How To Become A Driller Helper: What It Is and Career Path

What is a driller helper and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

A driller helper is a construction professional who helps drillers with various drill operations and the maintenance of drill equipment. These individuals help with the deployment of drill rigs, transporting, loading, and unloading equipment, and logging information from the job site during a drilling operation. Driller helpers can work in the oil and gas industry, the construction industry, mining, or in well-digging, and spend most of thew work day on a job site, assisting the drillers and other work staff. A driller helper is often an entry-level job, and they are responsible for helping drillers do their jobs, including cleaning drill parts or operating the drill itself.

Most driller helpers have a GED or a High School diploma, and should possess strong communication, analytical and problem-solving skills. They should also be comfortable working outside in all kinds of weather at drilling sites.

A driller helper can make on average up to $27,000 per year, and with drilling projects increasing all over the US, the field is expected to grow 11% by 2028.

ScoreDriller HelperUS Average

Salary

2.7

Avg. Salary $34,737

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

6.9

Growth rate 4%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

7.6

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 2.25%

Asian 1.21%

Black or African American 8.99%

Hispanic or Latino 19.46%

Unknown 4.21%

White 63.88%

Gender

female 2.69%

male 97.31%

Age - 39

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 39

Stress level

6.9

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

7.5

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

4.4

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a driller helper

Explore driller helper education requirements

Most common driller helper degrees

High School Diploma

56.4 %

Diploma

12.7 %

Associate

10.5 %

Start to develop specific driller helper skills

Skills	Percentages
Geotechnical	13.09%
CDL	12.35%
Equipment Maintenance	8.22%
Safety Regulations	7.76%
Manual Labor	7.14%

Complete relevant driller helper training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New driller helpers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a driller helper based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real driller helper resumes.

Research driller helper duties and responsibilities

Provide leadership and guidance to direct reports, and manage their efforts to maximize their contribution to operational effectiveness and performance.
Trip drilling pipe in and out of hole using power tongs.
Assemble and position machines, augers, casing pipes, and other equipment, use hand and power tools.
Review Jsa's on all tasks before the start of the assignment and conduct work in a safe and efficient manner.

Apply for driller helper jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a driller helper job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do driller helpers rate their job?

3/5

Based on 1 ratings

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Driller helper reviews

3.0

A zippia user wrote a review on Dec 2019

Pros

Diamond Drilling, and RC Drilling

Cons

Actually I am not able to make on the offshore diving