Right now the shortage (in deck) is masters, chief mates, second mates, boatswain mates, ABs. My boatswain mate just got off 32 days overdue and an AB who was around seven weeks.
There are lots of third mates. We had two that were relieved early.
MSC will cover chief mate classes when there are too many second mates waiting for ships.
Deck Ape and Civmar:
About how many days did you guys work those years that you guys made about 100K? I know a guy that just got hired as an AB for MSC and I will like to pass on that info. Thanks!
PR9, I will repeat from my last post: I was at the high end of the 79-85 range one year. I could have possibly hit 100 if I had worked all the OT available and taken no shore leave.
As Deck Ape pointed out rightly, the stars must align to reach 100k. It doesnāt happen for every MSC sailor, and it wonāt happen the first year. It took me four.
To answer your question, I sailed a four month and a six month deployment back-to-back with only 30-35 days of leave that year and spent minimum time in the pool. Two big factors were a transfer to the West Coast Pool, which came with a big raise in pay, and living in mass berthing (3 or more to a room).
Maybe 340 days, most of it on deployment.
Just completed my Leadership Management course and roughly half the class was MSC. All were unmarried or divorced. The MSC Captain sitting next to me averages roughly 10 months a year aboard.
All in all, there seemed to be some really neat things about what they do and the job. That said, the time away is too much for a family guy like myself.
[QUOTE=threewhistles;166580]Just completed my Leadership Management course and roughly half the class was MSC. All were unmarried or divorced. The MSC Captain sitting next to me averages roughly 10 months a year aboard.
All in all, there seemed to be some really neat things about what they do and the job. That said, the time away is too much for a family guy like myself.[/QUOTE]
I can deal with no being married. But Iād like a house of my own. Would MSC create issues for that goal?
Dude of course you can have your own house. And since youāll never be home to live in it, you can rent it so it will pay for itself. Your renters can send you pics of it.
[QUOTE=DeckApe;166461]Maybe 340 days, most of it on deployment.[/QUOTE]
340 Days?!?!?!
WTF???
340 days of active duty in the USA or USMC would be better. At least there you will get to shoot guns, drive cool shit nobody else ever will, and maybe jump out of a plane or two.
[QUOTE=jerstokes89;166367]Alright guys,
I work in the GOM but I really want to go back to blue water. I want a PIC but donāt want to sail as AB for a pay cut or join a Union. I am looking at MSC for an option. I kind of like the idea of it?
Is MSC really unpleasant as everyone says it is? People always complain about it yet there are still people who work there. Can anyone give me pros and cons to that side of the maritime industry that has insight on MSC or has worked there before? How bad can MSC be?[/QUOTE]
This should give you a hint as to what itās likeā¦
http://www.gcaptain.com/forum/military-sealift-command/17430-abandonment-sailors-2.html#post166646
[QUOTE=Slick Cam;166628]Dude of course you can have your own house. And since youāll never be home to live in it, you can rent it so it will pay for itself. Your renters can send you pics of it.[/QUOTE]
While you are at it, you can marry a hot looking wife. I will take good care of her in the 10 months a year that you are away;-)
Regards,
Jody
340 days at sea? Mad respect! No ducking why I would have agreed to something like that, the way shipping has turned into.
You work to live your life, not live your life to work.
It has its up and downs. Sometimes youāre lucky with a good crew and good leadership and it hardly feels like youāre at work at all. Other times it blows. When that happens you put in for relief and try again.
I guess itās like that anywhere, not just MSC. I feel my good times have generally outnumbered the bad. Shipping in general is a wild ride.
Give it a try. Itās not like youāre enlisting for a multi-year contract. If you like it, if it works for you, then stick around until you donāt.
Deckape,
Iāve had more than one new hire with MSC tell me they were asked to sign a contract or at least some sort of document saying they would commit to 2 years minimum of employment with MSC.
Any truth to that?
Nope. Not true.
Only time that applies is if they volunteer for the high speed vessels. In that case they would get special training and an endorsement. If the person quits before the two years they would have to repay the cost.
Hereās another way of looking at it. Iāve been shipping for sixteen years. Eight years commercial union deep sea and eight years with MSC.
My first eight years commercial I had a lot of time off. The good ships were fine and the bad ships were ok. The most substantial thing I owned was a car. I didnāt have a retirement account or investments. I did meet a bunch of good people, all of whom I never saw or spoke to again. I lost my car to repo when the economy went bad and the jobs dried up. My employers were decent.
At the end of my eight years with MSC I have hardly any time off. The good ships were great, the bad ships were awful. I own two houses and rental property. I drive a nice truck. I have more saved for retirement then my parents ever did (which wasnāt hard to beat). I got my license paid for in full. I also met a bunch of good people who I still text and talk to and sometimes travel to visit in their home states. I have never seriously worried about loosing my job to a downturn in the economy. I frequently hate my employer.
Thatās my story.
Ahemā¦that pretty much clears up the subject of working for MSC. Thanks man!
[QUOTE=DeckApe;166681]Hereās another way of looking at it. Iāve been shipping for sixteen years. Eight years commercial union deep sea and eight years with MSC.
My first eight years commercial I had a lot of time off. The good ships were fine and the bad ships were ok. The most substantial thing I owned was a car. I didnāt have a retirement account or investments. I did meet a bunch of good people, all of whom I never saw or spoke to again. I lost my car to repo when the economy went bad and the jobs dried up. My employers were decent.
At the end of my eight years with MSC I have hardly any time off. The good ships were great, the bad ships were awful. I own two houses and rental property. I drive a nice truck. I have more saved for retirement then my parents ever did (which wasnāt hard to beat). I got my license paid for in full. I also met a bunch of good people who I still text and talk to and sometimes travel to visit in their home states. I have never seriously worried about loosing my job to a downturn in the economy. I frequently hate my employer.
Thatās my story.[/QUOTE]
And there are little perks that sweeten the deal, like: buses and or vans whenever the ship is in port, (and they are in port a lot in interesting places), to drive you to and from the bars and shopping centers on an hourly schedule. Door to ship and ship to door travel payments. Mostly, day workers have a 6.5 hour work day, anything more is rewarded with OT, Specialty Pay or Penalty Pay. Loading cargo earns you cargo pay! Get less that an hour for a meal? That earns you Penalty Meal Hour pay. Staterooms a akin to studio apts. (if not you get extra pay) with 3 channels of TV at sea abroad and multi channel Direct TV stateside. There is internet desktops for use in the lounges and libraryās. Free work clothes, free work gloves and free work boots with multiple brands and styles to choose from. Did I mention the free rides back and forth to the bars?
Chance 'em brah!
[QUOTE=Ea$y Money;166409]Have you asked them how they feel about that? Lol, sorry, couldnāt resist.
So the bridge officers make millions then?[/QUOTE]
Not millions. But it doesnāt suck. Overtime is your friend.
[QUOTE=DeckApe;166681]Hereās another way of looking at it. Iāve been shipping for sixteen years. Eight years commercial union deep sea and eight years with MSC.
My first eight years commercial I had a lot of time off. The good ships were fine and the bad ships were ok. The most substantial thing I owned was a car. I didnāt have a retirement account or investments. I did meet a bunch of good people, all of whom I never saw or spoke to again. I lost my car to repo when the economy went bad and the jobs dried up. My employers were decent.
At the end of my eight years with MSC I have hardly any time off. The good ships were great, the bad ships were awful. I own two houses and rental property. I drive a nice truck. I have more saved for retirement then my parents ever did (which wasnāt hard to beat). I got my license paid for in full. I also met a bunch of good people who I still text and talk to and sometimes travel to visit in their home states. I have never seriously worried about loosing my job to a downturn in the economy. I frequently hate my employer.
Thatās my story.[/QUOTE]
I have never sailed for MSC, but I also frequently hate your employer. . . .
[QUOTE=DeckApe;166681]Hereās another way of looking at it. Iāve been shipping for sixteen years. Eight years commercial union deep sea and eight years with MSC.
My first eight years commercial I had a lot of time off. The good ships were fine and the bad ships were ok. The most substantial thing I owned was a car. I didnāt have a retirement account or investments. I did meet a bunch of good people, all of whom I never saw or spoke to again. I lost my car to repo when the economy went bad and the jobs dried up. My employers were decent.
At the end of my eight years with MSC I have hardly any time off. The good ships were great, the bad ships were awful. I own two houses and rental property. I drive a nice truck. I have more saved for retirement then my parents ever did (which wasnāt hard to beat). I got my license paid for in full. I also met a bunch of good people who I still text and talk to and sometimes travel to visit in their home states. I have never seriously worried about loosing my job to a downturn in the economy. I frequently hate my employer.
Thatās my story.[/QUOTE]
[QUOTE=Jeffrox;166689]And there are little perks that sweeten the deal, like: buses and or vans whenever the ship is in port, (and they are in port a lot in interesting places), to drive you to and from the bars and shopping centers on an hourly schedule. Door to ship and ship to door travel payments. Mostly, day workers have a 6.5 hour work day, anything more is rewarded with OT, Specialty Pay or Penalty Pay. Loading cargo earns you cargo pay! Get less that an hour for a meal? That earns you Penalty Meal Hour pay. Staterooms a akin to studio apts. (if not you get extra pay) with 3 channels of TV at sea abroad and multi channel Direct TV stateside. There is internet desktops for use in the lounges and libraryās. Free work clothes, free work gloves and free work boots with multiple brands and styles to choose from. Did I mention the free rides back and forth to the bars?
Chance 'em brah![/QUOTE]
Iām sold. Iām going MSC. Whatever it takes. Its too good to pass any of that up! Thanks for sharing your stories with us!
At least I was open and honest.And my friend can attest to it. try 33 yrs of MSC ( more shit comming) is what it means. ask a 3rd mate also. I just did it for the experience not for life.