How hard can it really be to get a job?

Professional Mariner Forum
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Alright, i know this will seem nieve of me to ask to a lot of you guys but I just got my Marines document, twic etc. Started knocking on every tug company door in the new york, albany, philly area and have quickly heard back from several names. My number one choice due to location is McCallister. Although they don’t have an immediat eopening, they took all my info and basically said within the next 4 months they should be able to place me. Now I am going for OS only. I was an MM in the Navy so I’m sure that is helping but really I have no experience on tugs in any fashion. If they do give me a job is it going to be some short stint where I work for 3 weeks and am lucky to see work again in a year or is it what I was told true which is that if I commit for a lifetime to them I will get back just as much in return and be able to move up within the company education etc.

Now when applying I told every company the same thing, I loved being at sea, I miss working on boats, I can woirk any day, any holiday and any length of time since I have no family (kids etc. I do have a girlfriend but she put up with my navy time and knows how it is and is actually hpapy with the thought of it not being six months away or more. . .)

I’m just curious more than anything, everyone constantly says there are no jobs, are you talking about captains, AB’s, etc. Am I looking at no future in this industry beyond entry level or is it safe to say I will have opportunities in the future?

Just curious of a general opinion. Thanks!

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For me itz very difficult also… I’m @ entry-level an I’m having a difficult time finding a job in tha new York area… I’ve been told I need to get my BST to join a SIU union in Brooklyn… But good luck

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How hard can it be? Tough, but the issue I think someone might focus on is persistence. The harder you work the luckier you get and there is some luck involved in being at the right place at the right time, especially with a non-union position. As for the future I would think it would be much better than the present, at least I would like to think it can’t get worse than it is.

I like what I do and I was lucky to get started as an OS before the downturn. Good luck to you.

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Alot of it is being in the right place at the right time. Be Tenacious, the phone numbers are toll free. Don’t worry about being a bother-if you call often enough Someone will remember your name when the time comes. And Be READY to go when the call comes, the Job will not wait! Most crew changes in the NY area are Tuesday and Wednesday, So Monday and Tuesday are good days to follow up. Good Luck!

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[QUOTE=Veit;55017]My number one choice due to location is McCallister. Although they don’t have an immediat eopening, they took all my info and basically said within the next 4 months they should be able to place me. Now I am going for OS only. I was an MM in the Navy so I’m sure that is helping but really I have no experience on tugs in any fashion. If they do give me a job is it going to be some short stint where I work for 3 weeks and am lucky to see work again in a year or is it what I was told true which is that if I commit for a lifetime to them I will get back just as much in return and be able to move up within the company education etc.[/QUOTE]

Number one choice is McAllister due to location? Is that in Philly or in New York? Who did you speak with?

Your Navy time implies that you’ve been on a boat. Aside from that you obviously have a pulse and are stating a willingness to work. While they can be a bit more picky in this job market, that doesn’t necessarily mean they are going to be. When I was hired they needed people, badly. Now there are many applicants for fewer jobs. While others may certainly be more qualified than you, they would have to pay them more. That is one reason they may hire you. The second would be putting yourself in the right place at the right time. I saw 2 new deckhands this past hitch, neither one was a recent academy grad. One had previous sailing experience on fishing boats and the other had never been on a boat before.

The one that had never been on a boat before had worked 3 weeks, had 4 days off and they called him back in. Worked two days, they sent him home and called him back the day after. Starting out it’s going to be a crapshoot.

If you really want to go to work, be in the office in Staten Island at 8:00AM on Wednesdays with your bags packed ready to walk on a boat. Make sure Joe knows you are there and that you are ready to go should he need someone.

I started with McAllister as an OS in 2003. I now hold a 1600 Ton Mate of Towing, that McAllister financed, and run as Mate on one of their harbor tugs. They’ve been good to me and I’ve been good to them. Make no mistake, it’s no pleasure cruise. It has had it’s ups and downs. The grass is no greener on any side of any fence, it’s merely a different shade.

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McAllister or even Moran are great places to start with. McAllister treated me very well for the time I was with them. I came from a Maritime school and quickly went to the wheelhouse when I got out and have had many young guys and not so young guys as deckhands straight out of high school and out of the services and it’s a crap shoot to whether they’ll even like it or do the job well (for all the hawespipers I did work on deck and actually did learn the job from the deck up - didn’t spend much time there and never too arrogant to work the deck). To be a good deckhand takes a certain amount of skill and a certain amount of pride, and to make no offense there’s a real shortage of that out here now.
My advice has always been that when you’re starting out wether on deck in the wheelhouse or engineroom you have to go the extra mile. When you’re talking to a place like Mac say ‘hey why don’t I come in to learn or train you don’t have to pay me, I just want to show you what I got!’. It may sound nuts but it works and it proves to you that you actually want to do this. At the very least if it didn’t work out, when you call another company you can say you have tug experience.
Regardless, whatever you do, don’t get comfortable at any one place until YOU get what YOU want! Work hard, upgrade when you can, and don’t be afraid to try something different. It will make you all the more valuable. You might eat it for awhile but you’ll come out on top in the long run - trust me. Also, don’t be a company man. Respect the hand that feeds you but remember you are only as good as your last watch. That company man attitude has bitten more guys than I can begin to tell you about.
Tugs are a great place to start and put your name out everywhere. Good luck!

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[QUOTE=BPB1981;55096]I did work on deck and actually did learn the job from the deck up - didn’t spend much time there and never too arrogant to work the deck![/QUOTE]
I hope you have shared this with your alumni and career center at your academy. Your sentence is singularly (IMHO) the MOST important piece of info a graduate could have. (especially drilled into their heads over and over)

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Being a grad from a a school should be no easier route than those who have decided to go the Hawespipe route - different strokes for different folks. I wish I could nail into grads the ideal that you have to want to be here in order to actually get the job! I’ve been lucky that I’ve mostly seen the best the schools have to offer. I worked my butt off to get what I have with no regrets. I’ve often gone from working captain to deckhand on the same boat just to fill in because that is the attitude I think you should have. Unfortunately I don’t think many have the same attitude. All glory no pay. I think no glory…lots of pay when all the chips are down. I know even deckhand jobs back in the day were a matter of who you knew and what family you were from. Now it could be first come first serve. I’m vey thankful for what I received for education from my school, but even more thankful for what I’ve received on the job. I hope that any of my deckhands or guys i worked with/for could say the same.

1 Like
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I had an enterview with millers launch… They seem pretty ok but I wanted to get into moran… Tha captain is giving me 3 weeks to learn if not I’m outta there I’m kinda nervous cause I’m going in as entry-level… Any advise???

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There is alot of work down south on tugs and sea going tugs check harley marine. Kirby marine Crosby marine Blessey marine.

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[QUOTE=junbug;55100]I had an enterview with millers launch… They seem pretty ok but I wanted to get into moran… Tha captain is giving me 3 weeks to learn if not I’m outta there I’m kinda nervous cause I’m going in as entry-level… Any advise???[/QUOTE]

A launch boat is a piece of cake. And you wont get a job at moran until you have a few years of experience.

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I recommend checking into inland towboat companies like ACL, Marquette, Etc. Check the waterways journal online classsifieds. inland towboat companies prefer this one most. Also Indeed.com is a great job search engine that hovers over all the sites like monster and carear builder.
Also check NOLA.com classifieds. LA Works is another very good job site. (LA stands for Louisiana). Search word deckhand will get some hits but try “captain” and you will find deckhand and OS jobs under the same search.
gcaptain job thread pretty good but it has more unlimited tonnage and licensed stuff. That is what you are having a hard time breaking into right? Trust me go inland and if you want go offshore or deep sea later.
You can get your AB special or even AB limited with “unlicensed” deck time on inland tows.
You can then use the AB ticket to go offshore to upgrade to AB Unlimited and sail larger tonnage, work the gulf oil field, overseas, MSC, you name it.

Marquette is paying very well right now for inexperienced deckhands. ACL pays pretty good too. Paid travel. 28/14 rotation or all the strait time you want.

If the big boys are not hiring (which they always are because being a river rat is not for pussies) then you may have to go to work for a less than stellar towboat company.

Word of warning, being an inland deckhand is a young mans job. If you are 35 or over unless you are in pretty good shape I would recommend something else.

You can get your sea time for AB in less than a year and move on to bigger and better things or you may decide to work your way into the wheelhouse in the inland industry.

I will give you my HR man’s name and company. We go through a lot of deckhands. Only the good ones make it. Shitbags get left sitting at the house.

If you are willing to put in a days work for a days pay with a little extra effort here and there then you will do well. If you think you are getting on the Love Boat and are just riding for a check you won’t last two days before we put you off.

His name is:

Greg

Capital Inland Marine
Houston, TX

Experience helpful but not necessary.

The MM experience would be very helpful. You could move into an unlicensed engineer spot pretty quickly if you are good with diesel engines.

Not sure if he is hiring right now but you two should put your name in the hat. We have a couple shit bags that will soon be gone thus opening up new spots for quality deck crew.

Pay with my company for green deckhand not so hot but if you work hard and do a good job you will be up to max day rate in 6 months to a year.

Tankerman, unlicensed engineer, wheelman all become doors for you to open and those jobs pay very well.

Yes also look into KIrby Inland Marine. They are always hiring. Not sure if they pay travel or not. Turnover very high but fuck em. Use them like they use you. They work the dog shit out of you and you get your sea time.

good luck

Capt Mike

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Mike,

The info is invaluable as I too am starting out in my career-

I tried looking for an old post referring to ‘all ports’ rotary shipping board- In reference to that, would more helpful to relocate near the SIU hall that had the most work available or is it cyclical enough to negate the advantage?

TY - Horatio

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You make your own luck in this world. It sounds like you’ve done the right things so far. Expressed a willingness to work wherever, whenever. Now you need to be the squeaky wheel that gets the grease. Like Cal said, you probably want to be at MacAlister’s office on Wednesday mornings before 0800. Standing tall with bags packed. Best of luck.

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Union hall kinda knocked my spirit down a bit, " youll be wasting your money if you join" saying that i wont be getting a job and many others leave, usually the c’s which are entry level. any advice from people here on which is a good search engine other then indeed.com ???

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[QUOTE=AtomicPhil;56103]Union hall kinda knocked my spirit down a bit, " youll be wasting your money if you join" saying that i wont be getting a job and many others leave, usually the c’s which are entry level. any advice from people here on which is a good search engine other then indeed.com ???[/QUOTE] Phil. check your inbox.