How is it to work for Shell oil as a trader?

P

Port1385

Im start to see advertisements for gas scheduler and Im thinking of moving in that direction. How is it to work for an oil company like Shell and how long will it take me to work my way up from scheduler?

What kind of salary and working conditions can I expect? Most of the descriptions for scheduler say 24-7 on-call...
 
You dont even know my background except for what you have grasped and guessed from my posts.

The main qualification for this job is being young, energetic, single and willing to do a lot of work. Gas scheduling isnt even a trading job, but more of a super administrative assistant to the traders. Im assuming being on-call 24-7 means that I would be woken up at 3am to do work and thats not a problem with my current responsibilities.

My expectation is that I would be more of a fire fighter putting out administrative fires at 3am and working for a humble salary.

My interest would be to get in on the ground floor, learn the ropes and work my way up within a year or so. It would be slave labor for a while, but Im willing to work like a slave for a year in exchange for the knowledge and experience.

Most people would not be able to do this job since they have a wife and kids. There are not very many wives out there who could stand this routine. Since I do not have any kids or a wife, I have a step-up.
 
The Energy Arena is one of the places to be. I'm not sure what "Trader" for Shell is, unless your talking Enron Style business model.
 
Here is the job description.

My guess is that a typical day would be woken up at 3am to take care of some fire. Then having to report to some centralized trading floor sometime around 6am and answering to a director of trading that seems like he is on some type of crystal meth. All the while performing administrative work that the real energy traders dont want to do or are not tasked to do. Somewhere along the line I'd probably get some sleep, but nightly there would be some type of administrative fire that needs to be put out.

Im guessing this would be more like pledging a fraternity with me running around performing all sorts of crazy tasks until I am initiated as a brother trader. Im just wondering if this is an accurate vision of this job as a scheduler.

Take note of the comment below where it does say 7 days a week meaning that I could be drinking in a bar on a Saturday at 2am and then all of a sudden get a call saying that I have to be at work reporting to the Shell Oil task-master for more things that need to be completed. Essentially, you would have no life. You couldnt drink or be far from the trading floor or do anything that might not make you available 24-7...all the while making a humble salary with no guarantees that you will be able to keep your job next week simply because you are not a "good fit".

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http://impact-gs.jobstreet.com/temp...d=469|18002||&did=0&its=0&src=8&ref=&cc=&agn=

Shell Trading Services Company

Trading Gas Scheduler, Spokane,WA Job ID: U18002


Location: Spokane, Washington, United States

The global network of Shell Trading companies encompasses Shell's worldwide trading activities. The business possesses an unsurpassed portfolio in crude oil, refined products, natural gas, electrical power and chemicals, and positions Shell to leverage its scale, global reach, talent and financial strength to compete strongly in the evolving energy trading market.

With volumes of about 14 million barrels of crude oil equivalent per day, spread over Shell's Oil Products, Gas & Power and Chemicals businesses, Shell Trading has the skill base and international scope to capitalize on trading opportunities inherent in Shell's asset and market positions around the world. Shell Trading companies are sited in various locations, with key trading and marketing operations located in the Middle East, Asia, Europe and the Americas – including North America, South America and Canada.

At Shell our commitment is to satisfy the world’s need for energy with economically, socially and environmentally responsible solutions. We seek a high standard of performance, and understand that great ideas can change the world. If you want to work with a group of creative, ambitious and innovative professionals then you should consider Shell. We will provide you with the resources to put your ideas into action, worldwide opportunities to advance your career, and outstanding benefits and rewards that support your quality of life. Join us and let’s make a real difference together.

Shell Trading Services Company is currently seeking a Trading Gas Scheduler, for the Spokane, WA location.

Responsibilities:


Qualified candidate to handle daily gas scheduling operational duties
Responsible for nominations and related activities on inter- and intra-state gas pipelines in the West
In addition to scheduling, will be responsible for reporting pipeline physical positions to Shell trading groups, balancing pools, and maintaining the overall relationship with the pipelines, local distribution companies and their personnel
Will also be responsible for the input of operational information into Shell's internal systems of record and assisting other departments in overall Shell's efforts
The candidate will provide back-up support to other coordinators in the form of system entry or scheduling needs


Requirements:

Must have legal authorization to work in the U.S. on a full-time basis for anyone other than current employer
The successful candidate should be able to work independently within a dynamic, fast paced and business critical trading environment
Must be highly motivated and possess strong analytical, problem solving, and troubleshooting skills in order to recognize and solve problems quickly
Highly effective planning and organizational skills and attention to detail are essential to meet the department's demanding schedule and goals
As this is an operational role, the successful candidate will be on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
Bachelor’s degree preferred, preferably in a business discipline
Must have excellent computer skills, and proficiency with Microsoft Office applications (Excel, Word)
Preference will be given to the candidate who holds the broadest knowledge base of Pacific Northwest region pipelines and local distribution companies experience


The Shell Group offers an outstanding benefits package. In order to be considered for this position, you must complete an online candidate profile at www.shell.com/careers. No phone inquiries will be accepted.
 
What this involves is basically scheduling physical gas along the pipeline
When traders buy and sell gas daily in the cash market, you have to nominate gas to your counterparties and make sure the volumes match. There are several cycles during the day and you have to make sure gas is properly scheduled and flowing so that you do not have any issues with gas getting cut to and from your counterparties. Its honestly a pain for many and quite tiring due to the early hours. I would say Shell Oil is a good place to be since the i-banking industry is downsizing. However, due keep in mind that once you start as a scheduler, upward mobility towards being a trader might be easier said than done since trading is a front office job and scheduling is part of operations. Basically, traders try to generate revenue for the firm while schedulers try to keep the operational aspects of the biz in tact and flowing smoothly. nevertheless, it is possible to start as a scheduler and move up to a trader but I would bet that most do not. And keep in mind, scheduling will not teach you anything about financial products only physical. And there is a conflict of interest since companies try to find good schedulers and once they do, they want these people to keep scheduling since it is an important aspect in the industry. Best of luck to you and your endeavors
 
Thank you for your input.

My expectation is that this would be a fight the first year of employment where the decision would be made if I am a good fit or not. If Im not, then I would be shown the door. Since its a dynamic environment that requires different hours of working, Im certain there is a high turnover both voluntarily and unvoluntarily.

If the industry truly needs good schedulers, then I expect those that excel at the position would be provided with a respectable salary.
 
Yes you are correct
Turnover is somewhat high, more so I would say because for new hires it might not be the right fit and for experienced hired, they tend to move around every so often, especially in Houston where most of these jobs are located. I think a year would give you the training and experience necessary to be a scheduler, as far as upward progression to a trader, at a place like Shell 1 year would be very very fast, hence not very likely. As for salary, experienced schedulers at big energy companies like Shell make a comfortable living, although come bonus time there is a significant difference between a very good trader and a very good scheduler, reason being the trader gets a % of PnL, while the scheduler is limited to a performance bonus. Hope that helps and best of luck. You have the right mindset so I'm sure you'll do great
 
You should apply for the job if you think you are even slightly interested. The worst thing that can happen is you don't get it.
 
Im going to do one better and place an alert on www.indeed.com with the search term energy or oil scheduler. It searches all the job boards, company websites and sends you emails when they are updated. The minute someone places up a position is the minute I will know. I know of the one for shell and there was another energy company in texas that had one up too.
 
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