How Much Does A Traveling Welder Make? One of the most appealing aspects of a welding career is the variety of possibilities it offers.
As a welder, it is possible to work outdoors, indoors, on the land, on the sea, for a business, or become your own boss.
If you like stability, you might want to consider a permanent job that allows you to stay at home. However, if you love being able to travel each week and not knowing where you’ll be, welding provides numerous possibilities for traveling, and this is what we’ll discuss in this article.
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What Exactly Does a Travel Welder Do?
When it comes to job responsibilities, working as a traveling welding technician isn’t that different from being a regular welder. The primary function of your job is to join metal pieces or other materials with different welding techniques.
It’s the specifics of your job; however, it’s the circumstances that set the path for you. As a travel-oriented welder, the work you do will keep you on the move most of the time. There are some traveling welders who travel to various states, and others fly across the globe to various nations or even offshore areas.
Some of them provide their own transportation using a work truck, and others are provided with transportation through their businesses. The majority of traveling welders are experts in a specific area, including creating ships, fixing satellites, and working on pipelines.
Welders who travel are usually the ones needed in the event of a problem. Their jobs often take them to remote locations that are difficult to access, where there is no existing welding team onsite.
The nature of traveling work in welding requires non-standard working hours, including weekends, nights, and holidays.
Instead of working a traditional five-day, 40-hour week, it’s common for welding professionals who travel to take long stretches of back-to-back shifts that are followed by a few days or weeks of vacation.
A job as a traveling welding technician is far from the typical 9-to-5. If you’re seeking an occupation that allows you to travel the world and work in ever-changing settings, a job as a traveling welding worker could be an ideal choice for you.
Traveling Welder Salary:
The salaries for travel welders differ widely depending on levels of experience, kind of job, and industry, as well as the places they travel to.
The median wage for a travel welder working in the United States is $60,000. Traveling welders working overseas are paid a little more, earning an average salary of $64,850 per year.
The most important factor that affects the amount you can earn as a welding contractor is the degree of your expertise. As you gain experience and increase your knowledge, it is possible to significantly increase your earnings potential.
It’s not uncommon for those in the most specialized welding professions to earn up to $100,000 per year. The more specific your qualifications and experience, the higher the pay you’ll be able to earn.
Another factor that will influence how much you earn is the kind of work you do. Most welding professionals work in three types of jobs: full-time as an employee of a firm, as a contractor for a company that outsources skilled labor, or as self-employed contractors.
The majority of the time, your earnings potential will be the greatest when you are in the second category because you have the ability to choose your own schedule and select only the most lucrative positions.
But this type of job is difficult to gain entry into. It will take years of creating a name and building the connections that let you get high-paying contracts.
Many travelers begin performing as contractors or employees for others before launching a business of their own after putting together a strong resume of working knowledge. Benefits of working from home
Traveling Welders See the World
The most obvious reason to consider a job as a traveling welding worker is the chance to travel to various locations. There are welding jobs in every state and in the majority of countries around the globe.
Traveling welding technicians are highly sought-after in areas such as those in the Middle East, where the energy sector has a significant presence, as well as in the Gulf of Mexico, which accounts for 17 percent of the total U.S. crude oil production.
Be Your Own Boss:
Many of them are entrepreneurs or independent contractors. This means they are self-employed instead of employees of a business.
If you’re a hard-working individual who is able to manage both your welding tasks as well as the responsibilities of running your own business, self-employment is a viable alternative.
As a boss, you have the freedom to choose your hours. allows you to choose your own schedule, which could mean working 60, 70, or even 80-hour days during certain times of the year when the best jobs are on offer.
Many welders earn their entire income in just a few months by following this method and then utilize their remaining time for other pursuits or an additional job to enhance their income.
This also means that you’ll have to constantly be looking for new opportunities, building contacts, and arguing for companies to employ you for time-consuming tasks that are taken care of by someone else while you’re employed.
Diverse Work:
If you’re bored of doing the same thing every day, you’ll appreciate the variety of the job, which is an important benefit of working in welding.
If you’re a pipeline welder, for instance, for a month, you could be taken to a remote spot in the Trans-Alaska pipeline to conduct welding in temperatures that are below freezing.
Another month, you may work on a construction project for a commercial client located in tropical Miami. The work you do can be an itinerant one, shifting from one site to the next, but many welding workers find a sense of excitement in that.
It’s very enjoyable to solve problems and determine the best method to tackle each job in the context of the requirements you’re given.
If you’re trying to break out of the routine of doing the same kind of welding every day, this could be something worth considering.
High Earning Potential:
What is the secret to how top earners working in traveling welding earn so much? Paying for travel, overtime, and per-diem money plays a major part in increasing the amount you earn.
Along with your basic salary, welding jobs that require travel are more lucrative for those who work long hours, and some include time on the road, such as taking a car to and from the workplace.
Every day you’ll be paid per diem, which is a set amount that’s designed to cover accommodation, food, meals, and other expenses that you incur while on the road.
You may even qualify for truck pay, which is an additional charge to the hourly rate employers will pay for your own vehicle and equipment. If you take all of these elements into account, it’s likely that your take-home salary could be much higher than the advertised hourly wage for the job. The most popular fields for travel welders.
Military Welder:
There are many different types of welders. The U.S. military has bases across the globe; wherever there is a military base, you’ll be in need of welding technicians. Welders who support military forces could be part of the military forces, or they could be employees of government agencies. U.S. government.
Welders who travel for the military assist with the construction, maintenance, and repair of heavy equipment and facilities such as weapons, vehicles, and facilities. Due to the inherent risk associated with certain military sites, the compensation for these jobs can be attractive.
Although the majority of welders employed by the military are soldiers who have been trained in this field, There is still a need in the civilian market from time to time. If you’re looking to commit fully to becoming a welder in the military, then enlisting is the best option.
Underwater Welding:
In the fields of oil and gas and shipbuilding, there are numerous instances when the weld must be carried out underwater. Underwater welders, also referred to as commercial divers, are given the exciting task of performing these tasks, and many traverse the globe to do so.
To become an underwater welding instructor, You’ll need a commercial diving certificate in addition to having the necessary skills as a welder. You can obtain this certification by attending a commercial diving course in between six and twelve months.
Construction:
The great thing about working as a welding contractor who travels in the construction sector is that you are able to go wherever work opportunities are.
It isn’t limited to a single industry and can include jobs in industrial, residential, commercial, and other projects based on your area of interest and the available positions.
Construction welders design the framework of structural construction for buildings, bridges, factories, roads, public works projects, and much more.
They also play crucial roles in the development of the communities we live in, and they also play a vital role in creating infrastructure that is suitable for public use.
Industrial Shutdowns:
If it’s time to conduct inspections or repair an industrial facility, like a wastewater treatment plant, this job could require an entire shutdown of the facility.
In these situations, experienced and effective welders are required to be on hand to complete the job as quickly as safely feasible to reduce downtime and restore the system to efficient operation.
Therefore, these businesses typically pay a premium to get the top workers from outside the region. Shutdown welders who travel can work in chemical refineries, fuel refineries, as well as water and other industrial establishments, and outdoors in outdoor environments.