[quote=Patriot13;25954]Hey all,
I’m a newbie. I am planning on joining the MSC here this fall. To give you some background, I cannot get into the militay because I have bipolar disorder. However, the MSC will take me as long as I have a 6 months supplyof medication and my doctor approves it. I am really excited. I am a true patriot and my country comes first. This is a great honor for me. I don’t want to do this for 20 years, only 3-4. However, this will help me pay for graduate school and earn a good living for myself. I have been reading some of the posts so I am going to ask some questions:
-I noticed there is internet access on board. Are we talking email only or can you communicate via facebook(which is mainly how I communicate). Is there a charge for this? Is youtube restricted and is it possible to take a video game sytem along(ps3) for down time.
-I doubt it, but is there wireless cellphone service on board?
-Is there a bar on board(don’t laugh)
-Are the meals free? Is there food 24/7.
-Is there a curfew?(again, don’t laugh)
-how does leave work? When your ship arrives in port, can you opt to part ways or is there a commitment? This is where I am confused bc I had heard before that you get months off at a time but maybe i could be wrong.
I’ll probably have more, but I am hoping maybe you all can help me find a good job and lead me in the right direction. I am interested in working with weapons and on special mission ships(btw, what exactly do they do anyways?). Also, what is this security detail, surface rescue swimmer, and how do you get involved with them?[/quote]
Bipolar and an interest in weapons? I fucking give up…
For a couple years anyway … then it’s time to settle down and get on with a defense contractor or lobbyist after grad school. That’s cool, not many so freely admit it, meds might need adjusting. :rolleyes:
-Everyone can go on the internet. FaceBook works, but YouTube is blocked / not enough bandwidth. No access to email such as yahoo or hotmail, you must use your MSC navy.mil address, each computer has Outlook e-mail on it.
-Each room has TV connection with either DirectTV or the AFN channels, so feel free to bring TV and your game system.
-Cellphones work most places on ship with exception of the holds and engine room / AMR.
-No bar onboard but lots of onboard drinking does go on, Saturn/Spica/Sirius were the party ships but they are all gone now.
-All meals are free of charge, the more you eat the more you make, at night the mess decks are normally locked up but the wheelhouse and engine room get night lunches (strange looking cold cuts and cheese). All staterooms have refrigerator in them so you can keep your own food.
-There is no curfew, just on days when ship sails.
-LEAVE…each two weeks you get 4 hours annual leave, 4 hours sick leave, & 1 whole day SHORE leave (while assigned to ship), You must stay assigned to ship 4 months before getting off. Do the math. After only 4 months you do not have much leave, so most folks stay on ships longer than 4 months. It is possible to take leave while still assigned to ship and it is back in the US for a while (called “ships leave”, people use it a lot while vessel is in shipyard). Also, lots of people take “leave without pay”.
-Special mission ships are not operated by CIVMARS, join union if you want to sail on them (we only have the USNS Zeus)
-If you are in deck department you get to shoot guns, M14 / 9mm Beretta / Shotgun
-Navy/Marines/Puerto Rico National Guard are the embarked security teams while ships in the 5th fleet
-Ammo ships use the CIVMARS as the “reaction force” team.
-Join SRS if you are in good shape and want to make some extra $$$ (get OT to workout each day)
KneelbeforeZod!, FYI, there are many normally functioning bi-polars in this world. More than you may think. There is a wide range of severity. I, personally, have a concealed carry, and drive a fuel (ie, gas and diesel) truck in the Colorado Rockies year round (yes in snow storms and amongst tourists). Everyone concerned (CBI, DMV & Homeland Security-hazmat) is well aware. BPs contribute to society as well as anyone else at all levels. What is often portrayed on TV and in the news can be off the hook.
Being said, Patriot13, MSC [U]MIGHT[/U] not be the best work environment. Not sure of the op-tempo, but it can be rather difficult as not allowing for a consistent schedule, such as being called out at all hours on a frequent basis. Check with your Doc on that. Or those that know, do unreps and such operate on a watch basis. Also, I knew quite a few guys that were going to school while sailing deep sea. Allows more flexibility in your schedule. Good luck.
[I][quote=Patriot13;25954]…I cannot get into the militay because I have bipolar disorder. However, the MSC will take me as long as I have a 6 months supplyof medication and my doctor approves it…[/quote][/I]
It will probably be more involved. You will likely need to qualify for a Coast Guard issued Merchant Mariner Credential (MMC), and to do so you have to meet the Coast Guard’s standards for medical fitness. Bipolar disorder is considered a “potentially disqualifying condition” that will require a medical waiver by the Coast Guard in order to get the MMC. In connection with your application for the MMC, you will need to provide, in a addition to the standard report of the medical exam:
[I][p]sychiatrist or clinical psychologist clinical status report documenting the diagnosis (DSM Axis I) and addressing any disturbances of thought, recurrent episodes, and psychotropic medication(s) to include documenting the period of use, name and dosage of the medication(s) and side-effects.[/I]
The above is from Navigation and Vessel Inspection Circular (NVIC) 4-08, [I]Medical and Physical Evaluation Guidelines for Merchant Mariner Credentials[/I]. It is available at http://www.uscg.mil/hq/cg5/nvic/2000s.asp#2008 .
Note that I’m not a doctor or medical professional (and don’t play one on gCaptain…) so I can’t answer any specific questions about how the above might effect your circumstances.
I got in as Supply utility, I heard it hard to get out of, and get in to OS is this true, and any time line? I have Ab,100ton,STCW,radar,arpa, just wonder down the line to get bumped to OS do I have to reapply with the public or do MSC employees get first dibs of advancements? How long to get bumped up, any guesses???
Unfortunately you will probably be an SU for a while. I think MSC has ended the cross-deck program. Now you have to wait for OS announcement and then complete the package again with KSAs, etc… I think the OS advancement program will be opening soon. These are open to MSC employees only, they are internal job opportunities.
When I worked for them before I saw folks get “Fleeted up” if qualified. I.E., a guy working as an AB and holding a 3rd Mates licenses would be promoted to work and be payed as 3rd mate while on that vessel to fill a shortage. Once he left the vessel he reverted to AB again. I don’t think it’s a stretch to think the same could happen to you, Steward to AB in your case.
When I worked for them before I saw folks get “Fleeted up” if qualified. I.E., a guy working as an AB and holding a 3rd Mates licenses would be promoted to work and be payed as 3rd mate while on that vessel to fill a shortage. Once he left the vessel he reverted to AB again. I don’t think it’s a stretch to think the same could happen to you, Steward to AB in your case.
What kind of BS is all of this. Is it seriously that good working at MSC to go through an up and down process to advance? I’m being serious, tell me the perks so I may understand. I see MSC advertising to reimburse people for their operational level courses…but they bump you up and down from 3rd to AB and up again, and that is considered normal?
Well…tough to say if it is really that good compared to other companies. I have worked for MSC for over 7 years and so far have been pretty happy with them. But of course I do not have much to compare it with except for when I worked in the oil patch for six months and for my time as cadet on four different ships (MMP & AMO). Big +++ with MSC are…1-federal benifits 2-job security, no threat of losing job 3-paycheck every two weeks 4-live in tidewater and you get to go home every night. MSC pays for everything!! Hotel, food, classes, boots, passport, z-card, flights, flashlight, knife, etc… Want to get your 3/M license…come work for MSC. All you need is good work ethic and motivation. Many Captains started out as steward utilities serving food in the mess. So anything out there with better benifits?
You tell me about a company with benifits above what MSC provides and I will put in my application. My guess is that no company exists. But please let me know! Good Luck!
No it’s not the norm, but I’ve seen it happen.
I’ll try and explain again how I saw it work:
If you are hired as or promoted to a 3rd Mate, then that’s what you work and get payed as.
If you are hired as an AB and you just happen to hold a 3rd Mates license, and the 3rd mate on your ship breaks his leg, they can put you in his spot and pay you as such, it’s a kind of temporary promotion while on that ship. If you choose to transfer to another ship you go as an AB, so one might decide to stay on that vessel as long as they can.
The guy that started this thread is an AB and he accepted being hired as a Steward, this same type of temp promotion could be possible for him if the situation presents itself. Otherwise one waits for a permanent competative promotion.
What Unrepking wrote is also true, MSC crewmembers pay for almost nothing out of pocket. They even rent vans and buses to ferry the crew around on liberty when they pull into ports.
What is the security clearance requirement for MSC? I heard someone mention it in the past. I used to have a military security clearance when I was in the Army, but that was more than a few years ago, and I’ve banged my credit up a bit since then.
[QUOTE=Jeffrox;27445]No it’s not the norm, but I’ve seen it happen.
I’ll try and explain again how I saw it work:
If you are hired as or promoted to a 3rd Mate, then that’s what you work and get payed as.
If you are hired as an AB and you just happen to hold a 3rd Mates license, and the 3rd mate on your ship breaks his leg, they can put you in his spot and pay you as such, it’s a kind of temporary promotion [U]while on that ship.[/U] If you choose to transfer to another ship you go as an AB, so one might decide to stay on that vessel as long as they can.
The guy that started this thread is an AB and he accepted being hired as a Steward, this same type of temp promotion could be possible for him if the situation presents itself. Otherwise one waits for a permanent competative promotion.
What Unrepking wrote is also true, MSC crewmembers pay for almost nothing out of pocket. They even rent vans and buses to ferry the crew around on liberty when they pull into ports.:D[/QUOTE]
That makes more sense to me. It seemed kind of arbitrary the way I read the other explanation.
I have heard while in the pool you can request a ship, Most of the time I guess you don’t get a choice. Before MSC I always wanted to be on a tug, on an MSC tug it’s obviously not like a regular tug, you are not pushing stuff, just towing. Would being on an MSC tug help on a resume to another tug company??
Also what are the pro’s and con’s of an MSC tug being a smaller ship??
It is more like that while you are in the pool a ship will request you. You can tell you detailer that you want a tug or you want an oiler but they really don’t care, they just need to put names in empty boxes on spreadsheets. If you are a hard worker with a good reputation, the ships will know when you are in the pool and a request will be made. The detailers / pool staff listen to Captains/Chief Engineers/Chief Stewards and they attempt to accomadate them.
On the flip side if you are a dirt-bag lazy bum you wil find yourself in the pool a long time. Ships know you are looking for work and they know your reputation and when the detailer e-mails your name to the ship you will be “denied”.
MSC is a very small outifit and everyone knows everyone, everyone has a reputation here.
