Anybody dealt with AIM Staffing out of Austin TX?

Maritime Employment
1

Hey all,

I’m new to this forum, but I’ve been lurking and reading for a few days…

I had replied to a post on Craigslist for entry-level, no-experience offshore workers; I got an email back with applications and all, told me to apply for the TWIC and all I needed to send back with my application in order to be hired was just the receipt from where I paid for the TWIC.

I did all that, faxed in my app & mailed the originals on this past Friday. I got a call about 7:30pm Sunday night that they needed me to come down for drug screen, physical, and orientation either Monday or Tuesday morning in Houma, LA at 6:45AM.

I had family coming in to town (my parents were coming to pick up my sis, who’s been staying with us since December, terrorizing us, haha) but wouldn’t be here till Monday afternoon, and I didn’t want to leave before they got here, which would also leave sis in my home unattended - and I don’t trust her. So I called AIM staffing back and confirmed that they had things going on both Monday and Tuesday, so I told them I’d be there Tuesday morning @ 6:45am and rarin’ to go. I called and got a room booked at a local hotel so that we could just leave Monday evening, stay in town and not have to leave at 3AM Tuesday morning to get to the place.

Well, Monday I called to ask Ms. McGhee what all I should bring, and she tells me they’re not doing it on Tuesday “The guy who does the orientations is taking off tomorrow so I’ll call you and let you know; we’ll probably do it on Wednesday or Thursday”…no calls on Tuesday so I called to see if they’d just forgotten to call me back and let me know, no answer. Haha it wasn’t just “the guy” who took off Tuesday, it was the whole office! I called the actual catering service (apparently it’s a galley hand job) where I was supposed to show up and they wouldn’t talk to me – I’m assuming because they pay a good bit of $$ to the staffing service to handle applicants.

Now, I’ve called again today and they’re telling me maybe next Monday and Tuesday.

What gives? The original email Ms. McGhee at AIM Staffing sent me said “Show up at 6:45am Monday or Tuesday, with your ID, TWIC receipt, SS card @ 204 Venture Blvd, Houma LA. You will take the drug screen & physical and do your orientation, then go offshore either that day or later this week, depending how long it takes you to get your gear together.”

I thought they sounded pretty desperate for people, what with calling Sunday night and saying to be there “tomorrow or Tuesday” and we’d pretty much leave that day.

What gives now, why the run around? I am just a newbie and unfamiliar with how these places operate. I’m trying really hard to get my foot in the door; it sucks royally that I can’t seem to get any straight answers from these places – they get a good wad of cash from my paycheck if they get me working, so why wouldn’t they want to get me working ASAP?

Plus now I’m out the $65 for the hotel room I booked; the owner said she’d hold off on charging my card if I was still coming this week… I was kinda looking forward to the little road trip too, haha! But really the job and money part was what I was looking REALLY forward to.

I was wondering if I’d have any luck if I just left tonight, partook of the room that I’m gonna have to pay for anyway, and just show up at the place tomorrow.

Anybody dealt with this staffing agency, or familiar with this kind of treatment? Is it the norm in this industry? If so, I can deal with it, I just need to know how to proceed. I’m just not used to this yet, hehe.

Thanks in advance for any info anybody can give me.

Oh, and my name is Andrew.

2

Andrew,
I have not dealt with that outfit, but if that type of work interests you, you may find dealing with the employers directly a better option. Many of the offshore catering companies have been advertising for galley/utility hands the last few weeks.
If you make the trip, these companies will accept walk-in applicants:
http://www.deltacatering.com/
http://www.sontheimeroffshore.com/
http://www.taylors-international.com/

Another company to consider would be Aramark.

Hope this helps a little,
Shoot31

3

That’s awesome, thanks!

I’m looking for ANY entry-level, no-experience required jobs, whether it be Deckhand, O/S, Galleyhand, Utility, etc. I’ll definitely check out those places while I’m there. :slight_smile:

4

It probably boils down to timing. She probably got a call Late Friday or even possibly Saturday or Sunday with the # of warm bodies that were required Monday morning. She happened to get to your name on the list before she fulfilled the requirements for Monday. By Monday afternoon she got the slots filled and no longer needed anybody for the week. Keep trying.

I have never dealt with AIM staffing. They may be a great outfit but overall I’d have to agree with shoot31, talk directly to the companies and bypass the recruitment fee.

5

I went on into Houma, since we already had booked a place and I’d rather use it and at least have a lil vacation if nothing else, instead of being out that money…

Went into the catering service this morning – not hiring, oh well!
BUT when I could show them the receipt I had from where I paid for my TWIC, they were impressed with that…weird, no?? It’s just a receipt, not the card itself. I don’t know why. They went ahead and made copies of my SS card & ID, TWIC receipt, etc. I filled out an application with them directly…I don’t know if I’ll still have to pay AIM for a fee when they didn’t actually get me a job…since they either weren’t completely honest with me about what was really going on, and kinda left me hanging. Ah well, we’ll see about that when the time comes, if it does.

I went over to Sonoco (or Sontheimer Offshore, same thing, I guess) and applied there, too. They were also a fan of the TWIC receipt I held in my “folder-of-info-stuffs”. The guy seemed like he really wanted to hire me, but told me that they really need people right now, just can’t hire at the moment. At least it was a nice feeling, haha.

I came back to the b & b I’m staying at (It’s cheaper than all the hotels around) and Mr. Crochet (owner) asked how it all went, I told him the place I came to check out isn’t hiring, he was disappointed for me. He said he used to work offshore on a platform, and wrote down some company names, then circled a patch in the phone book and handed it to me and said to get to calling, haha…so I did!
I got in touch with a few tugboat places, one in particular – Bayou Tugs – told me basically “Nah…” and then I mentioned (since it had gotten me some sort of odd leverage at a couple other places) my TWIC receipt, then the lady perked up and transferred my call to someone else, who told me to come on down and apply.

I told Mr. Crochet I was going to Bayou Tugs, turns out his cousin works there, he told me to ask for the guy by name & tell him Mr. Crochet sent me. I did that, and the guy said they didn’t need anybody right that second but that they had a boat going out in “a couple of days” and they would probably give me a call.

So…I am feeling pretty clueless right now. What all kinds of entry level jobs are there on a tugboat? What do they all involve? I am able-bodied and willing to do anything I need to do, I just don’t know exactly which jobs do what. I know the BASICS of what a galley hand does, or a utility hand…and I’m pretty sure I get the gist of what all a deck hand does, but I know that, depending on the vessel (tug, crew boat, lift boat, etc), the job can change by a lot, or so it seems.

In my ignorance, it seems that a deckhand, rigger, ordinary seaman… roustabout, roughneck, wiper…some of these jobs tend to be the same exact thing with different names, but at some companies, they are very different.

I feel so STUPID going into this and it feels like this is one of those industries where maybe it’s not good to be such a newbie. :-/

Anybody got any insights, advice for a newbie, etc?

6

Hey AA,
Sounds like your are at Leland & Sally Crochet’s B&B. They are great people. I stayed with them last March while in training and was going to return for another stay in Aug/Sept when that Hurricane zero’d in on them. Leland makes a good breakfast. If you are still there tell them Ron Carroll from Tallahasse FL says hello.
By the way you are in the right spot on this forum. There are a lot of good people here that can help steer you in the right direction. Keep knocking on doors and one will eventually open. Best to you.

7

[QUOTE=aarosson48;10403]
So…I am feeling pretty clueless right now. What all kinds of entry level jobs are there on a tugboat? What do they all involve? [/QUOTE]

aarosson48,
It sounds like you had a pretty good day! If I remember correctly, Bayou Tugs runs a few towboats on the Lower Miss. and Intracoastal. If you have time, check this site out http://home.att.net/~johneesser/stern.html . There is some good information about life on a towboat and a bunch of links to inland companies if anyone else is interested in the barge lines.

Good luck,
Shoot31

8

Thanks, that site answered a LOT of my questions, and even had a “stuff you’re gonna need” checklist – GREAT!!

9

[quote=10talents;10404]Hey AA,
Sounds like your are at Leland & Sally Crochet’s B&B. They are great people. I stayed with them last March while in training and was going to return for another stay in Aug/Sept when that Hurricane zero’d in on them. Leland makes a good breakfast. If you are still there tell them Ron Carroll from Tallahasse FL says hello.
By the way you are in the right spot on this forum. There are a lot of good people here that can help steer you in the right direction. Keep knocking on doors and one will eventually open. Best to you.[/quote]

Yeah, my girl and I came down here and we are staying in the downstairs part of their cottage out back. It’s nice, we really like it. Leland & Sally are really great folks. You are RIGHT about that breakfast, they are really serious about it! Haha, I’ll tell them you said hey. :smiley:

All righty I’m off to go relax and watch something…vacation calls me…

10

Yeah, they got me a job offshore and it was great!!! I had never worked offshore before so they really helped me get my foot in the door. It was short notice though. You pretty much have to be ready when they call and be there on the day they tell you, because the job’s fill up fast especially for entery level guy’s like myself. I have been offshore for around 6 months now and Im lovin it!! I have already gotten promotted and given a raise. All in all I would say that AIM is a good outfit…they gave me my first shot and were easy to work with especially compared to some other agencies I had heard about. My advice just keep trying and calling and be ready to go when they call.