I just retired from the Army this year and am looking to get into the Maritime industry Xmas an OS. I got my MMC O.S. rating and my TWIC card this year and am trying to get on anywhere. Doesn’t seem to be anyone hiring. Does anyone have any ideas where to look? I’m living in Colorado, but am looking to relocate to the east coast.
Use the search function to answer most of the questions you will have.
For Gulf work you will have to be down here and knock on doors. Can’t answer about anyplace else.
Good luck and THANKS for your service.
Update- saw your post on another thread saying you have been down here knocking. Some may not like this advise but here goes…Hire a head hunter.
Same as you, 20year retired from USN.
No experience in Gulf, whatever that means.
Paid him and made the most of it, 3 years later passed 3rd mate in wheel house.
5 years later 2nd mate unlimited, 1600 t master 6000 Osv. ( well approved to test, just a matter of time.)
Point is do what it takes to get in the door. Doesnt matter if you should or shouldn’t have to pay. Do what it takes to put bread on the table and better yourself and use what is giving to you.
Doesnt have to be a big company. My 1st company has 4 boats but that door allowed me to get an unlimited Lic. (Navy time helped of course) 1st boat was 135’ utility about 98t. Got my Ab moved to ECO. Got my schools then moved up from there.
Point being dont be ashamed about using a placement agency. Just dont pay 1st and set something up to take installments out of each check. Make sure it is a contract.
I have been in the oilfield industry for over twenty years and I can tell you that hiring slows waaaaaaay down in the winter.Some of the reasons are guys that are going to jump to another company wait till after the holidays ,Oil companies shelve alot of their projects till spring when weather gets better and Iam sure you can throw some politics and budgets into the mix.Things usually pick up in the warmer,calmer more productive weather.
Hello fellow vet. A 20 year navy vet here.
I would also suggest that you make a very small investment and do the mandatory MARSEC training online just-in-case.
I did. Now I have my MMC, TWIC, STCW/BST and Maritime Security Awareness Training.
A very resourceful lady by the name of Claudette Pitre first mentioned it on post # 714 pg 60. Happy reading.
Ms Bepositive
If you just retired you should have the post-9/11 GI Bill, which my older boy is now using and it’s really good. Most of the maritime schools accept the GI Bill and you should take some brick-and-mortar classes if you can. You’ll come out better prepared to work, because it is very tough with an entry-level document.
Check out schools like PMI and Mid-Atlantic Maritime. Your GI benefits include a living stipend that will help with hotel costs.
As mentioned, the search function is very helpful.
Good luck
I recently had a brand new OS aboard, good guy, who could not get hired at any of the big Bayou companies. He blasted out resumes closer to home (where they actually read resumes) at small tug companies, and then he followed that up with phone calls to talk his way into a starting job at modest wages. He only needs 120 (12 hour) days to sit for AB-OSV. Then he can the give the Bayou another try.
I recommend trying to get a job in NY at one I the towing outfits so that you can get some experience. People always come and go at Thea companies so you have a good shot. Best way to do it is to go in person rather then call or email. If not NY maybe Vane brothers in Baltimore or Mcallister or Wilmington Tug in Philly. It’s usually harder to find work when companies only have a couple boats in cities like Philly, Wilmington North Carolina, Charleston SC. Virginia would also be a good place to look in the towing industry. You could also look at Ferries or crew boats. Good luck and thank you for your service.
-Smee
Thanks for all of your advice and ideas, I appreciate all of them. This is a pretty incredible place with lots of sincere people, reminds me a lot of the close knit relations I had in the Army.
[QUOTE=Smee;127425]I recommend trying to get a job in NY at one I the towing outfits so that you can get some experience. People always come and go at Thea companies so you have a good shot. Best way to do it is to go in person rather then call or email. If not NY maybe Vane brothers in Baltimore or Mcallister or Wilmington Tug in Philly. It’s usually harder to find work when companies only have a couple boats in cities like Philly, Wilmington North Carolina, Charleston SC. Virginia would also be a good place to look in the towing industry. You could also look at Ferries or crew boats. Good luck and thank you for your service.
-Smee[/QUOTE]
Any suggestions on which companies in NY would be good starting points? I am Upstate but can do some day trips to scout out some spots.
I recently had a couple of former Marines come aboard who went through some program called “Battlefields to Oilfields.” The program seems to have some decent placement relationships – both those guys had multiple job offers over a couple of weeks (not all maritime). Apparently companies also get some sort of tax break for hiring veterans. More here: http://battlefieldstooilfields.com/
Head to Richmond Terrace in Staten Island. On that street you have Kirby, McAllister, Great Lakes Dredge, Moran, Reinauer, Penn (Dno if they are still there), and Dann i believe.
I hear that they’re always looking for deckhands on inland waterways and it’s easy to get a job. Check this out: http://www.mctc.edu/news/entry/mountwest-to-offer-deckhand-basic-training-course The course is 7 days and costs $750. I called the school. The course is offered every other month, the next session starts Feb10. They told me the only people that don’t get hired after they go through their program are the ones who decide the job is not for them. You can get a 28 on 28 off schedule at some of those companies. You get 1.5 days sea time for every day worked. I know that’s not the east coast, but it’s a start.
is 28/28 very common in the northeast?
Not really. 2/2 usually, but Kirby is going to longer rotations it seems. Hearing more guys there doing 28 or 21.
Depends on the boat & the run. The penn/allied boats area still 3/3, most of theKsea boats are 2/2. Schedule has to be put to a vote by the crew.