ROV Pilot training program @ Fugro Subsea – Abu Dhabi

[Joel]

Hi Guys & Gals,

I will be joining the ROV training program held by Fugro Subsea in Abu Dhabi in July 2015.

I would appreciate a little insight into the program, the company and the Job/Career prospects

I would also like to know what their payscale would be in Abu Dhabi – if passed and recruited.

Thanks in advance.

[deepseacon]

How much are you paying for the course?

[Joel]

The course costs USD $12500 including accomodation and site travel to and fro, BOSIET and Offshore Medical. According to them, if employed, the course fee will be reimbursed at the end of 3 years in the form of a bonus.

[Roy Simson]

I think the word is " IF " your employed ! If not your be joining the other few Thousand of guys all trying to get into the Rov industry .

May I remind you its not mandatory to do a course , If you all ready have experience in electronics or hydraulics your half way there .

Unless they can guarantee that you are employed after the courses I think its a very large amount of money to be paying out .

See what feed back you get from other member of this forum also ask on other Rov sites like face book .But $12500 USD ( £8500 GBP ) is a very large amount of money to pay out for nothing in return .

We have the same old debate on this forum for years Training or No Training at the end of the day its being in the right place at the right time .

However due to the low price of oil and the cut backs in the oil industry I think even experienced rov guys are finding work at the moment let alone Trainees .
So good luck

[deepseacon]

What passport do you hold why are you so interested in spending more than double on a course which can be obtained else where?

for less than half that price?

Also depending on the passport you hold will depend on certain factors relating to your career and future? which answers the questions in a more logical format.

It also would be a major factor for were to go and why you would be willing too spend double on the chance of being employed with fugro UAE.

[deepseacon]

MTCS the course can be done for 3000 GBP and in Singapore 6500 SGD 5900 USD in Philippines with Subnet Services And even that Rip off Fort William is cheaper by a few Quid coming in a massive total of 6,270GBP.
Plus FW in Tasmania for 12,500 AUS.

Then there is Spain and Italy and maybe SA which all will be cheaper than FW and Fugro.

OK there is one other at Batam OI facility but they will train you based on there equipment and it costs maybe around the same as Fugro.

The one which has the biggest support for free lance staff for the competence scheme is MTCS and even some large operators use there scheme for competence.

[Joel]

Thanks for the insight guys.

I hold an Indian passport and I reside in UAE. I do understand the many points you have brought on the table for me to think about. Here are some of the factors that have made me apply for this course specifically in the UAE.

Firstly, I am an E&I tech working for a company (on contract) that builds and leases FPSOs. For the past two projects I have moved in the CompEx department (of course I hold a valid CompEx certificate).

The reason I want to move is because of my rotation which have been 16weeks on and 2 weeks off which does not really work for me. Also the E&I and the EX field is monotonous and the scope for progress and career development is almost dead.
I happened to see the ROV course on the Internet and thought I could give it a shot. Initially I saw Subnet Services offering this course in the Philippines and then I chanced upon Fugro offering the same course but slightly cheaper. Since Fugro has an option of an interview at the end of the course, I thought it was better choice.
I am aware that many companies hire trainees with electronic/optics/hyraulic etc background but most of them are in the west such as UK/USA and Canada. Hence, I would have to be a permanent resident or have a valid work permit to be eligible.

Although, I do not have to go through with the training, I still think that it is the only way to get in the door especially in this part of the world. There is no Guarantee of a job but a job interview is a sure thing. Other companies who offer the course act as agencies so that gives me a far less probability of landing a job.

Right now due to the oil price, many projects have been put on hold which leaves me on thin ice. Either going back to university and pursuing a masters degree in subsea engineering which is far more expensive or doing a course on ROV are the only two choices I have as I believe the Subsea field has a good scope in terms of career, rotation and monies.

But as Raptor aptly put it; ‘at the end of the day, it’s is being in the right place at the right time.’

Appreciate your input gentlemen

P.S. the course fee of USD$12500 works out cheaper as I do not have to include Flights and Visa since I reside in the UAE.

[Roy Simson]

Sorry but its your money and life but in my opinion you are wasting your time and money , We are not looking at a few hundred pounds here its over £8500 GBP .

Spend some time and look at linkedin and face book your see thousands of guys the same as you some are even offering them self for free .

A few months ago I saw this ad from a agency :- Hi – I have a former marine, avail now FOR FREE (UNPAID!) ROV PILOT WORK EXPERIENCE with all nec certifications, BOSIET, MIST, Offshore Med, as well as electric, electronic and hydraulic courses.

And he still could not find a job ! , Spend time and your see all the ads of people some have over 10 years experience and still cant find work .

But like I said this course is not mandatory if you have experience in electronics or hydraulics your half way there .

If you don’t have a medical or survival course cert your need those .

But over the years we have had thousands of guys who have come on this forum asking the same as you , Just take your time and go back in the archives on ROV Rookie Corner and your see what I mean .

[deepseacon]

Maybe you should find out what Fugro will be offering you as a Trainee in UAE its not going to be much at all.

They don’t offer skilled guys with years of experience much either for that matter.

[Joel]

Appreciate the advice. Looks like I will have to reconsider my options. 13k is a lot of money which can be put to good use elsewhere that gives me good ROI. Anyway, I’ve got a month to figure it out. It is probably wise to hold on to every cent especially when times are bad at present for the industry.

[Ray Shields]

If you spend money on any ROV Training course, the piece of paper you get at the end and the training is mainly only applicable when applying for an ROV position.

If you spend the same money on nationally recognised qualifications on electrics, electronics, hydraulics and fibre optics, these too will count towards applying for an ROV job.

However – if you do not get a start in ROVs, how much value will other industries put on an ROV course (OK, it may include electronics, hydraulics etc. but will other employers recognise it). How much will they put on nationally recognised qualifications?

If you are going to spend a lot of money, please consider getting the best value for it. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.

[cyril]

Hi,
I am presently in the Fugro ROV training course in Abu Dhabi RTC010.
We are in our 2nd week now comprising of 1 day class each for Hydrulics, electrics, electronics, optic fiber etc. First week was mega intence with so much info and emphasis on safety. It was impossible to retain such information by studying alone hence we had to spend the time every day studying in groups at the hotel. We were told that the course was constructed so that we could only pass is by working and studying as a group (team). This is because the ROV job and work offshore is all about team work and watching each others back. So after a tough week Sunday to Thursday, we all passed our 1st exam. If you fail an exam you get an oral exam and if you fail that, then you fail the course (you are sent home).

The training is conducted above the ROV work shop. In the workshop you will find technicians working everyday on Workclass ROV like sealions, Fcv 600s and Fcv 3000s.

We all had a fly in the ROV simulator as an introduction of what we will be doing in the 3rd week – flying, flying and flying. Also for our 3rd week, Fugro has organised a full ROV system (Aflame, control cabin, generators, hpu, ROV etc) for us the students to mobilise to a location for wet testing (lunching the ROV in water and flying) by the Docks under the supervision of the trainer.

In week 3 we will also work in the ROV workshop. We will strip umbilicals and each person will learn how to prepare it for the ROV /tms. We will learn to weld fibre optics, clean and maintain Hydrulic devises etc.

Last week we will have bosiet training (opito) and Offshore medical. After this events we will get bosiet and medical certificate. The last part of the training is one shift offshore on a vessel (for all the students whether you get contract or not).

We all got ROV Pilot log book so we can log all our fling hour – both at the dock and simulators alike.
————————–
Extra info
The hotel is great.
We don’t pay for food transport to classes and back to hotel (and every were along the transport path), lundry Etc. It’s great here.

Finally, in one of the RTCs all the students got a contract. While other groups had the best of them choosen. Even here we talk and meet some of them everyday.
My advice will be for you to send your CV to companies while you are here informing them about your progress and desire for a job ( including all the Fugros companies all over) just incase you don’t get the contracts here.

For more info go to the Fugro ROV training camp on facebook.

Cheers.

[Donnie Cameron]

Wow! People are willing to pay US$12,500 for a course which in the last week puts you through an offshore medical!! If I was going to pay that kind of money for a course I’d make sure I would pass the medical first otherwise offshore is not an option and US$12,500 is wasted! 🙁

[Roy Simson]

Thanks for your update Cyrilo however the key point that we are trying to make is " After doing this course does it guarantee you employment "

Its very clear from reading your reply that it does " NOT " Other wise why would you be sending your CV out to other Rov Companies !

The facts we do know is this The price of oil is very low and many of the main players are laying off people and not hiring them !

There are many experienced guys with 10 years plus who cant find work due to the cut backs .So a trainee has very little chance unless the training school hires the guys .

We are not talking about a few hundred pounds here we are talking about £8500 GBP , Thats a load of money just to spend for a piece of paper , Plus don’t forget this course is not a mandatory requirement to get into the Rov industry .

If you have the back ground in electronics or hydraulics your half way there the rest is being in the right place at the right time plus who you know in the industry .

So if you have done this course then good luck with your hunt however if your thinking of doing a Rov course please think again and spend time going through the archives on this site under the topic ROV Rookie Corner
yes some people after doing a course did find employment but not with this current recession .

[cyril]

Yes Darknight! The training does not guarantee a contract after training. And yes you could spend 12500 $ on a solid vacation or some other career investment etc. Well, it’s all about how you view life, what dreams you have, if you think you can still keep your head above water after spending 12500 , if you are willing to risk it etc. Beside you live only once and money comes and goes like it or not.

For me it’s about running after a dream and willing to take the risk for it. Heck! life itself is all about risk. On the other hand, the money is good and hopefully gets even better over time.

As Raptor noted, knowing people in the business help alot as you can get first hand advice which helps you get a good picture to what the job and life is like both offshore and onshore (family wish) before you make the choice to run after it. And yes you need to be in the right place at the right time and have some luck or what ever you want to call it.

There is also the chicken and egg scenario. But my experience is if you don’t know which one comes first (chicken or ege), just pick one and give it all it takes to turn it into what you want.

My advice is ask people in the business for advice, count your cost, weigh the risk (money invested and returns, family life etc), make a battle plan, try and have some sort of plan B and then just take the risk or not.

Good luck in you career investment Darknight.

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