ROV TRAINING PLUS OTHER TRAINING

[Sony]

Great job, rovtrain.

I’m convinced. I wish I came to OZ for some sunshine and cold beer and an excellent course.

I’ll stay positive and fingers crossed my money was worth it in the end.

Thanks

[temp]

Cabledog

If you are not getting replies from applications, may well simply be sheer volume of applications companies are getting.

As you mention, it may well be that your CV is not hitting the spot.
There is some advice on this site in FAQ’s on CV layout.
Think it was written by someone involved in recruiting ROV guys, not sure.

Basically you need to sell yourself and your skills. Not just the technical side, but also things like teamwork, experience of living/working in harsh conditions on ships, being away from home for weeks on end, used to working safely with heavy machinery (e.g. cranes/winches), working on back deck of a ship etc, logkeeping, planned maintenance checks, as well as the electrical side which is your main trade, knowledge of marine environment and how affects electrics etc., from heavy duty electrical power down to electronics and datacomms side.

Many people have the relevant technical skills from other industries, but can’t prove to potential employers from previous experience that they are likely to cope with the offshore life etc. You can be a whizz kid tech, but no use if cannot work in a team – Navy experience should demonstrate that you have done this successfully in the past – pretty difficult to be part of a ships crew if not a team player.

Keep it succinct and to the point, emphasise skills the potential employer is looking for. Long gaps away from engineering/industry etc obviously need to be accounted for and put across in the best light. Put any forces jargon into civilianised-speak. Follow up CV’s sent out with phone calls etc., even try and visit in person if able to. All you can do is keep trying.

If looking to enhance prospects with extra training, why not do something like a short hydraulics course etc which is different from your main elctrical trade but useful for ROV work (and indeed other jobs needing multi-disciplined trade skills, it would not be wasted if did not get ROV job).

temp

[TheBaron]

rovtrain,
Kudos for replying in such a structured and objective way. Double credits if you/your employer actually sticks to an iron clad policy of only inducting folks with a useful trade background, though I remain sceptical.
Quotes are also a good thing, try this:

"It is grossly selfish to require of one’s neighbour that he should think in the same way, and hold the same opinions. Why should he? If he can think, he will probably think differently. If he can not think, it is monstrous to require thought of any kind from him." (Oscar Wilde)

Your motivations are completely different to mine. I actually work in the industry, and I suppose you would like to consider yourself as working for the industry, albeit ex-‘in’. Fine by me, but when I get 1/2 a dozen pastry chefs running round my shack with ‘ROV tickets’ in their pasty palms I tend to get a little miffed. And it’s not the chefs that I’m miffed with!
Next point was one that was touched upon by lostboy(All Rights Reserved). You were a little vague in your direct reply to his question about flying hours. You can take a HNDublD PeeHDee Do Re Me qualified candidate and sail him through your course. Great! Now send him out to one of the Operating Companies and put the poor sod on the sticks. Now he finds that he can’t fly……I’m not talking about the ‘can’t fly very well at this juncture due to limited experience’ type of ‘can’t fly’, but the ‘cannot fly and never will be able to fly’ variety. I guess he’ll have to go on another magic-ticket course on godknowswhat. Anyway, I’m sure your intentions are honourable, and that you do your utmost to fend off the temptations of the mighty shekel.

rovtrain says

until you are in a position to employ "wannabees"

TheBaron says:
A little inaccuracy sometimes saves a ton of explanation.
H. H. Munro ‘Saki’ (1870-1916)
Thanks for saving me the explanation!

[Cabledog]

Cheers Temp,

I have re-done the CV to reflect more on my seagoing past, will see what comes back, if you know of any firms looking for a sprog with plenty of sea-time who has done a lot of work very similar to this in the past (NO FLYING DONE THOUGH) I would appreciate a heads up.

Thanks again.

Cabledog

[Bill Evans]

The Baron – touche – I love the fighting spirit and I love a good discussion. I sometimes prefer to argue as devil’s advocate because it’s more interesting

Just for the record, I’m a consultant and I vet the applications and, as I thought I had explained, I let the ops managers select the applicants. I only put forward the one’s that meet the minimum entrance requirements (subject to the employer-preferred clause). And I don’t need the money.

Also, I work IN the industry too, with recent stints as sub-eng, supervisor and client rep. And I do like to think that I work for the industry. As a matter of fact, on the trip I did last week I had 2 of my most recent trainees, one on my shift and one on the other. One was given the opportunity to fly, the other wasn’t. I’ll leave it up to you to work out which was which.

I encourage you to remain sceptical, at least skeptics are somewhat open to education. Please don’t become cynical as many appear to be in this forum and out there in the world. If you had your car repaired by a dodgy mechanic, would that make all mechanics bad?

"The ability to quote is a servicable substitute for wit."
– W. Somerset Maugham

[Bill Evans]

Cabledog – are you just emailing or are you phoning too? I recommend calling the ops managers on a regular basis as it is often the person who phones when there is a need that gets the job. When you do phone, be persistent but not a pest. Ask how often you should call, weekly or fortnightly (give 2 options, none of which is "we’ll call you").

"Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan "press on" has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race"
Calvin Coolidge

[Cabledog]

Rovtrain

I have made a couple of calls as a follow up but have only just sent the new cv around so I will give it a day or two and then start to call again.

"All good things come to those who wait"

Cheers
Cabledog

[Crickitt]

"You know, Hobbes, some days even my lucky rocketship underpants don’t help."

Calvin & Hobbes

[Bill Evans]

What have I started here? (I get my quotes delivered daily from Cybernation)

We will have to repent in this generation not merely for the hateful words and actions of the bad people but for the appalling silence of the good people.

Martin Luther King Jr.
(1929-1968, American Civil Rights leader, Nobel Prize winner, 1964)

[back6]

rovtrain wrote "have read with interest some of the comments made about the validity of new trainees completing courses before working offshore. Some of them were downright defamatory! "

later he wrote"We have a lot of ex-pussers (navy) doing the course. It isn’t their training or experience that lets them down when they leave the course, it’s their attitude. Some military postings become nothing more than sheltered workshops for people with inferiority complexes (they feel everyone is inferior to them). That isn’t restricted to navy by the way, I see it from air force too (I’m ex RAAF). Unfortunately, they bring that attitude with them too."

I reply with a quote as seems to be the thread.

"POT, POT did you know that you are black?"
The kettle about five seconds ago 2007

[CM]

News Flash – Fort William is not the only ROV Training school in UK. Global Marine Systems Ltd have just opened their new school in Portland Dorset and the feedback from the last course was excellant and the fee is less than 3k. Check out their website – http://www.globalmarinesystems.com

Hi Rovtrain,

I had a look on your website. You seem to be a little different then one other vocational training centre (Fort William), who I think are very focused on how much money they can bank berfore they have to change things.
1st You are reqeusting a CV with qualifications on there before they register/pay, which I think is fantastic as you can/do advise these people whether they have any prospects in the industry, hence your great employment rate after the course!?
2nd Your course is 7350 in Australian $$$ and the 1 in fort william is now nearly 4000 in the good old Sterling.
3rd You have the offshore survival included in your course which would be another 800,- on top here.
I’m not sure how many flying hours you have got after your course? Here we only did 10, which personally I think is a lot cos everybody could fly the ROV perfectly then, but the employers might not think so.

(disgruntled) Sony 😡 😉

Laters

[Bill Evans]

After re-reading the section of my post that so obviously upset Back6, I realise that it sounds as though I am implying that all ex-services, especially navy, have attitude problems. I apologise for that as it isn’t what I meant, far from it. The feedback I have had is that those that aren’t fitting in have more of an attitude problem than a technical competence problem. Just shows the power of words doesn’t it?

rovtrain

[Cabledog]

Well said that man 😀

[Author]

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