As they say, underwater welding is not for fainthearted. The process entails welding while the diver is submerged at an elevated barometric pressure. Therefore, the process is life threating and subjects you to several challenges that require special training, skills and top-notch experience.
Although a dangerous experience, underwater welders earn attractive and motivating money. The amount these professions make depends with a number of factors. It can be work experience or level of training among others. However, the average earnings of an underwater welder are $25 to $26 per hour with a mean annual wage of $51,000 to $55,000 approximately as per the bureau of labor statistics. Do you dream of joining underwater welding profession? Understanding the income associated with it is so crucial. Therefore, we have broken down how much do underwater welders make for better understanding.
How Much Is An Underwater Welding Salary Inland Income?
As stated, underwater welding makes good money annually. However, it’s crucial to know that underwater welding is focused on two locations that influence the amount of income. These are: offshore and inland.
Inland income
Underwater welding on the inland entails working on the bridges, and small vessels, inspecting dam walls, inspecting sewer pipes and installing dock pillars in areas around the lakes, rivers and ponds in your locality. Since their work is less rigorous and entails less traveling, the salary for inland income is estimated as $40,000 to $80,000 annually.
Offshore income
Underwater welding salary for offshore welding is obviously great. This is because the process is rigorous and welders spend substantial time on large marine vessels. In fact, this process has intense work that requires the welders to last even a month in the sea. Some of the activities are saturation diving wet welding, oil rigs, stabilizing underwater pipes and installing wellheads among others. Therefore, underwater offshore welder’s income is approximated to be $40,000 to $100,000 or more annually.
Factors That Influence The Salary Of An Underwater Welder
Rather than welding locations (offshore and inland), there are several factors that influence the salary of an underwater welder. Knowing these factors might improve the likelihood of earning huge salary. Here is a well explained list of these factors.
Expertise
As an underwater welder, your diving experience is oneof the most crucial factor that will determine your salary. Typically, underwater welders with more years of work experience are always on demand with high salaries compared to entry level welders. To gain more work experience, attend a commercial diving school and participate in any volunteering diving practices. This will rank you as an experienced underwater welder.
Working environment
This is another factor that will greatly determine the salary of an underwater welder. There are different work environments that the welder experiences while working. For instance, freezing temperatures, high wave currents and zero degree visibility that subjects the life of the worker to death threat. Such work challenges will significantly improve your income.
Education level
The level of education affects the amount of income in every field of work. This includes underwater welding. Although education requirements in underwater welding is so minimal, furthering your education level improves your work experience. As they say, practice makes perfect. Therefore, the more you learn, the more you become perfect in this line of work. Perfect outcome greatly improves your salary.
Water depth
The depth of water at which the underwater welder will dive greatly influences his amount of income. Basically, the deeper the water, the more challenges experienced. This will greatly increase your salary.
Travel frequency
Underwater welders are expected to travel to different destinations to complete their work. For instance, they might be required to leave their families and travel to coastal regions to work on a project. This will greatly influence their income. Therefore, to impact your income, understand your traveling frequency before working with your selected company.
What Skills Can Increase The Earning Potential Of An Underwater Welder?
Working skills of an underwater welder elevate the chances of getting a job in a reputable company. Improving your skills is also important as it increases your income. As an underwater welder, you can improve your hard skills through education and training or soft skills through work experience and relating with colleagues. Whether hard or soft, all skills are crucial. Below is a list of skills that can increase the earning potential of an underwater welder.
Endurance and physical strength
Welding involves heavy metals while underwater diving entails working under pressure, freezing temperatures and high waves. Therefore, endurance and perseverance helps underwater welders to work well under pressure. They also need physical strength to combine welding metals successfully. This increases your work performance which increases your earning potential in underwater welding.
Attention and safety
As an underwater welder, you are expected to work with welding equipment like electrodes and grinders. When mishandled, these equipment are life threatening. Therefore, paying attention to details is an important skill that will prevent accident when handling these equipment. Following underwater welding safety standards to the latter is another important skill that protects and keep you safe at work.
Math
Math is another important hard skill that helps underwater welders to interpret sketches, measure dimensions and understanding welding diagrams. This helps to conduct your welding project successfully thus increasing your earning potential.
Analytical thinking and creativity
Improving your creativity skill is as important as it helps underwater welders to plan and design stages of welding projects tire free. Analytical thinking skill also helps the welder to provide ideas towards a successful outcome, analyzing your projects and evaluate applications reliability. Therefore, to increase your earning potential, you should engage in activities that improve your creativity and analytical thinking.
Communication
This is an interpersonal skill that helps underwater welders to communicate interactively and coordinately with the team under water and on land. It also entails listening to instructions keenly, following them to the latter and responding to any help required. Therefore, improving your interpersonal skills is important as it helps build relationship among colleagues for a successful operation. With no doubt, this increases your earning potential.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
How can underwater divers boost their salary?
There are several steps that underwater welders can take to boost their salary. Fast and foremost, improving working skills as explained above. Also, attending to training workshops, attending trade shows, furthering your education, networking with other welders and commercial divers will significantly impact your work performance.
What is the payment frequency of underwater welders?
More often, underwater welders are paid in hours. Depending with the employment company, underwater divers are normally paid per number of hours they work other in a day, week or month. However, there are exceptional employees that pay underwater welders per project instead of hours.
Apart from underwater welders’ salary, are there other employee benefits?
This depends with the company of employment. However, since the project is delicate and requires one to navigate safety issues, most employers provide medical treatments and sick leave as ad-on benefits. Some employers also give performance bonuses and commission packages for work well done.
Final say
Before committing to work as an underwater welder, keep in mind that it’s not a walk in the park. This project has a number of challenges, long work hours and difficult tasks to handle. However, it high returns that makes it worth to risk. Follow our detailed guide on how much income do underwater welder make, to help you make a conclusive decision.