Oil & gas is the term used to refer to the oil and gas industry. Its activities include resource exploration, well drilling, production, transportation and processing of hydrocarbons. A graduate in engineering can take part in different stages depending on their specialty and position. For example, they can work in equipment maintenance, facility design, process analysis, project planning or operations monitoring.

Oil & gas companies in Argentina: where to start your career as an engineer?

The best oil and gas company to start your career depends on the tasks you want to perform, where you can work and what conditions you need. Some proposals include rotations; others combine academic training and field work or focus on technical services.

Before comparing companies, review the tasks and conditions

Working in oil & gas can mean taking part in hydrocarbon exploration and production, designing facilities, maintaining equipment, analyzing processes or providing technical services to other companies. Each position offers different experiences.

To guide your search, consider whether you prefer to work close to operations, take part in infrastructure projects or get to know several areas before specializing. Also check whether you can relocate, travel or work shifts.

The proposals below are examples of companies with a presence in Argentina. The description of each program comes from information published by the company or from an identified call for applications. Not all applications are necessarily open and their conditions may change.

Companies with programs and opportunities for future engineers

Pan American Energy: getting to know different areas through rotations

Pan American Energy, known as PAE, offers a Young Professionals program with rotations, training and immersion in the business. It can be an option to explore if you want to learn about different activities before guiding your development toward a specific area. According to the information published by the company, the program is aimed at recent graduates and includes advanced English proficiency among its requirements. PAE also describes national internships for students in their final years. The PAE programs page (opens in another tab) lets you check the entry paths.

Tecpetrol: structured training and mobility between operations

Tecpetrol advertises a 24-month Young Professionals program that includes at least one rotation between areas related to the person's profile. It may interest you if you value a training period with changes of area and are available to relocate. Among the general published requirements are being a university graduate, having less than three years of experience in the career, having English proficiency and being available to rotate to the company's operations within the country of residence. For those who are still studying, the company also describes regular and summer educational internships, with different degree progress requirements. In the Tecpetrol careers section (opens in another tab) you can check the general conditions and the selection process.

Pluspetrol: academic training and field experience

The 2026 edition of Young Trails by Pluspetrol is presented as a proposal aimed at operations profiles in Argentina. The program information describes a stage of academic training, a specialization postgraduate course and six months of professional practice in the field with an assigned project. This combination can be attractive if you want to deepen your knowledge of oil and gas and apply it in an operational environment. It is important to check the course conditions, the location and the type of contract before comparing the proposal with a job or an internship. The Pluspetrol Young Trails page (opens in another tab) explains the structure of the published edition.

YPF: alternatives in operations and infrastructure

YPF offers opportunities in areas such as operations, infrastructure projects and corporate functions. If you are interested in comparing different activities within the same company, its Young Professionals program is an option to research. The edition described on the company's page mentions profiles from various engineering fields and a nine-month program, with subsequent assignment to a specific position. The call for applications and its conditions must be checked before applying. You can review the YPF Young Professionals information (opens in another tab) to identify which areas accept your specialty. The company also announced a specific program for engineering fields linked to infrastructure.

Halliburton: technical services and operational experience

An oilfield services company can offer a different path from an operator: its teams work on products and services used in industry operations. Halliburton posted for Neuquén the Development Excellence Engineer Program Argentina 2027, aimed at people recently graduated from science, technology, engineering or mathematics degrees. The posting describes experience in different service lines, professional support and work in operational and business environments. If you are interested in learning about technologies and services applied to the sector, check out the Halliburton DEEP program posting (opens in another tab), published in English.

TotalEnergies reports that it carries out gas and oil exploration and production activities in Argentina. If you are interested in natural gas, you can learn about its operations and then look for positions that match your specialty on its human resources page (opens in another tab).

Shell Argentina provides information about technical positions, including well engineering. Its professional searches section (opens in another tab) is useful for exploring work areas.

What conditions should you compare between offers?

An entry-level opportunity is not defined only by the company name or the stated salary. To compare offers, ask for information on the same points:

• Learning: tasks for the first few months, training, supervision and how often you will receive feedback.
• Contract: employer, type, program duration, working hours and conditions when it ends.
• Pay: gross amount, currency, pay period, additional payments, reviews and benefits actually included.
• Location and schedule: workplace, travel, shifts, rest periods and possibility of relocation.
• Expenses: coverage of transportation, accommodation and meals, when the position requires it.
• Safety: training for the tasks, supervision and applicable procedures at facilities and in the field.

How to look for a first opportunity while you're studying?

Educational internships and practicums can let you get to know the industry before you graduate. Their requirements vary: some calls for applications ask for a minimum percentage of subjects passed, residence in certain localities, or an agreement between the educational institution and the company.

Besides checking companies' job pages, review the opportunities shared by your faculty. If you find a program that interests you, check the enrollment date, the degrees admitted, and the time commitment it requires alongside your coursework.

In your resume you can include academic projects, practicums, technical tools, and languages related to your search. Prepare concrete examples of what you did and what you learned: for an entry-level position, those experiences also help show your knowledge.