What Does an AB working for NOAA really make a month after taxes
Memories…
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Working for NOAA is not a great career choice deck side. There’s no upward mobility as the deck officers are unfortunately NOAA Corp. The pay for NOAA Corp is horrible but ends up costing the government probably more due to the higher long term costs of retirement and health benefits.
Hopefully one day NOAA will get rid of the NOAA Corp and hire civilian mariners.
Apparently they have a couple civilian deck officers floating around. Or so we have been told a few times on these forums. Maybe they were/are used to fill gaps as needed.
Working for NOAA now. Hard to say because the pay scale has a range but also you have to take into account how much overtime a vessel authorizes, penalty pay, etc. You will make more with MSC. Also, regarding a previous reply to your post, there is no upward mobility here for deck, unless you want to move up to Bosun. Last I heard there were two licensed bridge crew in the whole NOAA fleet, the rest are NOAA Corps.
Also, just so you are aware if you are applying or considering applying, NOAA is moving toward a 60/30 rotation (eventually) but during the recruitment/apply process it is made to sound as if that is the standard. It is not. Right now I believe only the Engine Dept. is on that rotation, and only a select few. Everyone else is “full-time” or an “augmenter” and just like MSC, you will be gone for quite some time.
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Decades ago (early 80’s) there were NOAA fishery vessels that had USMM deck officers rather than members of the NOAA officer corps. I have no idea if that is still the case today.
Base hourly is $16.97. OT is $41.07 (anything over 8 + weekends + holidays). The Boston and San Diego rates are higher. And there’s some opportunity for penalty rates.
Availability of OT depends on the boat and mission. I’ve had pay periods with 16 hours OT and pay periods with 88.
I’m lowest on the AB scale. I clear 55k/yr because I don’t go after every OT opportunity. If you’re really financially motivated you could definitely do better.
Are they ever looking for OS or utility hands. One of my kids is getting ready to head to the boats and I am steering them to Research Vessels, but NOAA would be ideal also.
Check USAJobs.gov
I believe they are often looking for a few more OS or Wiper types. Bear in mind that they call them General Vessel Assistants (GVA’s) which enables them to put the mariner to work in whatever department has the greatest need. Typically a person will be allowed to focus on the area of their choice or interest (Deck or Engine) however if a need arises one may get directed to work in another department including Galley to fill a short term vacancy. If one is willing to take this as broadening their experience that’s great, but some people can understandably get annoyed when forced to become a dishwasher for multiple legs.
Here’s a good link for more info:
The Pros of sailing with NOAA are:
The vessels and ops are very safe, almost an annoying emphasis on safety at times
Vessels mostly sail exclusively domestic
Some vessels are over 1600 GRT
Qualifies as Fed Government employment for other future Fed jobs and/or Fed retirement (especially good for Vets)
Eligibility for Fed TSP
Decent training opportunities
Stability. Government vessel employment is not vulnerable to the ebbs and flows of industry
Stable pay. Again unlike industry the pay is more moderated avoiding the extreme highs and lows (this is both a Pro and a Con depending on the time frame).
Base pay is NOT representative of take home pay. It’s all about OT and that depends on willingness to work it and availability on each ship.
Once you are through your first year of employment you are locked in as a Fed worker and very hard to fire unless you really screw up or under perform.
Although I haven’t sailed MSC it sounds as if the quality of personnel and the general culture and attitudes aboard NOAA ships are all better.
Can be some pretty interesting missions or interesting op areas depending on the vessel
The Cons of sailing with NOAA:
Limited or no upward Deck mobility (NOAA Corps has nearly all the Deck Officer jobs so senior Deck Mariners can’t really do much beyond sail on AB ticket as Chief Bosun)
Most mariners are assigned to a single ship meaning you spend most of the year on that vessel with limited time away (rumors of a broader rotation persist but at present it’s mostly limited to licensed Engineers and even then only on some ships) My understanding is that Licensed Engineers on rotation tend to be 60 days on & 30 days off. For non-licensed personnel in all departments I would expect rotations to be approximately 90 days on & 30 days off, but I’m not sure this is fully fleshed out yet.
Unless lucky enough to be on rotation travel to-from ship is not paid for except for one single Quality of Life roundtrip flight per year. Depending on where ship is operating any other travel home can be prohibitively expensive.
A number of ships are not unlimited horsepower
Vulnerability to political winds, Congressional budget decisions and Government shut downs (though even with a shut down you eventually get paid, ends up being like a paid vacation but no chance for overtime)
The way I see it NOAA is an excellent place for entry level mariners who want to see what sailing is like and are looking to get a good foundation of sea time and/or training and potentially open doors to other Federal employment. For Union consideration, Licensed Engineers are under MEBA, the few Civilian Mates, if any are under MM&P, & all non-licensed personnel are under SIU. Each of these Unions have unique Labor Agreements with NOAA Marine Operations.
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Thanks for the information. Much appreciated. I had heard the term GVA but had forgotten it.