rov questions

[nelson69]

I am sitting a electronic/rov pilots course, i will be done at the start of march.
During the course i have been learning the fundamentals of the rov electronics , fault diagnosis on the pcb’s down to component level, Electrical installation in adverse/hazardous conditions, Pilot/Technician Engineering Skills I , Pilot/Technician Engineering Skills II inc. – Engineering systems: Hydraulics Providing IMCA Pilot/Technician Grade II competencies

my log book has been assessed by
The Scottish Qualifications Authority In addition, i have been asked to undertake various design, testing and building of circuits, which again have been assessed.At the end of the course, successful students will gain four Scottish Qualification Authority SVQs . I have not been flying the rov yet but a number of flying exercises will include search and recovery (using ROV manipulators and other methods), sonar mapping exercises, site survey exercises, zero visibility flying exercises, controlled tether buoyancy, and flying using (LARS) and Tether Management System (TMS) There will also be practical repair exercises including a re-termination of damaged umbilical together with subsequent pressure testing and then “megger” testing of repaired conductors. I have spent £9000 on the course and have obtained my survival ticket and a medical certificate.
I have other certificates in risk assessment , accident investigation, health and safety, coshh which obtained in my last job.
The problem is any rov jobs that i see in the paper or on the net all ask for people with electrical , hydrualics or mechanical trades background, or have at least 100hrs flying time offshore which i dont have . Will i get employment after i pass my course or have i just wasted the best part of £10000. 🙁
please help 😀
please help

[K2]

nelson69

£10K…… 😯 , that’s the most expensive course I’ve heard off although it is also the longest.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen a post on this site recommending an ROV course, quite the opposite. There are also many, many posts asking for advice on what is required to enter the industry and the response is pretty much the same: hydraulic and/ or electronic knowledge & practical experience.

I couldn’t agree more & I’m confused as to why I see the same questions being asked time and time, does anyone read the advice from guys already offshore? What you have mentioned in your ad’ you could’ve done during your first couple of trips offshore for free and been paid to do it, with the exception of the survival and medical.

However, don’t get too despondant, it’s all about attitude. Regardless of what you have to offer, if you want something that bad you can get it.
But also remember, if it’s worth having then it won’t come and slap you in the face, you’ll have to work for it.

If all you have to offer is the course then you should be looking at a salaried position, somewhere that takes trainees and gives them the opportunity to learn while not jeopardising the safety/job they’re on.

There’s a ton of helpful hints and links within this site. If I were you I’d sit down and read through the advice, check out the companies sites, get your CV sorted then make your move. I’d do this as soon as you have your survival & medical certs and are happy to go.

Good Luck

😉

[Andy Shiers]

Nelson69 , It appears that your credentials are impressing !
With that in mind you have the makings of someone who could be utilised in the base and then go up the ladder in to management.
Do you live or would you move to Aberdeen ?
I can think of two people right now that had their apprentiship in base for a couple of years then went offshore and I find them to be the best Techs above anybody else experience wise . They now command a great deal of money and the ROV companies are paying them because they know they can fix no matter what !
I agree with K2 though……… You paid an awful lot for the courses 😯

[temp]

nelson69

Will you find work? – who knows, maybe you will. As you mentioned, someone who already has a trade, i.e. electrical/electronic or hydraulic/mechanical etc is what the companies are probably looking for.
The piloting experience is only really gained on the job – bit of a chicken and egg situation, but everyone has to go through the stage of being a trainee on the operational side, even if they have good technical skills already.

You can’t expect to learn in several weeks on a short course what someone may have trained for several years to get a trade and engineering qualifications, plus years of practical technical experience.
(If companies do think this is possible, then it’s a bit of an insult to people who have spent years of effort learning a trade and getting qualified).

Saying that there are many guys offshore who are good technically but who never did formal trade training or qualifications.
You didn’t say what your previous experience was.

I wish you luck after spending that much money – at least it shows commitment if nothing else.

NOTE FOR OTHER PEOPLE THINKING OF DOING A SELF-FUNDED ROV TRAINING COURSE:

It may be an idea to find out your likely job prospects if you were to do the course self-funded (in addition to any previous technical experience) by asking potential employers BEFORE forking out a lot of money on a course.
Or, look/ask on this website to see what many offshore people think of the courses (not much, generally), BEFORE you pay for one.
People will generally take the time to reply and try to give impartial advice, although you may get the odd unhelpful comment.

Don’t just take the word of the training provider, as they are obviously keen to sell you the course. Some of them do make some dubious claims about the percentage of course attendees who go on to get an ROV trainee job. Ask them for proof – if the claims are genuine they should be able to provide supporting evidence. Get more specific detail about existing experience of the people who did get jobs – it may be that they would have got work anyway by virtue of previous experience wothout having done the course, doing the course may have simply helped get them an interview.

The ROV courses are obviously fairly specific to ROV’s, even though you may gain some NVQ’s (non-vocational qualifications) in the process, some of which may be useful elsewhere. If not successful in getting an ROV job, it is more or less wasted money as it will probably not be of much interest to other potential employers in other industries.

You may be better off spending your money on training that is broader – i.e. will help get you work in other industries if not ROV. For example in the UK you could do an engineering HNC/D for a hell of a lot less money (e.g. £2 to 3K at COLU, ‘open learning’ whilst doing your current job). It will cost even less if go to your local technical college in UK full-time for 2 years. Couple that with a ‘modern apprenticeship’ or whatever they call them now, where you actually get practical training and experience over 2-3 years or so.

If initially unsuccesful getting into the ROV industry, you could always try for other oil&gas industry technical/engineering work, then try and move into ROV later on.

temp

I will try and get this added to FAQ’s, as this question crops up all the time.

[nelson69]

k2 temp and lostboy

thank you for your reply

I will be trying for a base trainee job at first as i have been told by a couple of freinds who work as rov techs < that this would be the best place to start and work my way up .The worst thing i could do is get flung in at the deep and not be able to cope with the work that is asked of me, this may hamper my continued work in the rov industry.
The course is very intensive long days and late nights studying .lostboy i live 1hr from aberdeen not a problem to get there or i would move no bother.
K2 i am a very determind person and to push me on more i have given up my job as a production supervisor at £25000 per year salary.

Will keep in touch and next time we talk i will be working in the industry.

[reg]

Nelson69

Can you tell which course you are studying and with which establishment?

What is the syllabus? Do they provide you with High Voltage training as part of the course?

Do you complete any Hydraulic training?

£10000 seems a lot of money for no Guarantees employment, a lot of companies are taking on trainees at the moment and they complete the ROV Training while they are paid.
Most companies get hundreds of CV s a week and it is normally the previous experience that assures employment, too many cv’s have little or no relevant work experience (for any type engineering employment.) Some people think they can do a a short course and have all the experience required to be employed on highly technical multi million pound engineering systems – Your attitude with respect to training and gaining experience prior to going offshore is refreshing, but unfortunately for the industry it is an unusual one.

[nelson69]

To REG

The course is in the underwater centre

ROV / Electronics Course
The ROV / Electronics Course is divided into two sections (with additional SVQs shown), namely;

1) Electronics for ROVs

i) [E9 RT 04] – Electrical fundamentals
ii) [E9 S9 11] – Introduction to electronic test equipment and measurement
iii) [EC 2Y 11] – Electrical installation: an introduction to industrial electronics
[EE 9K 12] – Fault diagnosis on basic electronic circuits

2) ROV Engineering, hydraulics and systems (3 weeks)
Providing IMCA Pilot/Technician Grade II competencies

i) Pilot Technician Introduction inc. [ED 13 12] – Electrical installation in adverse/hazardous conditions
ii) Pilot/Technician Engineering Skills I
iii) Pilot/Technician Engineering Skills II inc. [D9 91 12] – Engineering systems: Hydraulics

My course has been brought forward so i have been told that the cost was £8232 +vat
the price i was given first was the new prices which will go up at end of january .
This will be my career now and i am taking it seriously , so i would like to get as much training as possible or as much as my potential employer feels i would need to be a benifit to there company. Yes i have heard the money can be great in this type of job but money is not everything, you need to have respect for the job you are in, especially when you work in an indusrty where mistakes can cost millions of pounds or more important LIVES!.
Some times with the offshore work you hear its not what you know but who you know. I presume thats why so many unskilled workers get there first shot at work offshore , i would rather know what i am doing when i get offshore, than have all the gear and no idea!

the more information i get the better

than you for your reply

[temp]

nelson69

The fact that you have spent £10k ish of your own money to do the course plus given up your job to do so, without any guarantee at all of getting a start, does show a hell of a lot of commitment and determination, if not a bit reckless!

Someone who is keen, hard working, self-motivated and willing to learn can sometimes be more useful than someone who is already well qualified and experienced and thinks they are owed a job on a plate. Lack of knowledge can to some extent be made up by a willingness to learn and get stuck in.

Some of the younger guys starting as trainees/apprentices etc that I have seen in the offshore industry and in other industries (onshore) can sometimes lack much get-up and go, commitment and a work-ethic, and there can be a relatively high percentage drop out rate of trainees further down the road.

Even though your course is quite intensive and seems to cover a fair amount given the short time, as I mentioned it obviously can’t cover the same ground or depth as a 2 or 3 year course or traineeship. Whilst it may provide some useful skills for starting off with, it can only really skim the surface compared to learning a trade properly and going to technical college etc.

Anyway, good luck

temp

[nelson69]

HI TEMP
i have had a message from TRUERED who has given me a number to call to see if the company have base tech spaces , drinks will be on me if sucessful.
thank you for the good luck

[Andy Shiers]

A sincere good luck Nelson,
Get your apprentiship in , See ya in the highways and byways of the ROV world 😀

[pea]

Alright there Nelson

From what I’ve seen you’ve had some pretty sound advice and your approach and attitude appears to be impeccable.

In my eperience the course that I undertook (probably the same one as you are doing) was essential as I did not have any of the technical background and/or offshore experience that a lot of people have when getting into ROV work. I used it as a tool to a) have a heads up on what the work would involve and skills required and b) show to employers how serious I was about getting into this type of work as I, like yourself have paid for it all out of my own pocket. I did the course this time last years and paid around £8000 (with accomodation).

Due to my lack of technical background I didn’t slip into employment so quickly and, to be fair it was soul destroying stuff at times as it took my 6 months to get a job.

It was worth it though as I’ve been doing it for the last 7 months and gaining a lot of experience from my supervisors whilst on the job.

From what I’ve seen there’s still a lack of people out there to do the job and indeed, I’m in the North sea at them moment awaiting news on a crew change that I’m up for (but still no word).

Good luck to you and let us kno how you get on.

P

[back6]

10,000GB pounds- lot of dosh for a course mate.
How about you have a look at this one done through the West australian government technical and further education (TAFE) in fremantle Australia.
Cost is negligible ($ Aust 7000) compared to what you are currently up for and you can probably book and pay for a holiday with the mrs and accommodationfor the costs you are presently up for.

http://www.challengertafe.wa.edu.au/scripts/viewarticle.asp?NID=5012

International students
http://www.challengertafe.wa.edu.au/upload/Challenger28/EB883D2833454A3F81EB11631E5798CE.pdf

[misiuek]

sorry have to add this after lovely advertisement!

or how about using dosh to buy some stamps for sending cv, some boots for walking round companies, some credit for the phoning said companies although this is notoriously difficult to get past reception…..

when you complete this course the fact you have grade 1 or 2 pilot competencies DOES NOT make you a pilot….

this site time and time again warns about the dubious claims made by these companies that provide these courses. they are fantastic for the person who owns them loads of dosh…

last "graduate" i had from freemantle turned up proud as with his 20 hours logged then admitted that the vehicle was in water for total 20 hours and the whole group got same 20hours in there log book as a starter…..

the course is not a guarantee of employment

even though you pay big bucks when you arrive offshore you wont find a supervisor who thinks oh good hes done the rov course sorry or she!

nepotism is rife in this industry as is the buddy net work (not knocking it!) sometimes right place right time knocking on the door right time is enough…

dont send your cv just once, every 2 weeks followed with phone call

anyway i digress…

back6 is right spend it on holiday with the wife and kids cause once you get foot on the ladder , even near top quality family time at home is not always an availability…

in all seriousness best of luck nelson69

[back6]

"nepotism is rife in this industry as is the buddy net work (not knocking it!) sometimes right place right time knocking on the door right time is enough…"

Very much agree with you misiuek, i happened to walk into a an old mate (after an unsuccesful interview with a Xmas tree mob) and he said ‘ Have you ever thought about ROVs".

My post may seem like an advert , but I have never done a course- just giving some food for thought. If you are going to spend hard earned money saving a bit is usefull. Pays for the stamps and shoe leather later 😛

[Author]

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