Petroleum Engineering Salary in South Africa

If you are fresh out of high school and feeling confused about potential career alternatives then I have a perfect recommendation for you all. In the following article, I will share a very detailed overview of Petroleum Engineering’s salary and everything relating to this particular field. I will also go in-depth explaining the job responsibilities and educational requirements for being a petroleum engineer.

Occupation:	Petroleum Engineer
Monthly Salary Range:	R 16700 – R 53100
Average Monthly Salary:	R 34900
Description:	A Petroleum Engineer is a professional who is solely responsible for finding oil and gas deposits in the country. Not only that, it is entirely up to him to design and implement ingenious ways to extract these depleting resources in the safest and easiest ways possible.
Minimum Qualification:	To become a practicing Petroleum Engineer, you must have a Bachelor’s degree in Petroleum Engineering. Other than that, you may also choose to pursue postgraduate studies to enhance your skills and widen your scope of knowledge.

To give you a quick summary, a Petroleum Engineer’s job is very adventurous as it includes finding petroleum fields, devising extraction plans, and designing and acquiring extraction tools. It is also their responsibility to ensure the safety of the personnel and only use the safest extraction methods possible. For further details, I suggest you read the following full article right down to the last word!

Overview of Petroleum Engineering Salary

So, it is safe to say that the scope of a Petroleum Engineer is vast in South Africa. You are bound to earn a lot of money by building a career in this field.

A Petroleum Engineer makes about R 34,900 per month on average. The more the skills an engineer has, the better his salary packages and vice versa.

Plus, it doesn’t have very tough educational requirements either. You will just need a Bachelor in Petroleum Engineering degree initially to start your career as a Petroleum Engineer. However, that will not get you too far in your career and you will have to do postgraduate studies if you truly want to flourish and reach the ultimate heights of success in your respective field.

Responsibilities of a Petroleum Engineer

1. Design and Choose Equipment for Extraction

It is the foremost duty of a petroleum engineer to choose the most perfect and appropriate equipment to carry out the extraction. In case, there is no equipment good enough to carry out safe extraction, the petroleum engineer is expected to design all such equipment as necessary.

This equipment should be user-friendly as well as environment-friendly. They must ensure a safe and reliable extraction of all petroleum products without causing much harm to the environment or the persons using it.

2. Develop Extraction Plans

A petroleum engineer also must develop extraction plans before the operation undergoes. These plans need to be set out with great precision and accuracy in consideration of all the risk factors involved. The best extraction plan ensures a safe and clean extraction of petroleum products without putting the labor in any kind of hazardous situation.

The extraction of petroleum products is a little tricky and extremely dangerous due to the volatile nature of these products. Hence, a lot of factors need to be considered while building up an extraction plan.

3. Develop Plans to Enhance Extraction Products

A good petroleum engineer has a lot of tricks up his sleeves to improve the yield from a petroleum field without putting the manpower in any kind of danger. In addition to that, every field is different, which is why and hence requires varying methods of extraction improvement. However, the most common methods include pumping water, steam, or chemicals to the field to get maximum petroleum products out.

FAQs

How much do Petroleum Engineers earn a living in South Africa?

The salary packages of Petroleum Engineers vary depending on their skills, level of expertise, and education. The more educated you are and the higher your level of skills and expertise, the better salary offers you will receive and vice versa. In any case, the entry-level salary package for all Petroleum Engineers in South Africa is R 16,700.

Do Petroleum Engineers make a lot of money in South Africa?

The entry-level Petroleum Engineers do not make too much money at the early stages of their careers. However, as their level of skills and expertise increases and they improve their knowledge through higher education, the sky becomes the limit for them. They could earn up to six-figure salaries per month.

What are the job responsibilities of Petroleum Engineers?

The job responsibilities for Petroleum Engineers include exploration and location of petroleum fields. They are also responsible for the preparation of the site for the extraction, acquiring and designing of the tools, and designing and implementing safety measures. Besides that, the Petroleum Engineers also must devise plans for the improvement of the yield of the petroleum products.

The Bottom Line

So, it is safe to say that being a Petroleum Engineer in South Africa is hands down the best thing that could ever happen to you. It is a highly rewarding career with excellent prospects. The market is not very saturated for this particular field either so you will receive high salary packages and hefty bonuses as well.

Plus, the educational requirements are also not very stringent in fact, you will only need a Bachelor in Petroleum engineering degree to start up this career. However, this degree will not take you too far in your career and you will ultimately have to do post-graduation. But still, the initial salary packages are amazing.