If accept MSC job, they require you to sign a contract?

If applying to work for MSC for unlicense or license job, do they require you to sigh a 1 or 2 year contract ?

what if you signed and sailed with them, and you don’t like them, got a better offer elsewhere or your personal/ family situation change…what do you do? are they going to back charge you for the investment they put into you? or ?

if already have all document or license, can you just work for them for a while, then resigned and maybe comeback next year ?

also, do you need to pass the security clearance by submitting the Standard Form 86 (SF86)?

There’s no employment contract obligating you to a minimum time employed.

Once given orders to a ship (unless this has changed) you must complete a minimum 4-month trip. When I was there you had to work 2-months before you could request leave, which had to be requested 2-months in advance of when you wanted to get off, thus making 4-months the minimum duration. For this you’ll accrue 28-days of leave.

Once you get relieved you are welcome to quit. But if you fully resign from government service and want to rejoin later, you will have go through the entire application and hiring process again. If any of your MSC specific training or certification has lapsed, you’ll do that again too. It would be a lot of hurdles to jump through unless you enjoy bureaucracy.

I know someone who requested an extended leave of absence and tried another company, but as a new hire if you want more than about 28 days off after a trip I wouldn’t be optimistic.

I’ve never heard of any obligation to repay for any training like some private companies do. I had a shipmate who quit right after taking a training course and there was no repayment required.

Thx you for the information.

I have read that MSC want new recruit to sign 1 or 2 year contract after they hire you on. I think most are happy to sign the the form due to job security.

Maybe some of those position have a sign in bonus/ or new hire bonus which can be attractive for mariner looking for a long term job. But i think some of these position require experiance or have good credential.

There is nothing free in this world, got to know the game before signing the document. most new guys don’t know this get stuck.

Thx you for sharing. any new update from other mariner is welcome.

No. It’s a federal civilian job. You can quit. It’s not much different than working for TSA or the post office. Certain benefits require staying (sign-on bonus). It is not like the military where you are trapped in service.

Also; yes, you will need to get a security clearance. Even in an entry level position.
Just be honest on the form and tell them everything. Hiding information will keep you from getting the clearance.

You are partly correct. If you take a position that is offering a signing bonus then it appears that receipt of the bonus requires a 2 year service agreement. For non-singing bonus positions there has never been such an agreement.

What that bonus service agreement entails I have not seen. But if you are talking 3rd A/E, the bonus is just shy of $13k. If the agreement allows for separation and repayment of the $13k then ok. Take it, save it, be prepared to give it back if you want out. But if it has any obligations beyond that I wouldn’t touch it with a ten foot pole.

agreed on not touching signing bonus. you just dont know whats going to happen.
better play safe; there is always another job out there waiting for mariner.

My understanding is the signing bonus either won’t be paid until the term is completed, or in installments. I haven’t had one there, but others I’ve talked to have told me they dealt with 1 or the other method. Possibly choosing method based on the position, or if an internal transfer (like to the EPF’s from other ship classes) vs being an external hire. Either way protects them from having to try and claw back money should you quit early. After the term is up, you may still get a retention bonus too.

Most people who were already in positions where bonuses are now offered are getting an extra 10% each pay period, to keep them from leaving. No contract required, no extra paperwork to sign. Just extra money in the pocket, even when home on leave.

Don’t let that bonus stop you from coming to work for MSC. You’ll also get lots of free training that can be used to get jobs with other companies.

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I have agreed to that sign on bonus. It’s essentially 2 months pay (some percentage of salary) up front in exchange for 16 months of sailing time which must be completed in 2 years. From my understanding, if you leave or change positions within MSC you will be liable to paying the money back.

In the past you would keep some of the sign-on bonus if you completed some of the time. For example if you completed 50% of your agreement then you kept 50% of the sign-on bonus in the event you did quit early. I’m not saying that’s the case now - I don’t know what they are offering now - so you should read the small print.

This is directly from my agreement:

"6) Method of payment (i.e. biweekly, lump sum after service period, or installments after completion of service period):

Lump sum at the beginning of service period

**Recruitment incentives for Civilian Mariners may not be paid in installments"

It’s probably a different agreement based on the position.