there is no way on earth I would be away from my family - I travel 2h 20mins each way to work (sometimes more!) to see my family and I could easier afford to stay away and party all week etc.

I think you should get back to your old job and then plan your exit strategy carefully over the next few weeks/months which and then move to a onshore higher paid job (even if that means moving you and the family nearer the job you find!

Dan

 

Stick with the new job Steve

 

Why ?

If hes still hates it a few weeks/months later he will probably not have his old job to go back to - what will he do then ?

 

Tough one bud
Can you put up with your old job ?
Is the new one worth the cash ?

 

gutted for you steve fella, i know you were in two minds whether to take the new job or not in the first place. but to be honest, do you want to go back to the old place if your gaffer is being a knob ?. i sort of understand why he's being like that if you left him in the learch, but surely he should be happy to have you back if theres no else who can do the job. if i was in your position i wouldnt what to do either mate, its a bit of a catch 22, well whatever you decide, i hope its the rite desicion and it works out for you steve

 

Persevere with the new job m8, a couple of lads I know have left and started (with the same company as you) and where a bit unsure at first but now love it!
Don't forget your old employers are about to be taken over by another company, you cant be sure what will happen in the future.
Stick with the new job and if you still dont like it then just keep an eye out for something else, dont forget theres a shortage of operators and new plants being planned to be built in the future (a big new bio ethanol plant has just been announce for Teesside).
Cant you get a transfer from offshore to one of their plants at seal sands?

All the best whatever you decide m8
Steve

 

Yeah try stick with it - just try gain a bit of offshore experience mate for the future.

 

like you said on the phone ,you cant go any further with your old job and wouldnt get the same money else where ,on shore.
Stick with it get your head in gear and you will reap the rewards offshore,even if you dont stay on this rigg for long somthing else allways turns up

 

stick at it mate, new jobs always take time to get into and your old boss sounds a nobjock.

 

thanks for the advice guys, I am going to speak to one of my old bosses tommorow (not the prick a different one who has been like a father figure to me for 12 years) he knows the situation and hopefully will help me finally sort myself out, I can't believe I got into this situation, when I rang the boss from the rig I was hoping he was out as I thought it might get better and in the end it did but I don't know if that was because I thought I was leaving the rig for good or just getting used to it!!

steve

 

Steve, try to give it a little bit more on the rigs as you may regret it at a later stage.

starting a new job is bad enough but to be working away too....even harder.

do you really need to go back to your old boss.

 

Id be a little worried about that if I was you mate , and I dont mean the fact that potentially she could play away , I mean I know if it was my Mrs theres no way she would want me to be away from her or the kids no matter how much the job was worth financially

 

I would give offshore more than one trip mate, i started when i was 19 and hated it to start with but its been nearly 6 years now and im still there. To start with it feels like a life rather than a job, but once your use to it things change. But i would say if your only going offshore for the money, give it a second thought it should be for the money and the time off

 

I WOULDN'T be looking to go back to my old job if it was me, as it seems that some of them there WILL be thinking YOU owe them and ONCE they've trained someone up to do your job you may be on your way with NO where to go! just my 2pence worth

 

the youth

Go do a few more trips and see what its like, you cant make your mind up after 1 trip imo.

I'd say do 2 more trips then decide its not for you. Its a hard game to get into so dont fuck it up after trying it for 2 weeks

Think about it this way when you get home your off work for a couple of weeks so over the year i bet you acually get to spend ore time with the family

 

Id stick with it M8, i came onshore about 1 1/2yrs ago due to the fact we had just had a baby daughter and didnt want to miss her 1st years but for me offshore was the job.

Its not for everyone and only you can decide.

I will go offshore or work overseas again very soon, it just suits me.

Hope you make the right decision but dont rush into it, give it a chance and see how you feel after a few trips.

What rig were you on?

 

Steve, i am currently Offshore, albeit in a very different job, i miss my GF like crazy but we have a plan and doing this will set us up very comfortably with little worrys hopefully in the future,

It is not easy it never will be but it does get better, you will never stop missing your family but hopefully the future will be more comfortable,

I have been offshore for nearly 10 years now and have been with the gf for 4 1/2 years i will return home one day for good but thats the plan we made,

Give it a chance if not by the sounds of it you have some good education to find something else,

All the best what ever you decide

Mike

 

I am on loggs in the sns

problem I have is if after a few trips I still don't like it I'm screwed, I would not be able to return to my old job and I couldn't get a job with similar money as i'm process based and as you know if you move soewhere in process you start et the bottom until you have learnt it, I am/was a lead tech in my old role.
steve

 

Ask yourself why you left in the first place

 

Come on mate give yourself a shake! 1st trip was always going to be hard and you were already nervous having quit your old job and easy life!

Give it another few trips and i bet you love it! You'll know the boys and offshore banter is great



Neil A
What do you do mate? Which rig?

 

stick with the new job, if only to look for another!

what if you go back to your old job.. will your boss make your life even more hellish? will he look for a way to sack you?

i'd never go back to an old job - too much previous..

 

Lambchop: Im a mechanic on the Global Santa Fe Arctic 4, was on the Monitor Jack up for 2 years before i moved to this one.

 

cool cool. Just asking in case i meet anyone on my travels

 

You never know chops,

you might see me back offshore full time again pretty soon

c'mon the free food

 

haha something in the pipeline is there? certainly cheaper having the evo(if you get one) if it doesnt have to go to dyce everyday

I'm going back to the tiffany on startup so if anything crops up there then head out for a bullshit

 

Theres a couple of thing floating around but basically im pig sick sitting in the office every day really need to be out and about, at the coal face so to speak.

Off down to Humberside for a few days on the 11th then back up here to sort something out

Its been a few years since i was on the Tiffany, may have to try and work something in with the guy who looks after the work for there

 

i'd personally say give the offshore lifestyle a bit longer before you make your mind up.

im looking to possibly go offshore in the very near future, sick of working for a crap car manufacturing plant in sunderland where they treat you like turd

i also agree with the comment about possibly spending more quality time with the wife/kids working the 2wks on 2wks off style compared to normal shiftwork.

 

New jobs are always daunting and the fact that you have the support of your partner, I would be inclined to give your new one a little more time yet.

Also, the fact that your old boss has been shitty towards you, you can tell him that that is the reason that you have decided to stay in the new job, this way he might try harder to get you back and you then still have a possible fall-back plan should it not work out offshore .

 

AMAZING can only assume most of the above have little or no managerial or (better) organ grinder experience.
You all seem to have completely ignored the fact that in his own words his left his old boss in the sh*t.
I think his ex boss is mad why would you take back such an 'employee'.
OOh controversial...!

 

to sum up:

new job = more Ł, support of mrs but you are having doubts

old job = less money, boss being a cock, boss giving you shit before yuo've even got back

i fail to see where the problem with the new job is mate

as others have said, it may take a whle to get into the swing of things and i know it's been hard for me to be without the mrs and son for the past 2 months or so, but, if i were in your situation, i would be exptremly tempted to take the money while i could, at least you won't be stuck in a job that you don't like not earning the money you should be getting just ebcause you feel "obliged" to help out your old boss
on the other hand, i also believe in not burning your bridges, so if you can explain to someone else that you won't be back until you have finfished whatever contract you are going to be on it gives you a bit of an exit strategy for when you might get to the position where you miss yourfamily too much

 

beause there is no one there who can do his job,, so the "old" boss is going to tkae him back, use him to train up a new guy, then (potentialy) fuck him off somewehre else

 

Just to update you all, I am returning to the rig tommorrow so hopefully it will all work out.
Don't think my old employers were to happy tho.
I do have deep regrets about leaving but I had my reasons and time is a great healer.

steve

 

All the best Steve, think you've made the right choice

Steve