I have been a long time lurker on the forums for a while, and there is a wealth of information here.
A buddy of mine is a former Merchant Marine and convinced me that I should follow this career path, and I do see the benifits in this career with plenty of room for advancement.
I have already put in for my TWIC card, and filling out the paperwork for my MMC. (Question: Who should I use for the letter of recomendation on the MMC application?) My career goal is to work on either container ships or tankers, since I want a career that allows me to travel the world. I do not mind being gone for a long time. I am debating on wether to go to an academy/ school, or just work my way up. My friend suggested I should go through the Workboat Academy (PMI) till I get my AB. But I am open to suggestions.
I have been a long time lurker on the forums for a while,
A buddy of mine is a former Merchant Marine
First, don’t refer to yourself as a lurker…it sounds so greasy
Second, the correct term is Merchant Mariner…Marines are in the USMC
as far as the rest of your post and questions, they have been asked and answered dozens of times already and as you stated, there is a wealth of information here.
…go back through the archived threads where you’ll find everything you want to know
I would say go to one of the maritime academies, that way you can get a degree and a 3rd mates or engineers license and make a lot more money. I don’t know if they have an age cut off or not.
If you go through the checklist in the MMC info packet available from MSC http://www.sealiftcommand.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/MMC_01072011.pdf you’ll notice that only first time officers need 3 letters of reference. I recently got my TWIC and it took a total of 9 days from sending e-mailing the paperwork to the Toledo REC for them to approve it and put it in the mail. And I had a couple of misdemeanor charges from the early 80’s I had to list. Letters of reference are not needed for entry level/OS/Wiper MMD’s. I don’t know your age but if I was younger (just turned 53) I’d be trying to get into an academy for sure. As it is, I’ll be happy getting back on a boat as a cook again. The problem I’m going to have is that all the bigger boats require an STCW basic safety cert. and I just don’t have the cash for it right now
I’ve knocked on a couple of doors on the west coast and surprisingly got some calls back. But all with the responses….”We are hiring entry level. But get back to me at this (number/email, etc.) once you’ve completed the BST”
Ouch!!!
BST courses run anywhere from $850 to $1500.
So I contacted the Military Sealift Command. They offer the course for just $500. So I took it.
I was also surprised to see that out of 15 in my class, 10 were still in the Navy awaiting retirement or contractual discharges. Two were new hires for Military Sealift Command.
The rest of us, the ones who actually had to pay for the class because it was free for everyone else, were just poor regular civilians trying to get a break anywhere we could find one.
I do not get why people wait around for this MSC Stuff? Can anyone enlighten me on why it is such a great job? To me it seems as a waste of tax payer money, no disrespect to people working there I just don’t get the fascination of being gone for 8 months on a ship that wastes tax payer $ from what I can see. Just my two cents.
[QUOTE=tugsailor;68796]Please tell us more about members of the general public taking courses at MSC. I didn’t know that was possible. How does this work?[/QUOTE]
Choose your Coast (East/West) for the scheduling. Than choose “Course Descriptions and Schedule” An informational document will open providing classes, dates, nearby hotels, costs and contact information.
[QUOTE=rshrew;68808]I do not get why people wait around for this MSC Stuff? Can anyone enlighten me on why it is such a great job? To me it seems as a waste of tax payer money, no disrespect to people working there I just don’t get the fascination of being gone for 8 months on a ship that wastes tax payer $ from what I can see. Just my two cents.[/QUOTE]
Yeah I remember when I got out of school it was “god I hope I get a decent job so I dont have to go MSC”
[QUOTE=brjones;68951]Yeah I remember when I got out of school it was “god I hope I get a decent job so I dont have to go MSC”[/QUOT
I was discussing this with an ab from msc. They have a very high turn over especially within supply utility. The average joe can’t spend 4 month at sea away from family and the other nice/conviences of life.
[QUOTE=rshrew;68808]I do not get why people wait around for this MSC Stuff? Can anyone enlighten me on why it is such a great job? To me it seems as a waste of tax payer money, no disrespect to people working there I just don’t get the fascination of being gone for 8 months on a ship that wastes tax payer $ from what I can see. Just my two cents.[/QUOTE]
Nobody is claiming it is a great job or that there is any fascination. Working for MSC is better then sitting on the beach going broke… Sometimes you just need a ship - MSC has got them.
When ever I had a choice of where to sail I always went with the bigger vessel… At one point that meant sailing for MSC.
Anyone lucky enough not to have had to sail unlicensed and to have gotten a good job right out of school, good for them. Not everyone is able to follow the same path however.
Thnx for the BST course info… Im getting out of the Navy mid August and doing the reserve for 2 or 3 years… Already have my TWIC and waiting for my urinalysis letter to be signed off by the CO so I can submit my app for my MMC. Any other advice?
Start saving some cash for the BST/STCW courses. As stated before, it will cost between $500 and $2,500. Set yourself apart from the herd and pay for the classes yourself. You’ll need to research on NMC’s website what is currently required for an entry level position. Next I would have the Navy prepare you a sea service letter. I HIGHLY recommend to do this NOW! You may only get 65% of your time, however, the regs are always changing so just roll with the punches. This is important if you want to eventually get an unlimited license. Your rate in the Navy is important for the sea time. Hopefully you are in the deck department, as this makes for an easy evaluation and transition to the civilian equivalent. You should also make sure you get the RFPNW rating on your issuance. As for the MSC comments, they are not the best outfit to work for, but they have Unlimited tonnage vessels which again is important for the big ticket.
[QUOTE=RubberRhib888;70106]Start saving some cash for the BST/STCW courses. As stated before, it will cost between $500 and $2,500. Set yourself apart from the herd and pay for the classes yourself. You’ll need to research on NMC’s website what is currently required for an entry level position. Next I would have the Navy prepare you a sea service letter. I HIGHLY recommend to do this NOW! You may only get 65% of your time, however, the regs are always changing so just roll with the punches. This is important if you want to eventually get an unlimited license. Your rate in the Navy is important for the sea time. Hopefully you are in the deck department, as this makes for an easy evaluation and transition to the civilian equivalent. You should also make sure you get the RFPNW rating on your issuance. As for the MSC comments, they are not the best outfit to work for, but they have Unlimited tonnage vessels which again is important for the big ticket.[/QUOTE]
Thnx alot RubberRhib, I’m attending the BST course in a few week and the lady who schedueled me in said it was free for active and there is “NO FEE REQUIRED”… I made sure to confirm that. I’ve been on shore duty for the past 2 1/2 years so I know it would probably be impossible to get my sea service time from my last ship. They dont even have a record of my missing eval go figure. I worked in the supply rate but really dont want to enter back in the same department so I figure that entry level was the best bet to apply for. I don’t plan on staying in the MSC, just trying to get my feet in the door so I can eventually switch over to the Merchants. The information on this site has been very very helpful. I have various recruiters numbers and emails that I got from TAPS class but they never return emails or calls which doesnt suprises me at all. So this is my main source for info. Thnx guys, can’t wait to get out the military and sail as a civilian. Hopefully within a year
