There are no age limits but as a guide, the most desirable age range for new starts is mid twenties to mid thirties. The further away from that you are, the less chance you have. Less than eighteen is not possible, younger than mid twenties is harder than older than mid thirties. Different companies have different policies on age and experience.

The pay varies greatly from the beginners who have passed their HSE qualifications (more info below) but have no experience. They do not get to dive much and therefore get less pay. Fully qualified divers with several years of experience can earn over 150,000 GBP(Great British Pounds) per year. Day rates can be well over a thousand pounds.

In reality, you are not paid for the actual diving part of the job. Diving is only what you do to get to and stay at the work site. In itself, it is not productive for the diving contractor or the company paying for the work. The work done is what creates the money transfer. So you need to be able to do more than just dive. You need to be able to carry out the tasks involved. The work is usually mechanical in nature. You could be bolting metal plates, working around fish farms, welding e.t.c. You will need to have a good mechanical aptitude.

Most of the diving contractor companies do not work exclusively in the offshore oil industry. You will be expected to work in other industries such as fishing, fish farms e.t.c.

You need to be fit and healthy. You will need to pass the full HSE medical. Which incidentally you will have to pay for before any company will consider you for employment.

Living conditions can often be poor.

To be able to start your commercial diving career you will need HSE qualifications. You could start with the Scuba courses and work your way up if you are lucky enough to get a job. Realistically, your best chance is with the HSE part 1 or above if you can afford it. The Underwater Centre in Fort William is the only place in the world where you can get all the HSE diving courses. It is a good place to train to become a commercial diver as the climate is similar to that of the North Sea.

You should investigate your chances of diving employment before taking one of the most expensive courses as you may have the same chance with a cheaper course. Also, the tools type courses are often only an introduction. For example, the tools courses will teach you a bit about welding, but you will not be asked to weld anything unless you have years of welding experience as well as your diving certificates. Or the Non Destructive Testing (NDT) course will only get you up to basic understanding level. To actually do any work in that area, you will have to pass all the appropriate exams.

It is often best not to do any specialist diving courses until you get some experience. See what is available to you and what you enjoy before you take that step. Further information on diver jobs and companies to apply to.