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How to Become an Underwater Welder - Get Underwater Welder Jobs

DKrunner | Nov 1, 2011 |

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Welding is one of those jobs that tend to be loved by the people who fill them. Welders are often proud of the work that they do, and they really ought to be. It's a very demanding skill set that requires meticulous and careful attention to detail.

Underwater welders are maybe the most daredevil-ish of all the rest of people who work in that profession. Underwater welder jobs require someone who is not only extremely skilled at their trade, but who is so good at it that they can literally do it under water. I really can't think of a less optimal environment to weld than underwater!

Underwater welders earn a great deal of money for lending their expertise on the job. The actual range varies a great deal, but it is very significantly higher than the normal pay scale.

How to become an underwater welder
To get underwater welding jobs, you must train to be a certified welder, and have your commercial diving license. There are multiple ways that you can go about doing these things.

Firstly, and most obviously, there are underwater welding schools where you can go and get training in both. Underwater welding schools will give you both elements of what you need to get underwater welding jobs.

If you already have your welding certificate, but did not get it through an underwater welding school, you will need to take a bit of a different pathway. In order to get underwater welding jobs, you will need to enroll in a commercial diving school. It would be a good idea to use your welding certificate to get a regular job so that you stay brushed up on your skills while you work on getting that diving license, which takes roughly 2 years to complete.

Studying welding? Check this book out if you struggle with the math and science of the subject - many people do.

On the other hand, if you are already a commercial diver but do not have the welding experience, you're going to have to take classes to become certified in welding. It takes 2 years to get an associates welding degree, and there will be classes in math and possibly other core subjects along the way.

Another way that you could possibly become an underwater welder is to go directly to an employer and request to be trained by them for their specific needs.

It would be unlikely that you could walk up to an underwater welding job and request to be trained for the work if you didn't have either your commercial diving license or your official welding certificate, or a little bit of each. However, if you were already certified in welding and where currently being trained for the diving portion (in a licensed diving school), they may take you on as a sort of an apprentice.

As you can see, it takes some forethought and strategic training to become a certified underwater welder. Altogether, you could be looking at 4 years of training unless you manage to take the diving classes while you were being certified as a welder.

The underwater welder pay is high, but so is the risk; weigh out all of the variables for committing to a career!