MSC vacation time

**SailorDaniel** · April 3rd, 2010, 11:23 PM

Does anyone know the rotation for MSC or how much vacation earned per day? Is it true that you must usually stay out for min 8 months?

**HawspiperJeff** · April 4th, 2010, 12:13 PM

http://www.msc.navy.mil/civmar/
Click on CIVMAR handbook it's all right there, a little confusing but it's all there.

**seadog6608** · April 4th, 2010, 04:55 PM

They work a four month hitch and you can stay over that if you want. You will probably have to stay longer because they rarely relieve on time. Let's say you are a new federal employee with less than three years service and you do four months and get relieved. You earn annual leave at a rate of 13 days per year. So in four months you have earned 4 1/3 days annual leave. You earn 2 days of shore leave for every month you work. So there's 8 more days. So, bottom line you have 12.3 days of paid vacation coming to you after four months. After 3 years you earn 20 days annual leave. After 15 years you get 26 days annual.
I left there in 1997, so its possible the leave situation has been upgraded. But that's the system I grew up on.

**JAFO** · April 4th, 2010, 06:05 PM

Does anyone know how many Officers MSC has in its labor pool for each job that they have?

**SailorDaniel** · April 4th, 2010, 06:43 PM

Thanks Jeff. Can that be real? Your entire life consists of being underway aside from a two week trip home for a holiday?? Why would anyone work there then?? I had heard something about 2:1 ratio with 4 months out and 2 in but wanted someone to verify it. I cant imagine that they could do that

**HawspiperJeff** · April 4th, 2010, 06:58 PM

LOL yes that is real, that 2:1 ratio is the rest of the maritime industry NOT MSC. People sail with them cause you get some of the best job security you can ever ask for and some really good benefits. In this job market a CIVMAR is very good to be!!!!

**SailorDaniel** · April 4th, 2010, 08:17 PM

Whats the point of beni's, security, or even the job itself though if your life literally consists of working 24/7? I dont get it. You'd have to promise me I'd be a multi-millionaire when I finally did retire? You telling me that not one Father(or Mother) out there sees thier child for more than a couple weeks a year?! Just seems had to believe they would be able to maintain a sane workforce or any kind of morale. I'd probably still sell my sole for a year or two to get licensed though and something other than just miilitary on my resume

**Jeffrox** · April 4th, 2010, 10:28 PM

"Whats the point of beni's, security, or even the job itself though if your life literally consists of working 24/7? I dont get it. You'd have to promise me I'd be a multi-millionaire when I finally did retire? You telling me that not one Father(or Mother) out there sees thier child for more than a couple weeks a year?! Just seems had to believe they would be able to maintain a sane workforce or any kind of morale. I'd probably still sell my sole for a year or two to get licensed though and something other than just miilitary on my resume ."

MSC stands for "Mostly Senior Citizens", a vast number of the crew have families that are grown, or have spouses they would rather NOT see anymore. Many are single. After the 4 month gig you can take your 12 days paid leave and combine it with unpaid leave to get a decent vacation...needs of the Navy notwithstanding

**SailorDaniel** · April 4th, 2010, 10:42 PM

How much unpaid vacation? Can you do 4 months out and 2 in even if you are willing to take no pay for the 2?

**Jeffrox** · April 4th, 2010, 10:58 PM

It will depend on the situation, but I've seen and been told that about a month is doable, I think weaseling 2 months out of them is unlikely without some drama. It's a "more the merrier" senario; if if they would ever get to a place where they had enough employees they could get a better rotation going.

**SailorDaniel** · April 4th, 2010, 11:33 PM

If there so short on employees than why do people wait so long for openings and give the impression they are sooooo selective?

**SailorDaniel** · April 4th, 2010, 11:36 PM

Think I'm kinda gettin set on the goal of gettin onboard with noaa though at this point

**HawspiperJeff** · April 5th, 2010, 01:56 PM

Originally Posted by SailorDaniel

Whats the point of beni's, security, or even the job itself though if your life literally consists of working 24/7? I dont get it. You'd have to promise me I'd be a multi-millionaire when I finally did retire? You telling me that not one Father(or Mother) out there sees thier child for more than a couple weeks a year?! Just seems had to believe they would be able to maintain a sane workforce or any kind of morale. I'd probably still sell my sole for a year or two to get licensed though and something other than just miilitary on my resume

Cause there very little work out there so MSC looks GREAT!!!

**seadog6608** · April 5th, 2010, 02:58 PM

Sailor Daniel. I worked for MSC (More Sh!t Coming) for 17 years. Morale was indeed usually low on most ships. A lot of married people get by there because they live in the Norfolk,Va area or the San Diego area. Places where the ships are homeported. You might actually spend an entire hitch going home every night. But the leave is not very good. I used to weasel leave without pay and had a pretty good way of doing it. The only phone number and address they had for me was my Grandmother's house. My Grandma (God bless her soul) would answer the soul and tell them I was camping and she didn't expect me back for a couple more weeks. I'd usually wind up with about two months off after a six to eight month hitch.