Ideas for Summer Internships?

[Jetryder223]

I'm going to post this here and not in the employment section out of respect for real mariners looking for long term positions.

Recently finished my MUG year and am out of school for the summer. Working 40 hours a week as a landscaper at $10.25/hr until end of August.

I need to work summers but this is doing nothing for my career. Next year I want to be smarter about summer employment and do something more in line with the maritime industry. The Academy is good about helping with 'semesters at sea' assignments and job placement after graduation but summer work - nada.

So other than blindly send off resumes in April to every cruise line, charter boat and ferry in the country, I was hoping someone here could provide some advice or contacts for companys who hire seasonal help.

I'll be 20 next year, I'm in good physical shape, have a good attitude, good with customers/passengers and willing to work hard to get in the door.
Heck, I'll even fetch coffee for the captain.

PS: Housing would be an issue if outside CT - unless I can grab a berth on board.

[captmrb]

It's a long way from CT but the Mackinac Island Ferries in Northern Michigan have seasonal openings every summer. Check out Star Line, Arnold Transit Line, and Shepler's Mackinac Island Ferries. They may even have affordable housing available. You'd probably make more money landscaping though.

[tugsailor]

Jetryder should not be wasting his time landscaping for peanuts this summer, much less next summer.

Can't someone offer him a seagoing summer job? Crewboat? Tugboat? Fishing boat?


P.S. The academy administrations and their misplacement offices really are pathetic.

[Jemplayer]

Not quite sure how it works, but early in your next spring semester call all the supply boat and drilling companies and ask them about a deckhand spots for cadets. I've run across a few guys who have done this so they are out there.

Hell give them a call right now, you never know.

Just have your bags packed!

[Bayrunner]

McAllister of NYC loves to take on cadets for the summer. Check them out.

One of our boats here in Norfolk has a SUNY engine cadet on it now.

[tugsailor]

I suspect that Jetryder is not yet at the point where he can sail as an official "Cadet" sponsored by the academy.

I don't know whether he even has an OS card yet He may need to sail on a vessel under 100 tons for this summer.

Isn't there someone on gcaptain with hiring authority, or at least the ability to make a strong temporary, for the summer only, hiring suggestion?

Jetryder, Unfortunately, I cannot hire you, but if you PM me, I'll see if I can steer you to someone.

[Jetryder223]

Tug - You are correct.

As a first year cadet, I don't yet have the paperwork to sail commercial -not even a TWIC card. This will all be in place next year so lets not even worry about finding something this summer.

I'm just trying to put some wheels in motion so I don't have to spend next years school break weed wacking poison ivy.

[tugsailor]

Given a few months to work on it, you'll find something good for next year. This year if you get tired of taming poison ivy, try your local yachts, fishing boats, small passenger boats, or a small marine construction or dredging company --- no OS or TWIC cards are necessary.

[seadog!]

http://blountsmallshipadventures.com...-us/employment

Call these people THIS summer.
866-730-5265

Live aboard, no documents necessary.
Just around the corner from you for interviewing.

A real good site. Good people, good food, good places.
Don't wait til next year!!

[cmakin]

Wow, after a year at SUNY Maritime you don't even get a Lifeboatman's ticket (if they still issue those) OR a TWIC? That seems to me, anyway to be a bit of a rip off. There are no qualifications for a TWIC, other than a clean record and some money. It probably wouldn't hurt to get one on your own. Don't y'all take a summer cruise? I know at KP, the only "summer" that I had was the six weeks (or was it four; can't recall) between Junior and Senior year. The other summers I was at sea.

[New3M]

Wow, after a year at SUNY Maritime you don't even get a Lifeboatman's ticket (if they still issue those) OR a TWIC? That seems to me, anyway to be a bit of a rip off. There are no qualifications for a TWIC, other than a clean record and some money. It probably wouldn't hurt to get one on your own. Don't y'all take a summer cruise? I know at KP, the only "summer" that I had was the six weeks (or was it four; can't recall) between Junior and Senior year. The other summers I was at sea.

I'm pretty sure he goes to Mass, and they have the whole summer off. But at SUNY they all have to have TWICs now for the summer cruise, but they don't get any credentials.

As for the original question, you can try the ferry's on Cape Cod, but I'm not sure what they have for housing. There's also the ferry in Bridgeport that runs to Port Jeff.

[tugsailor]

I think most mariners are shocked to discover how little job preparation students actually get at the academies. The academies are far behind the times and completely out of touch with the current needs of the maritime industry and their students.

If anyone is even thinking about attending an academy, the first thing they should do is go get a: (1) TWIC Card; (2) USCG Physical and drug test; (3) MMD (endorsed OS/Wiper/FH); and (4) U.S. Passport. They are going to need these things anyway, the cost is the same --- why wait for the academy to screw it up or get it done too late so that opportunities are missed.
If an academy does not offer an STCW approved BST (with Lifeboatman) course during the first year; then a student probably ought to take the 5 day course somewhere else on his own time and dime.

There are plenty of summer jobs on yachts, fishing boats, small passenger boats, small tugs, etc, that do not require any credentials at all, but having something would be an advantage. The typical small vessel owner wrongly assumes that a student who has completed one year at an academy has practical skills and expertise. There is no reason that a student should not use that common misconception to his advantage when hunting for a small vessel summer job.

[rshrew]

If anyone is even thinking about attending an academy, the first thing they should do is go get a: (1) TWIC Card; (2) USCG Physical and drug test; (3) MMD (endorsed OS/Wiper/FH); and (4) U.S. Passport. They are going to need these things anyway, the cost is the same --- why wait for the academy to screw it up or get it done too late so that opportunities are missed.
If an academy does not offer an STCW approved BST (with Lifeboatman) course during the first year; then a student probably ought to take the 5 day course somewhere else on his own time and dime.

You have to have the physical to start at a academy in a license track major. At Cal we had all of the above done in the first 6 months of school. So after freshman cruise you were good to go for summer work.

[cmakin]

I think most mariners are shocked to discover how little job preparation students actually get at the academies. The academies are far behind the times and completely out of touch with the current needs of the maritime industry and their students.

If anyone is even thinking about attending an academy, the first thing they should do is go get a: (1) TWIC Card; (2) USCG Physical and drug test; (3) MMD (endorsed OS/Wiper/FH); and (4) U.S. Passport. They are going to need these things anyway, the cost is the same --- why wait for the academy to screw it up or get it done too late so that opportunities are missed.
If an academy does not offer an STCW approved BST (with Lifeboatman) course during the first year; then a student probably ought to take the 5 day course somewhere else on his own time and dime.

There are plenty of summer jobs on yachts, fishing boats, small passenger boats, small tugs, etc, that do not require any credentials at all, but having something would be an advantage. The typical small vessel owner wrongly assumes that a student who has completed one year at an academy has practical skills and expertise. There is no reason that a student should not use that common misconception to his advantage when hunting for a small vessel summer job.

I do know that KP requires the incoming cadets to have a TWIC prior to attending school. Pretty sure that they have at least a lifeboatman's ticket (not sure about STCW, though) by the end of the first year. That allows the half that go to sea after the first year to sign on to their vessel. Interesting.

Agreed about most with the summer jobs. I would guess that the east coast tug companies may be willing to hire someone on for the summer, even if it is just dockside work. Don't forget to use any academy alumni contacts. Tugs are great experience for seamanship skills.

[tugsailor]

Would it be appropriate to steer an academy student with no documents to American Seafoods, Trident, Coastal Transportation, or maybe to a Lake Union based tug company, for the summer?

[rshrew]

Would it be appropriate to steer an academy student with no documents to American Seafoods, Trident, Coastal Transportation, or maybe to a Lake Union based tug company, for the summer?

I take a few over the summer at our company. I had my cadet from last summer help out over his Christmas break for a day or two.

[KPEngineer]

If anyone is even thinking about attending an academy, the first thing they should do is go get a: (1) TWIC Card; (2) USCG Physical and drug test; (3) MMD (endorsed OS/Wiper/FH); and (4) U.S. Passport. They are going to need these things anyway, the cost is the same --- why wait for the academy to screw it up or get it done too late so that opportunities are missed.
If an academy does not offer an STCW approved BST (with Lifeboatman) course during the first year; then a student probably ought to take the 5 day course somewhere else on his own time and dime.
.

An OS/Wiper MMD would be a waste before KP. You get a Cadet-Observer one and would have to give up your OS/Wiper MMD since you can't have both.

[Capt. Phoenix]

An OS/Wiper MMD would be a waste before KP. You get a Cadet-Observer one and would have to give up your OS/Wiper MMD since you can't have both.

Why can't you have both? The same would hold true for all the academies then, and you can't sail as an os with a cadet mmd.

[tugsailor]

I don't know about those MMD rules, but I have known guys with AB cards and small licenses that have gone to the academies. I find it hard to believe that they take their AB cards away from them.

If the people running the academies gave a damn, they'd get the system adjusted so that every kid got an AB special and a summer job by the end of the first year.

A kid with some get up and go, and who presents himself well, like this kid, could find better summer opportunities with an OS card. Although I don't know any inside info, I have a feeling that this kid has already made his own luck and opportunities will come his way without an OS card.

[cmakin]

An OS/Wiper MMD would be a waste before KP. You get a Cadet-Observer one and would have to give up your OS/Wiper MMD since you can't have both.

"Cadet-Observer"? That's new. But all the licensing has changed so much in the past few years. I feel for y'all out there trying to make sense of it. In my day, as references above, we got our lifeboatman's Z card and kept in until we got our Third's. Then we got our QMED/OS Z card (for engineers).