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- This topic has 15 replies, 7 voices, and was last updated 13 years, 9 months ago by
luckyjim37.
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November 29, 2010 at 10:10 pm #3964
rovnumpty
ParticipantSaw this job posted a few places recently.
Think it’s for Heerema in Holland.
This seems to be an increasing trend in recent years. A job which was/would be perfect for an experienced rov bod wanting to move onshore has now become the preserve of graduates with no experience of ROVs at all.
Amazing how much harder this kind of thing makes the job offshore.
Also amazing is the attitude of these "engineers". Usually along the lines of "What do you know about Subsea ops, you rov spanner monkey?"
Thought Macondo might have shook things up a bit, but I guess 11 dead "oilfield trash" isn’t enough off a wake up call.
November 30, 2010 at 8:16 am #29770Donald Faulds
ParticipantAttitude! (The adverts I read recently need 4+ years experience).
Success offshore needs good both ROV crew and good engineering support. Arrogance on either side just ends up with broken subs and blame storms.
(Yes I am an engineer) cheers
November 30, 2010 at 9:05 am #29769Andy Shiers
Participant4 years 😯
Lets see now ……………average ……………..183 days working
times 4 = 732 divided 365 comes to actual days worked experience 2 years 😯
I see where you are coming from Rovnump 8)
Good background knowledge of life and operations offshore makes for a better engineer onshore espeicially the downfalls of logistics / breakdowns and knowing how the Scorpions (Clients) operate on a contractual basis 😀
……………………………. But that would be too intelligent 😆November 30, 2010 at 12:23 pm #29772rovnumpty
ParticipantSo 4+ years ROV experience AND a degree in engineering.
Think I’ve met 1 person offshore with that kind of CV in 15 years.
November 30, 2010 at 12:43 pm #29773Donald Faulds
ParticipantLet me think, offshore since 1984, regularly on ROV operations but not constant – that wouldn’t count for those who equate hours o/s with experience or ability. hmmm. I have read more than enough CVs of "pilots" who have the hours logged but somehow haven’t got the skills.
As I said before, for good ops, especially the intervention stuff, you need both good engineer and good pilots.
(This thread is a bit silly?)
November 30, 2010 at 2:15 pm #29771rovnumpty
ParticipantDonF
You seem to be taking this thread as a dig at you personally.
The put I was trying to make was that the "ROV engineer" (or rov specialist,co-ordinator,whatever other term the company can come up with) position used to be the preserve of of experienced long term rov bods looking to move onshore.
Whether they had a degree or not.
The current trend seems to be to take on a graduate with a couple of years "experience" in anything and put them in the rov engineer position.
That’s what I’m complaining about. But I’m sure its far cheaper and easier for the project managers than employ some ex offshore bod.
November 30, 2010 at 6:56 pm #29774SGB
ParticipantA certain company in Aberdeen have been advertising for a ROV coordinators position for almost 3 months, they would prefer offshore ROV experience but there have been no applicants. The next preference is degree (engineer) qualified.
In an ideal world all the ROV onshore support would be degree qualified with 10 years plus offshore experience but sadly, that would mean putting quality above cost…….November 30, 2010 at 9:54 pm #29775Andy Shiers
ParticipantAaagh , But you forgot the all important facto 😀 ……………….
Pay grade and Perks.
Oh and I almost forgot …………. maybe the said company has a bad reputation for not treating Bod’s well 8)December 1, 2010 at 1:49 pm #29776SGB
ParticipantIt’s one of the biggest soon to be biggest……
Pay grade and perks….. you mean less money, on call, more politics from penny pinching accountants and grief from offshore???
Yep that’s why there is little interest from offshore chaps to move onshore and the only interested parties are those who have seen the Transocean accident and thought "ROV’s? How hard can it be?"December 1, 2010 at 2:03 pm #29777Andy Shiers
ParticipantEasy Peezy ………….. and it’s quite safe 🙂
"Safety target Zero !"
"Anybody can stop the job if it is considered unsafe !"
Anyway , what you are saying is ……… Only the niave would accept the onshore job ! 8)December 1, 2010 at 3:17 pm #29778SGB
ParticipantNiave… not quite. But it is essential to appreciate that decisions are generally not made with by engineering logic but by managers who have no experience of offshore operations. There have been a number who have made the transtition to onshore with the hope of changing things for the better but the reality of ideology versus acceptable business practice to senior management is soon established.
Erhm don’t be put off if you fancy a challenge – the more the merrier.December 2, 2010 at 5:36 am #29779Kiwitech
ParticipantNot just ROV where this happens unfortunately.
I recently have had a "new" graduate "Electronics Engineer" (recently employed by my employer) helping me on a big sonar installation to get "real world experience".
Well he took over cause as he said "I’m the engineer you’re just the technician" End result was chaos as he has less than no idea. End result guess who had to pick up all the pieces and guess who got the credit for the successful installation.
Best engineers in my humble opinion are those who have been there done that, they may not be the best theoretically, but they usually are brilliant practicallyDecember 2, 2010 at 9:26 am #29780Ray Shields
ParticipantThat’s the problem with someone straight out of University with a Degree.
They can tell you the square root of an orange but they cannot peel it!
December 2, 2010 at 9:41 am #29781Kiwitech
ParticipantThat’s the problem with someone straight out of University with a Degree.
They can tell you the square root of an orange but they cannot peel it!
No in my experience they can tell you what a resistor does but not the value of the one you have just given them. I just get hacked off when they earn more than me straight out of school
December 2, 2010 at 10:43 am #29782SGB
ParticipantGraduate engineers are on about 30 to 35k, supervisors are on a touch more, especially if the 183 days rule comes into play. Senior management will not break the pay structure so we are stuck with this situation.
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