Anyone have a link as to where to find the mandated pay rate for cadets? Or a definitive knowledge I can quote for what it is?
I’m trying to get my company to put out some (more) cadet billets this year, and if I can show the cost benefit over paying them AB/QMED wages (as they have been) I might be able to get a bunch of slots for the academies.
I wouldn’t call it definitive knowledge, but currently cadets are getting $40.56 per day. I would say that you could save a few bucks over AB/QMED wages with that.
Wait so your company was paying cadets AB wages, and you want them to cut that back to cadet pay so you can get more cadets?
You’re probably the only company out there making an effort to get more cadets.
With all the new EMBARC requirements my company has decided it’s not worth the trouble. I’ve heard similar rumblings from friends at other outfits as well.
EMBARC requirements only applies to KP Cadets.
We’ve had cadets from the other schools. They look the same…and act the same.
If it’s a difference between cadets getting summer shipping billets or not, then yes. I don’t know about the other state academies, but without a training ship, Texas can’t get near enough for what the junior class needs. Let me also correct that to ANY cadets. Currently “it’s not cost effective to sail cadets that can’t fill COI.”
Cadets also can’t be ABs and QMEDs.
Correct. Not understanding your point.
The issue is that my company doesn’t want to take cadets because they’re a waste of money when they’re paying them the AB/QMED day rates.
But why would they be paying them AB rates in the first place?
I know places have done it in the past. But they can only fill OS/Wiper jobs for the COI, so why overpay them for that job, that they’re already being paid for anyway?
The company knows exactly how much the MARAD rate for cadets is. They don’t need you to find it and try and pitch it to them.
The sad fact is that cadets are becoming more and more of a liability and I can see more companies not wanting to deal with them.
Yeah, no they don’t. The bayou is dumb about “them college boys…” They were paying the rates they were because they didn’t know any better and now they’re stuck in that mindset and only something published will convince HR and management otherwise.
Huh?
Should have been “ so why overpay them for that job, that they’re already being OVERpaid for anyway?”
That’s exactly my point and why I’m trying to get the damn pay rates for this year so the academy can get some cadets on boats to get commercial cruises this summer.
HR seriously thought that they were paying the going rate. If I can show them that they could legit get 10 cadets for what they paid for one last year, it’ll make a difference with getting cadets sailing. But I need something from MARAD or USC/CFRs or something that states a dollar amount.
The only CFR that I know of that mentions cadet shipping pay is 46 CFR 310.60 but that only applies to KP’ers on subsidized ships. But I think that might be the same rate that is used as floor for everyone else too just based on some back calculations to the $25/day I got when I cadet shipped.
The current (2023) Federal Cadet/Midshipman wage is $1,273.20/month (See “Note 1” under the pay charts) which comes out to about $7.14/hr if based on an 8hr day. That’s what MSC pays its Cadets from any academy too.
I think the Federal Minimum Wage for 2023 is $7.25/hr, so it sort of looks like you can pay whatever your state’s minimum wage is.
It was part of the subsidy contract that KP cadets could be assigned. Similar to the MSP contract today. That said, @shipengr is correct on the pay as referenced above.
Coastal Transportation Inc. pays cadets $300 per day. But it ships them out as OS, with the requirement that they do all the work a deckhand does.
There’s a vetting process, and a physical challenge lasting a week, and they also get about 10 days of intensive training before they sail, to make sure they are useful aboard. Sometimes you find some duds but usually, because of the selection process, you end up with good workers.
Are your cadets from academies or some other training school. Big difference between the two.
Mostly Maine Maritime. Great source.
But the SMS applies to all cadets regardless of what Academy they’re from. Since the SMS here was changed to align with those requirements upper management has been reluctant to bring cadets aboard because it’s a pain in the ass and requires more work.
If your company incorporated EMBARC into their SMS that’s their problem. Not all companies have done so. I imagine most were satisfied with the policies they had in place. If the key people aren’t doing what they are supposed to do the best SMS in the world isn’t worth the paper it was written on.
Yeah, that’s what I just said isn’t it?