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Venezuelan Engineer CoC

Discussion in 'Licensing & Education' started by sanchezfedor, Sep 12, 2013.

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  1. sanchezfedor

    sanchezfedor New Member

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    Hi to all in the forum, I’m new one here.
    I am from Venezuela, 36 years old and have 12 years Venezuelan Merchant Navy experience working on Bulk Carriers and Tankers vessels like 1st, 2nd and 3rd engineer. I’m interested to join me in the Yacht Industry, but I’m confused with my Licenses. I’m looking a job through web sites with no results.

    I have the following qualifications:

    * Chief Engineer <3000 Kw CoC. R III/2. Or 2nd Engineer Officer Unlimited R III/2.
    * The First Aids at Sea Course IMO 1.13.
    * The personal Safety and Social Responsibilities Course IMO 1.21.
    * Fire Fighting Course IMO 1.20.
    * Personal Survival at Sea Course IMO 1.19.
    * Familiarization with Tanker Ships Course IMO 1.01.
    * Advanced Training on Fire Fighting Course IMO 2.03.
    * Fast Rescue Boats Training IMO 1.24.
    * Proficiency in Survival Craft and Rescue Boats Other Than Fast Rescue Boats IMO 1.23.
    * Oil Tanker Training Program Course IMO 1.02.
    * The advanced Training Program on Liquefied Gas Tanker Operations Course IMO 1.06.
    * Chemical Tanker Training Program Course IMO 1.04.
    * Health Certificate based on STCW 78/95

    What I need is to know if possibly to get a job in yachting industry with my Licenses.

    I’m reading on line from people with the same issue but any forum haven’t the answer I’m looking for.
    Please any people can help me to find the best way to solve my problem and guide me to get a job?

    I look forward to hearing from you at your earliest convenience.

    Fedor Sanchez
  2. K1W1

    K1W1 Senior Member

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    Hi,

    Fedor you have a good ticket for work on yachts and it will take a lucky break to get your nose in the door.

    I have a friend who was 42 with a full Class 1 ticket, he was told he was too old by the agencies and could not even get a telephone interview with anyone.

    He got a lucky break and has not looked back.
  3. sanchezfedor

    sanchezfedor New Member

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    Hi…
    Thank you for your answer.
    You say "you have a good ticket for work on yachts’’ and that makes me happy… so I have 1 year looking for a job through web sites with no successful results… Why??? Need I an endorsement? My medical certificate is STCW compliant, need an ENG-1? I am doing something wrong, because is 1 year looking for a job with no results. Have 12 OMI certs updated, good background on engines up to 18800 hp and generator 800Kw…, 5 years like cadet on studying, 1 year like cadet on board and 12 like professional doing my job with mastery, this is my career not a hobby. I suppose my Merchant Navy certificate and my experience is over to yacht certificates…. isn’t it? I’m confused with this.

    What is the best way to get a job on the industry?

    Thank you for your attention. ;)
  4. K1W1

    K1W1 Senior Member

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    Hi,

    You will need whatever medical certificate that you need to make your Venezuelan Ticket valid, ENG 1 is a UK thing.

    Have you registered with any of the crew agencies?

    There are a few guys who have made the jump from cruise ships to yacjhs , maybe if you went on them for a while and kept looking it would work.

    How long till you can do Chiefs ? If it isn't long you should stick it out till you have that before leaving the merchant navy.

    Just looking at the websites can be dis heartening if some of the jobs I have seen advertised are the norm not exceptions.
  5. sanchezfedor

    sanchezfedor New Member

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    Hi…
    Ok ok ok… ENG-1 is only for UK…
    I’m registered on Viking, job at sea, Hemisphere, Superyachtjobs, Crew Unlimited, Nautic Crew, MC-PSL, Van Hallen, Dohle, Sunseeker Crew, Crew 4 Yacht…. Hahahaha….
    In some cases the form to fill not have my certification; only MCA, and USCG, Y1,Y2,Y3,Y4… and I’m not a Y1….. I’m STCW R III/2 Chief Engineer <3000 Kw or 2nd Engineer Unlimited. I’m not sure what to fill.
    I need 1 year more to be a Chief Engineer Unlimited R III/2 in my country, after a 1 year of studies.….
    Is interesting to talk with people with experience on industry.
    Thanks again.
  6. olderboater

    olderboater Senior Member

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    I'm going to try to respond objectively in helping you determine what is limiting your opportunities and what you can do to improve them.

    I'm assuming you're currently located in Venezuela? If so, that certainly limits your opportunities too. Other areas have so many available persons that to pull someone in from a distance isn't generally required.

    Now as to your experience. As an engineer your opportunities are fewer than if you were a Captain. You are targeted toward a narrower group of prospective customers. There is far more work for engineers in the commercial sector than in the private sector. Typically only larger yachts have full time engineers and there are few of those, relatively. On smaller yachts there are a lot of Captains with Engineering skills and even many of the Engineers hired for yachts under 175' or so also are crossover with some Captain skills and even tickets.

    Ideally you'd help yourself tremendously by getting a Master ticket if in the U.S. and I don't know what the equivalent in Venezuela is.

    Now, here's what I would suggest. First, specifically think of and describe and write down the jobs you'd like. What type jobs, what type boats, where? Then evaluate your resume against those. Instead of just listing on more sites I'd also talk to a crew placement service face to face or at least on the phone to seek their advice in how you might best prepare for the positions you want. That does two things. First they get some insight into you and a little personal knowledge and may think of positions that you might fit. Second, they should be able to advise you.

    The changeover you seek may not be an easy one. However, it only takes that one perfect situation to arise and that's another reason to connect personally to some of the true crew placement services and not just those running web sites and doing little more. Suddenly, someone with a 240' Trinity loses an Engineer right as they are about to spend a year cruising Central and South America. They prefer someone native to the area. There you are. Perfect match.

    One other thing you might do as a lead is talk to the larger South American yacht builders. Often yacht builders are instrumental in helping new owners find crew. Like any job pursuit it is going to require some pro-active approaches. While I'd still list on crew sites, it generally will take something more.

    So, (1) Set your goal, (2) Determine what skills or qualifications necessary to meet that goal and the specific jobs that fit, (3) Take the actions to get you there, whether additional tickets or crew agencies or manufacturers or whatever.

    I wish you the best of luck. You are among many with some excellent qualifications. You might even hear the words "over qualified" for some jobs, words I really dislike. But you may have to do more to be qualified and an ideal candidate for the specific jobs you want.
  7. Norseman

    Norseman Senior Member

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    Meh think a US Passport is required for a Master's Ticket, 6-Pack on a Green Card perhaps.:cool:
  8. olderboater

    olderboater Senior Member

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    That's why I indicated the Venezuelan equivalent. I believe to get a Masters License in the US, you must be a citizen. To get a 6 Pack you must have permanent residency. A non-citizen is limited to 5 tons. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong.

    Aliens can get MMC's however.
    Last edited: Sep 13, 2013
  9. K1W1

    K1W1 Senior Member

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    Hi,

    Where are we supposed to kiss the ground at a captains feet?

    I would like to politely suggest you stick to the fantasy land you currently inhabit and refrain from giving useless information to those who seek meaningful answers to real life questions.
  10. Norseman

    Norseman Senior Member

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    Huh...?

    Having a bad day are we? :rolleyes:

    There is room enough for everybody around here, lets keep it civilized Gentlemen.
  11. olderboater

    olderboater Senior Member

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    I'm sorry you found my advice offensive. I, in no way, think less of engineers than captains. I don't think less of chef's or stews. In fact, Engineers have skills I could never hope to obtain or approach. I was attempting to give some advice and an opinion from an employer point of view. There are simply fewer positions available in the pleasure yachting realm for engineers than there are for captains. Most smaller yachts don't employ engineers. That's not saying they shouldn't. I'm not saying pleasure yachting is a better way to go. Engineers are likely in a greater shortage on commercial boats than captains would be.

    The gentleman in question is very highly skilled but looking to enter a different employment sector. He was seeking advice on how best to accomplish that. If you also note I advised him to try to figure out and focus on exactly what he wanted. Then find out what it took to get there. I even encouraged him to talk to professionals who hire and place crew at that point. I'm sure they could give better advice than I could.

    I have no problem whatsoever with you disagreeing with anything I said. I do think you're overreacting if you're taking it as a personal attack or as one on engineers. Now, I also think that rather than attacking me without offering any advice yourself, you would be contributing more to the gentleman by offering some advice or insight based on your broad experience. Tell him in your opinion how you think he might best be able to make the transition he wants to make.

    I don't by any means suggest that I have the boating experience of any of the others here. I would perhaps suggest that I have a great experience in hiring and the thought processes of employers as well as in career advice. That still doesn't mean my advice is correct. However, I've seen in a tight job market how employers are lazy in hiring often times and look narrowly for someone with the exact experience in the job they have. They would often be better off by looking at the individual first and finding that a good well trained individual could transition. In industry they too often want someone from their own industry rather than an infusion of new ideas. But just because I disagree with some of the hiring practices doesn't mean they don't exist.

    If the moderator of the forum feels my advice was ill conceived and inappropriate then I more than welcome it being removed. I can accept constructive criticism.
  12. Old Phart

    Old Phart Senior Member

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    I dunno
  13. Norseman

    Norseman Senior Member

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    Yeah, they are both grumpy engineer types and pretty easy to wind up..:D
  14. olderboater

    olderboater Senior Member

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    Well, they may feel their profession isn't respected at the level is should be. And they may well be right. Reality is there are more jobs for Captains in the recreational arena than for Engineers.

    Honestly, it happens similarly to other types of Engineers. Industrial. Mechanical. Civil, Electrical. I think all share a commonality that while others may be "running things" they are the ones who "make things run."
  15. Fishtigua

    Fishtigua Senior Member

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    In some cultures an engineer is treated the same way we would hold in regard a doctor. Some are called Dr. as a mark of respect.
  16. olderboater

    olderboater Senior Member

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    It's interesting to look at how various cultures treat specific professions. I think of a profession like Teaching. There are cultures that treat teachers as their most revered persons. We don't, unfortunately.

    I know that any success I've ever had is directly attributable to all those who worked for me at all levels, in all positions. I respect the janitor who does his job well and takes pride in it as much as I respect the leading salesman. It's probably human nature though for everyone to at some times feel they are under-appreciated or their profession is.

    Unfortunately, the reality today is that people are struggling to find jobs. In the boating industry it has been even worse than most places. Every manufacturer has faced huge financial challenges and tens of thousands of employees have been laid off temporarily or permanently. Norhavn has an incredible article in their magazine regarding what they went through and they are one of the more stable and healthy companies.

    Yacht owners have cut back on usage. Many have replaced full time with part time employees. They've eliminated deck hands and expected captains to do it. Eliminated engineers. Eliminated inside staff. I see the salaries posted on the various crew and industry sites. But many aren't offering those salaries and many people are taking far less.

    I've met yacht owners, no different than owners I met in industry, who don't respect any of the crew. They think because it's their vacation that it's like a paid vacation for their crew. They think the engineer is down in the engine room playing solitaire. A TV show I only watched a couple of times but I think makes a great point is the one where the business owner goes undercover at one of his stores or elsewhere in his business and learns how difficult it is. On the other hand, I've seen crew persons, just like employees in industry, who think the yacht owners are underpaying them, mistreating them, and are so rolling in money that they should give it to them and shouldn't be concerned about the cost of anything.
  17. Norseman

    Norseman Senior Member

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    Okay, we will call 'em Dr. Kiwi and Dr. Marmot from now, maybe then they will get the respect they deserve...;)
  18. Fishtigua

    Fishtigua Senior Member

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    What we used to call him in the pub over the years is unprintable on this sort of forum. :D
  19. sanchezfedor

    sanchezfedor New Member

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    Hi to all.
    Many thanks for your responses… very interesting hear from you.
    This is a little war… and it will be forever. When I was a cadet, we said (without offending anyone) “Pilots are rare… think rare, are like girls… hahahah” and they said “engineers are ugly, full dirty all time”. Now onboard the Engineers Officers say ‘’Pilots are painting his nails on the bridge….’’ Hahaha And pilots say “the Engineers Officer do nothing, only listening music while wait for an alarm bell in engine control room”… we are professionals, and we know the responsibilities for each one. In some cases (or many), I ever seen deck officers ask me when they have a ballast problem and they can’t solve and vice versa. I was thinking it was in Venezuela only…
    Pilots need Engineers like Engineers need pilots… is a teamwork. “We are Seafarers… we are Knight of the Sea…”
    Now, start from the scratch like Deck Officer is not the best idea for me. I’m Engineer Officer and I’m very happy with this. I know you say that like a way to solve my problem and many thanks for this. This is the idea.
    Very thanks to people which do this web page… this is the best. Full use full information. 20 years ago…. Unthinkable.
  20. Marmot

    Marmot Senior Member

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    It isn't that at all ... What many interpret as grumpiness is simply a case of not having much time for fools and pretenders.

    While it is always nice to have one's skills appreciated, the real driver is the personal satisfaction that comes from successfully troubleshooting and economically correcting a difficult problem. Getting a bunch of money for being able to do that sort of thing doesn't hurt either.