Hello guys,
I have finish with my college here in Greece and I have the certificate of the college for 3rd officer (I haven’t make the steps to have the certificate so can I embark as 3rd officer yet)
Does anyone knows if there is a possibility of working in the USA with this paper? Or what needs to start working there? My fiance is from there and I am trying to find a job with what I study in college!
Thank you very much
First, you need a work visa:
Second, your license is completely invalid in the USA. To be an officer on an American vessel you must be a citizen.
You can work as an AB seaman, but you must go through the application process for one, which is not quick. Go the USCG NMC website for the process
The only quick road to sea for you in the USA is as ordinary seaman/wiper. Depending on the type of vessel, a MMC may or may not be required.
Maybe easier to look for work on foreign ships and spend your time off in US.
That should only require Visitor Visa, which should be easier get.
Somebody here should be able to advise on the length of stay that would be allowed and on any obstacles that may exists for such arrangement. (??)
Of course you’ll have to find a job that give you both the income and time on/off to sustain such an arrangement.
PS> Lot of seafarers stays in countries other than the country who’s passport they hold, incl. some who sail on Cruise ships and live in the US.
So I guess both you are saying that if I have us passport I can work… But I think you didn’t understand what’s my problem is… The problem is that with my greek certificate even if I am American citizen I can work in the states?
If you have a Permanent Residency Card (Green Card) you can apply for and receive unlicensed rating if you have the qualifications for that rating. If you become a US citizen you can get a license but it is not automatic. Having a Greek certificate may allow you to sit for the (national) exam but you would have to redo all the STCW certifications.
If you give up your Greek citizenship and become an American citizen would that adversely effect your Greek certificate?
Actually this is my question… I can carry both nationalities that’s I know for sure… The problem is That I don’t know if my certificate is working in the states (and I highly :I have the certificate of the college no the license, and I did that for that purpose, If my college can translate the certificate so I can use it in USA)
I guess our question is, are look looking for a seagoing or shoreside position. If shoreside, it is just a matter of finding a job if you find a company to hire you. Assuming you have, or get, a Green Card or Work Visa allowing to work in the US.
The real question is if the US will recognize the Greek certificate
No.
Not a chance.
No.
No.
Sail as third officer for at least 360 days and take all the required STCW classes at USCG approved schools. Then you can apply to test as second mate with the USCG after your are a citizen. If you can also get 360 days sailing as second officer before you get your citizenship you should be able to apply straight for chief mate of you take all those classes as well.
Well isn’t that quite stupid? A Greek license (certificate) which does not meet any international agreed standard might be recognized by the uscg.
But international endorsements that are all created and executed to international standards that all participants agreed to will not be recognized at all by the uscg?
What the hell kind of stupid system is this? We all have “equal” stcw international endorsements that meet required minimum training standards agreed to by all participating countries, but all countries don’t actually accept the international endorsements that are equal world wide. What is the point if such a system?
It is a maritime authority cash cow.
What does a regulator have if there are no regulations to regulate? What asset could a regulator offer the regulated after reaching regulator retirement age unless he regulated thoroughly enough to know all the loopholes in the unregulated mountain of regulations?
Cough cough……tote vp/president whatever lol
But think of the great increase in gdp due to all the mom and pop stcw schools that popped up and offer useless death by PowerPoint classes. Broken window economics!
It’s amazing how many us national license holders still have zero clue about stcw endorsements. “Do I need to pay extra and get stcw when I take my 100ton masterbaiter class at billy sue captain’s class llc?”
And to think I’d all the myopic folks that have only worked in the maritime industry that just don’t know what they don’t know. A simple bridge/engine resource management class is all that is needed to bring shipping to the same procedural and safety level that CRM did for the airlines….is what these idiots believe.
Airlines are safe because smart people made tough decisions and created a useful system that pilots are required to follow. In shipping, the captain/chief are always the smartest guys in the room….don’t dare question them! Probably much more likely to get an incompetent asshole chief then a captain, as a chief can use fancy technical words on the “dumb deckies”.
Even with satellite and email, chiefs/captains are still king of their little fiefdom. Nobody monitors them for bad behavior or ever questions why there is such high turnover in crew, etc.
See also this thread: What kind of leaders does the Maritime industry create and promote?
View from the office window:
The boat goes out, the boat comes back, the accountants are happy, is something else supposed to matter?