How to become a Driller's Offsider
Also called: Driller's Assistant, Roustabout (Oil and Gas)
Performs routine tasks to assist Drillers, including setting up, operating and dismantling drilling sites for extracting oil, gas, mineral ore or water.
Main tasks
- Assists in setting up drilling equipment and machinery at drilling sites, and the installation and maintenance of drill casings and pipes
- Operates drilling equipment under the supervision of Drillers
- Assists in the collection and analysis of drilling samples
- Cleans and maintains drilling equipment and work areas
- Assists in the dismantling and removal of drilling equipment and machinery
- Assists in the transportation of drilling equipment and materials to and from drill sites
Ways in
- TAFE and VET: Certificate II in Drilling Operations (RII20920); Certificate II in Oil & Gas Drilling (Onshore) and Well Servicing (RII21120); Certificate III in Drilling Oil & Gas (Onshore) (RII32020); Certificate III in Drilling Operations (RII31820); Certificate III in Well Servicing Operations (RII32220)
Pay · Outlook · AI and this job
- About 7,900 people work in this job group now, and about 8,000 are projected by 2035. (+1%)
- AI is more likely to help with parts of this job than to do it. Jobs and Skills Australia rates its automation exposure as low.
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Questions people ask
How do I become a Driller's Offsider?
Ways in include: Certificate II in Drilling Operations; Certificate II in Oil & Gas Drilling (Onshore) and Well Servicing.
Is a Driller's Offsider a growing career in Australia?
Employment is projected to stay about the same by 2035: about 7,900 people now and 8,000 later (Jobs and Skills Australia).
Do you need a degree to become a Driller's Offsider?
Usually not. Only 4% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher. Ways in include: Certificate II in Drilling Operations; Certificate II in Oil & Gas Drilling (Onshore) and Well Servicing.
Will AI change the work of a Driller's Offsider?
AI is more likely to help with parts of this job than to do it. Jobs and Skills Australia rates its automation exposure as low.
Sources
- Jobs and Skills Australia: Occupation data (ANZSCO), from ABS Labour Force and Census (February 2026), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-10-04
- Jobs and Skills Australia: Generative AI Capacity Study, interactive table data (September 2025), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-10-04
- Jobs and Skills Australia: Employment Projections (Victoria University) (May 2025 to May 2035), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-10-04
- Australian Taxation Office: Taxation Statistics, Individuals Table 15A (2023-24), CC BY 2.5 AU, retrieved 2026-10-04
Updated 2026-10-04