The driller is the person who operates the drilling equipment on a mobile offshore drilling unit. The position sits directly below the toolpusher in the drilling hierarchy and carries responsibility for the actual drilling process: weight on bit, rotary speed, mud weight management and the moment-by-moment decisions that determine whether drilling proceeds safely.
**What a Driller Does**
The driller operates from the driller’s cabin or doghouse, a control station on the drill floor with displays and controls for all the drilling parameters. Monitoring the weight indicator, watching for signs of formation changes, managing the drilling fluid circulation and coordinating the roughnecks making pipe connections are all part of the driller’s active work.
During well control situations, the driller is the first responder. They initiate shut-in procedures when a kick is detected, meaning when formation pressure exceeds wellbore pressure and formation fluids begin to enter the well. The IWCF or IADC well control certificate is the qualification that demonstrates competency in managing these situations.
**The Entry Path to Driller**
No one starts as a driller. The standard path runs through roughneck and assistant driller positions over several years of accumulating operational experience.
Roughneck or floorhand is the typical starting point. The work is physically demanding, conducted on the drill floor around the rotary table and BOP stack. Experience here builds the hands-on understanding of the drilling process that feeds into every subsequent step.
Assistant driller, also called junior driller on some rigs, is the transition role. Working alongside an experienced driller, learning the control systems, developing the pattern recognition that effective drilling requires.
Driller: typically five to ten years after entering the industry, for people who progress consistently and acquire the required well control certificates along the way.
**The Well Control Certificate**
IWCF, International Well Control Forum, or IADC, International Association of Drilling Contractors, well control certification is required for driller-level positions on virtually all offshore rigs. The certificate requires passing both practical and written examinations covering blowout prevention theory and practice.
The IWCF Wellhead Blowout Prevention certificate and the IWCF Drilling Blowout Prevention certificate are the relevant levels for driller positions. These are renewed every two years.
**Pay**
Junior driller or assistant driller: $6,000 to $10,000 per month on rotation.
Driller: $10,000 to $16,000 per month. The rate varies by rig type and operator. Drillships pay at the upper end. Jackups in mature markets pay toward the lower end.
Senior driller or driller on complex extended reach or deepwater wells: rates reach $18,000 to $22,000 per month at the specialist end.
**Rig Type Matters**
The driller’s working environment differs significantly by rig type. Jackup drilling in shallow water is the most accessible sector. Drillship drilling in deepwater is the most demanding and the highest-paying. Semi-submersible drilling sits between them technically and commercially.
Drillers who want to progress toward the highest rates build experience across rig types rather than staying on one vessel type indefinitely. The drillship sector specifically looks for candidates who understand the interaction between vessel motion, riser dynamics and drilling parameters that deepwater operations involve.