So from my research on the program you graduate with 540 days of sea time. If you graduate with your 500 ton mate or 1600 ton mate with no previous sea time, it would take 900 more days of Sea Time to upgrade to 1600 ton master? If this is true then it takes almost 4 more years to get your 1600 ton master and 540 more days of sea time to upgrade to 500 ton oceans master and 540 more days to upgrade to AB unlimited? This is assuming that the student has 0 days of sea time before going in. What about if you have previous sea time, can you graduate with your masters license or AB unlimited, or is the program treated like the maritime academies where sea time is completely tied to the program? Also has anybody out there gone into the program with previous sea time or experience and was the program beneficial as opposed to doing it the traditional way?
I’m just about done with the program myself, and I’ll try to answer your questions to the best of my ability.
-you only need 360 days of sea time
-you get a mate 500 oceans/1600 near coastal license.
- you can get your TOAR if you work for a tug company.
-additionally you’ll only need 360 more days to upgrade to your master 1600 oceans.
-your previous sea time counts towards getting your AB, but it’s a finicky situation. Technically it counts, but they’ll try to tell you it won’t count. If that makes sense. So 360 days required for the license, but you can do the AB on your own. Some companies will honor it and hire you as an AB while in the program. (If this makes no sense, I apologize)
I think I answered to the best of my knowledge. Even though I’m nearly done, they’re still very hush hush about things. Plus things may alter a bit with new incoming classes due to the Manilla amendments being implemented soon.
If you have any questions that you need clarity on, feel free to ask, and I’ll try to answer them.
Thanks for your reply, I was under the impression that the seatime was 12 hour days qualifying for the 1.5 days sea time per day. I already have the 1080 required for AB unlimited so maybe I will be able to do it before the program and make some extra money. Are the majority of companies doing towing work?
[QUOTE=Jason Z;145408]So from my research on the program you graduate with 540 days of sea time. If you graduate with your 500 ton mate or 1600 ton mate with no previous sea time, it would take 900 more days of Sea Time to upgrade to 1600 ton master? If this is true then it takes almost 4 more years to get your 1600 ton master and 540 more days of sea time to upgrade to 500 ton oceans master and 540 more days to upgrade to AB unlimited? This is assuming that the student has 0 days of sea time before going in. What about if you have previous sea time, can you graduate with your masters license or AB unlimited, or is the program treated like the maritime academies where sea time is completely tied to the program? Also has anybody out there gone into the program with previous sea time or experience and was the program beneficial as opposed to doing it the traditional way?[/QUOTE]
Don’t confuse an approved program with “sea time,” They are not the same. By completing the ashore training in the program, you are credited with two-thirds of the sea time for a Mate 500 or Mate 1600 license. You are not being given sea time. Rather, the sea time required to get the license is being reduced by two-thirds. The placements on commercial vessel will provide the remaining “sea time” you need.
The above is for the license. STCW is different. In STCW, there are only 2 options, a complete approved program, or 3 years of sea time. The approved program must have at least one year of shipboard training - it’s training, not sea time. That means a day is a calendar day, no 1.5 to 1 enhanced credit. Also, because it is an approved program with shipboard training, you cannot substitute “sea time” you might have acquired before you entered the program for the onboard training given in the program.
Prior sea time counts for an AB, provided it is enough on its own to get the endorsement - that you later entered the program doesn’t erase the time you already had. But, if you don’t have enough on its own for the AB endorsement, you can’t supplement the deficiency with time from the program. If you don’t have enough going in, you won’t get AB until the program is over and you also get the Mate license.
Jake 21b does an entry level person get paid while going through the workboat program? If so what is the general pay you receive?
Crowley eventually paid us at an OS day rate, I think it was 180/day. That was a long time ago though…
Sorry to revive an old thread but for anyone finding this via Google here’s my reply:
[QUOTE=Jason Z;147192]I already have the 1080 required for AB unlimited so maybe I will be able to do it before the program and make some extra money.[/QUOTE]
1080 days is enough for you to sit for a 500/1600/3rd Mate license, why would you do the Workboat Academy at all? That doesn’t make sense.
[QUOTE=Jason Z;145408]What about if you have previous sea time, can you graduate with your masters license or AB unlimited?[/QUOTE]
You wouldn’t be able to graduate with a Master license because of the requirement for time as Mate, which you don’t get in the program. You would graduate with AB Unlimited though.