Finding Welding Schools

Even if you graduated from more than one school of scuba diving, it is not enough for being qualified as an underwater welder. In comparison with scuba diving, there are several welding risks that you should learn in a dedicated class. Sometimes, these welding classes could be offered by various commercial diving schools. Plus, you will also need to meet the following requirements:

• Superior diving skills.
• A very good physical condition that you should check and maintain every year.
• Clear vision and eyesight.
• Autonomy and the ability to work independently.
• Pay careful attention to details.

Before being able to enjoy the benefits of your hyperbaric welding salary, you would need to pass a physical examination, and also a written exam. In some cases, the hyperbaric welding training could be offered as a separate class within the normal welding school. You can find as well various online classes that may help. However, the practical aspects of this job are very important and you need to carefully include in your training many hours spent underwater learning how to use the specialized welding equipment.

The Challenges of the Hyperbaric Welding Salary

After you’ve passed all your examinations, now you can plan your next practical experience. At the beginning, you can work as an apprentice diver or a diver’s tender. Once your experience is enriched and your portfolio is expanding you can easily find more and more opportunities. In general, many professionals in the domain of hyperbaric welding are working independently and are employed on a project basis.

The underwater welding salary of an experienced professional may reach the level of $100,000 per year, and perhaps even exceed it. Add to this the pleasure of spending so much time under water and the possibility of working by yourself without any direction supervision makes this profession so ideal.

Where To Find Underwater Welding Jobs

Ship inspection for repairs

There are a several areas where you will easily find welding jobs:

• Ship repairs
• Offshore oil platforms
• Industrial projects

Most frequently, you will need to be able to carry responsibility upon your shoulders by yourself, in both various private and industrial projects. In many cases, a professional hyperbaric welder will guarantee the medium and long term success of a project. Your main tasks would be:

• Taking underwater photography
• Underwater welding inspection

Your company should offer you the highest safety conditions and equipment in order to cope successfully with the welding risks. Thus, you will need to have the proper information regarding how to use the welding equipment and to take into consideration all the measures that may guarantee the successful accomplishment of your project. If you’re able to do that, expect to earn a much higher welder salary.

Besides the rewards of the hyperbaric welding salary, a job in this domain will guarantee a long-life professional life. You will rarely find free time or will complain about being unemployed. If you do your job carefully and with passion, your successful career is guaranteed.

Learning About Hyperbaric Welding

Many people with a basic training in scuba diving might think that it is easy to work as a professional in the area of hyperbaric welding. In fact, this is a big mistake.

In order to work as an underwater welder, you need to have an extended knowledge in the field of commercial welding. You should know how to use a hyperbaric chamber and what the effects of helium are on the body. A candidate for a position of a hyperbaric welder will need to pass a written and practical test proving his or her capabilities.

The training classes in the domain of hyperbaric welding are offered by many commercial scuba diving schools. Moreover, you can find reliable theoretical classes online. Regardless of the support of your classes, you may be aware of the fact that without many hours of practice, you will not be able to cope with the challenges of this job.

Challenges of Hyperbaric Welding

A diver works on this rig

The next steps of a successful graduate of a class in underwater welding are:

• The medical verification – You need to have a healthy heart, good eyesight and a balanced blood pressure. The medical tests should be done every year, due to the high risks represented by the welding underwater at a considerably high pressure. Also, you should be able to resist various temperature and pressure variations.
• A psychological test – That would evaluate your mental stability. For example, you do not want to have a panic attack or a claustrophobic outbreak shortly after starting your underwater welding training.
• A rigorous training session in the area of underwater safety. Welding, in general, is considered an activity with various risks. In the case of welding beneath the sea, the risks are even higher.

As in the case of many other welding jobs, do not expect that shortly after you finish your training you might be qualified to coordinate the operations of hyperbaric welding. At least for a couple of months, you will need to practice, practice and practice again. Many are starting their career as an apprentice diver or diver tender.

After a certain amount of time, you will be able to ask for more money and to take more complicated jobs on the basis of your portfolio. Both your skills and your level of training may contribute to a significant boost to your career and to your welder salary.

Most probably, you will find valuable work opportunities by repairing ships, on the offshore oil platforms or in any big docks with an intense industrial activity. Besides your hyperbaric welding activities, you may also be required to do activities like underwater inspections or underwater planning and photography.

Entry-Level Welder Jobs

There are many entry-level jobs that are available to workers with only a high school diploma or the equivalent. The average welder working in a standard welding work environment with basic welding skills or in an on-the-job training program will earn about $33,000 per year on average. There is some variation in this, and a fair range of pay for an entry-level job with no to minimal welding experience is about $25,000 to $44,000. With about four years of experience on the job, a worker may expect to ear about $44,000 on average in a typical welding job, with the possibility of up to $59,000 per year.

Factors Affecting Salary

There are a variety of factors that will affect a welder’s salary. For professionals interested in pursuing a unique niche or obtaining additional training or certifications, there are quite a few opportunities to earn a considerably higher salary as a welder. Here are a few of the factors that can affect a welder salary:

• Work Environment. When many people consider welding as a career, they will consider working in a warehouse, manufacturing, or repair type facility. However, there are other welding work environments, including underwater welding, aerospace facilities, automotive shops, and more. Each unique work environment will command a different level of compensation.
• Education and Training. While there are some entry level jobs that require little to no training to get started working as a welder, other jobs have special certification and education requirements. For instance, an underwater welder will be required to meet the Underwater Welding Code training requirements.
• Special Certifications. Some types of welding jobs will also require you to hold special certifications as well. With underwater welding as an example, the professional will need to be certified as a commercial scuba diving in addition to having specialized welding skills.
• Skill of Work Required. Some welders can enter into the field with no experience at all and can receive training on the job. Compensation will reflect the skills brought to the table. With time on the job or by attending a professional welding school or training program, additional skills can be learned that may allow a welder to advance into higher paying jobs.
• Risk to Welder. Welding in general comes with hazards such as fire and burn risks as well as risk from exposure to noxious fumes. Other jobs in different settings may come with additional risks, such as the risk of electrical shock that comes with welding near water.

Different Types of Jobs

Aerospace Welding

One of the biggest factors that affect welder salary is the type of job that a worker is employed in. Different jobs will bring together all of the elements noted above including education, skills, risk, and more, and so it is interesting to review some of the more popular welding jobs and compare welder salaries with these different jobs:

Aerospace Welding: This type of job allows workers the opportunity to build and repair aerospace equipment and machinery including airplanes, spacecraft, and more. Specialized and advanced skills are required beyond basic entry-level welding skills. The average aerospace welder salary is about $41,000 per year.

Automotive Welding: Automotive welders are those who use their skills building or repair automotive vehicles and equipment. The skills required are more closely attuned to entry-level, but specialized in this niche may provide a worker with a slightly better than average income. The average salary for this position is about $38,000 per year.

Underwater Welding: This is among the most highly specialized welding jobs, requiring advanced welding certifications as well as a commercial scuba diver certification. Generally, these professionals are not hired on with an underwater welding salary on an annual basis but rather are hired on a per-project basis. The equivalent underwater welding salary is approximately $100,000 to $200,000 per year. Professionals working in this line of work are exposed to electrical shock risk, the possibility of decompression sickness by working underwater, and other related risks.

Salary Trends and Outlook: What to Expect With a Welder Salary In the Future

Before beginning a career working in this field and especially before pursuing specialized training and certifications for a niche job, it is a good idea to explore the future of this industry to ensure job security and a steady or growing income potential. The base pay for entry level jobs generally increases to adjust for inflation, but there is opportunity to increase income potential with experience and further education and training. Many professionals with years of experience in general and niche jobs do go on to assume managerial or supervisory positions, earning greater income. Income potential with niche jobs, such as with aerospace and underwater welding positions does trend higher on average each year than entry-level positions.

Those considering a job as a welder will find a comparison of welding salaries among the various niches and work environments interesting. The opportunity to increase a welder salary by specializing in a niche like underwater welding, obtaining certifications, and gaining experience and training in the field is significant.

The Job Description

Welding jobs can be found on land in high numbers, and there generally are many professionals available to fill the demand for those jobs. Underwater welding jobs, however, take you below the surface of the water for your day’s work. The jobs may be in a dry environment below water or actually in the water. Work may including building or repairing ships, oil rigs and platforms located offshore, and other similar types of work.

Underwater Welding Salary

Many people love the thought of earning a great underwater welder salary that takes them to new and exciting locations and gets them away from a typical work environment that involves pushing paper every day. Yet the salary of this job is a critical component of any decision to enter this line of work, as a professional will want to ensure that the compensation can support the lifestyle desired. There is some variation in pay, but the average water welding pay is about $100,000 to $200,000 per year. In most cases, professional welding underwater is not a service paid for on a salaried basis. Rather, this is a job where a professional will work on various projects and earn income per project. Because of this, moderate to significant travel may be required, and there may be slow periods as well as busy period in a worker’s schedule.

Factors Affecting an Underwater Welder’s Salary

Before you begin training for a career welding underwater, you may first want to consider some of the factors that affect an underwater welding salary. There are several factors that will determine your final take-home pay for each of the projects you work on, and these include:

• A welder’s experience with commercial scuba diving.
• A welder’s experience with underwater welding, including drafting, cutting, rigging, fitting, and even underwater photography, too.
• Specific project details such as the depth of the water, the work environment and the risk it poses to the diver, the skill required for the project, the dive method, the physical location of the project, and the duration of the project.
• The supply of underwater welding candidates as opposed to the demand of projects at the time the project is offered.

Work Hazards and Risks

Many people will see the high amount of welding pay offered and will jump into the training aspect of the job without fully exploring the risks and hazards of the work itself. There are several risks associated with this job, and these risks should be weighed carefully. First, this is a job that takes you underwater, and often at high-pressure depths. So there are risks to the worker that come with any basic scuba diving scenario. The possibility of decompression sickness is among the most notable of these risks. There is also a risk of electric shock due to the process of welding in a wet environment. Special equipment is used on these projects to minimize the risk. Underwater welding also comes with the risk of possible long term health issues such as musculoskeletal damage, cognitive issues, and even dental amalgam breakdown over time. These risks should be weighed against the underwater welding salary carefully.

Training and Education

Those who have carefully weighed the pros and cons of a job as an underwater welder carefully and who have made the decision to move forward with a career in this field will next want to learn what steps they need to take to enter this profession. Professionals in this line of work generally need to possess two unique skills – welding and scuba diving. A candidate first can obtain commercial scuba diving training. After passing a commercial training course, a professional generally should expect to spend the first two years of his or her career as an apprentice or diver tender if he or she does not have professional commercial diving experience in place. Further, welding skills are required, and these skills should be for both wet and dry work situations. Locating welding schools and enrolling in a program can help you to meet this requirement. Most employers will want to see that you have met the Underwater Welding Code, otherwise known as AWS D3.6M before hiring you on for a project. There is a certification available that proves to employers you have mastered the skills and have the experience to meet this code requirement.

Work Environments and Outlook

There are several training and education steps that a professional must take before earning an underwater welding salary. Work environments for a professional welder will vary, and often a year’s work will take a professional to several different locations to work on different projects. An experienced professional may work on ship repairs one month and then oil rig repairs hundreds of miles away another month. Given the amount of training and possible risks to the diver, it is interesting to note that there are numerous opportunities for such professionals on a regular basis. So the outlook for employment opportunities continuing in the future is considerable. It is also important to note that many professional underwater welders do advance in their career. Many will become consultants on underwater welding projects, while others may become instructors at welding schools, managers or supervisors on a salaried basis on rigs and in other environments, and other higher level positions.

This is a unique and exciting job that a person can enjoy and profit from for many years, with underwater welding information abundant and salary earnings plentiful. You’ll even be able to see new parts of the world in the process. This, combined with the opportunity to advance in the industry, makes underwater welding a wonderful career option to consider.

Schools for Diving

Becoming a Certified Diver through a commercial diving academy is the first step toward learning how to handle oneself in the world of water and earning an underwater welding salary. Pressurized environments, equipment and safety are taught while practicing different maneuvers until one or more certifications are reached. There are different diving certifications offered by organizations such as the Association of Commercial Diving Educators (ACDE) or the National Association of Underwater Instructors (NAUI).

Whether you are a beginner, intermediate or skilled student, the ultimate goal is to receive your certification and diving card. A diving card proves that you have successfully completed the required courses and are a certified diver. These cards have to be renewed either every 6 months or once a year and after passing a complete physical. After earning your diving certification, you can begin to consider the type of under water welding course you would like to take according to your field of interest.

Underwater Welding Schools

Some academies offer full packages of diving certification and welding courses at the same site. Living around the water day in and day out is a great way to familiarize oneself with the different atmosphere that water has. There are many parts to American welding underwater that have to be studied, practiced and perfected in order to earn a certification from a specific organization. Some of these include the American Petroleum Institute (API), the American Welding Society (AWS) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

If this sounds like intense study, it is. However, this is just the start toward a dedicated career that is very different from any other course of study. In addition to working toward certifications, courses like diving physics, decompression, emergency management procedures, diving legislation, diving communications, rigging underwater inspections and underwater explosives are a few of the areas where one can gain an expert advantage in searching for underwater welding jobs. There are also different classifications of divers, A, B, and C depending on the qualification of skill with class A being the most proficient and highest paid.

Dry and Wet Welding

In welding beneath the water, there are two basic types of systems used. Hyperbaric or dry welding is when the worker is sealed in a chamber while performing the task. This may sound far safer than wet welding, which is the second type of underwater welding but is actually riskier. Electric shock is more prevalent in dry welding and gases must be closely monitored. The welding habitats also have to be very well monitored and are very complex. The combination of gases, increased pressure and oxygen can also cause a welder to become lightheaded and queasy. But more than these danger signs, a single job of dry welding can cost close to 1 million dollars and leaves the equipment unsustainable for other jobs.

Employers prefer wet welding as opposed to dry welding because of the costs. While it can be more difficult for workers to have the same visibility as those confined in a chamber, the benefits outweigh the price. Workers can move about more freely and the speed is also an asset. Wet welding is far more used by companies but the skill that needs to be honed is imperative. Hydrogen embrittlement is a major problem in wet welding because of the large amount of hydrogen that is present. Cracks and fissures can result even when extreme care is taken.

Welding Jobs Underwater

It can be exciting to land that first wet welding job but there is still much to learn. Many companies have their own set of requirements and certifications that have to be met before starting the hyperbaric welding job. By having your skills honed to perfection, you stand a very good chance of becoming very valuable and grossing a salary of $100,000 per year or more. The navy is a wonderful place to learn the basics of both scuba diving and being able to attend welding classes. After completion, working on ships and platforms under the sea can be exciting, and you can start earning a huge hyperbaric welding salary.

Petroleum companies have oilrigs in both shallow and deep waters. There are also pipelines that run across vast parts of the ocean that are always in need of repair. Construction companies that build bridges across water need maintenance performed by under water welders in order to keep the beams strong and secure. Windmills have started popping up along coastal regions and even positioned deep in offshore waters. All of these situations rely on underwater welders to perform maintenance work for a guaranteed future.

There is underwater welding information regarding opportunities all over the world. Several different job links can match your skills with companies in the UK, Australia, Africa and the Gulf of Thailand just to name a few. If you have ever wanted adventure, travel and the ability to make good money, becoming a wet welder can be a dream come true. Find your favorite spot and expand on your welding capabilities by becoming an instructor, supervisor or engineer when you find a company that is right for you. The expansion is great and one that can only grow in the coming years.