Underwater Centre

[Anonymous]

Completed the ROV course in November, the 3 week one since I have an electrical background. Been applying ever since ( over 100 CV’s emailed out ) and have just landed a full-time post as well as having to turn another one down.

Now I know I could probably have applied for both these jobs without taking the course but it was the deciding factor in both cases so as far as I’m concerned its money well spent.

So from one rocky that took a chance to all the others out there, close your ears to the doom merchants and keep trying.

😀

[mido]

hey ROVAP,
i’m planning to do the course at the underwater center this feb. , but i didnt really get ur message , was the course the deciding factor for u to get a job,or was it of no good and if u’ve applied to that many jobs u would finally get a job without doin the course ?

[Anonymous]

OK ill try and make it planer. My background is Electrical and Electronic based with a bit of IT and teaching thrown in for good measure. The deciding factor for me being offered either of these jobs was the fact I had done the course and put my money were my mouth was.

So is the course worth it ? It was for me and anyone else who is prepared to do the footwork (or email work) afterwards.

🙂

[Andy Shiers]

So who , If I may be so bold to ask has taken you on ?
Please let me know.

[mido]

i’m sorry for askin too much but i want to clarify that if you havent had that course , would u still get the job , or did the company who hired u employed u because of the course?, and what position r u workin in ? an whats the company name? an whats the day rate ?

[Rovned]

Basically what you’re saying is that you’d have got the job on your technical background without the course, which is what I and many others have been trying to emphasise for months.

Encouraging people to go ahead and complete the course without that background and saying that you’ll get a job if you try hard enough shows extreme naivety and a complete lack of understanding of the industry in which you haven’t yet spent any time. As you admit it took over 100 Cv’s to get 2 results as a tech. How many results do you imagine you’d have got with just a 7 week course and a lot of willingness to learn?

We are not doom and gloom merchants. I’ve helped many people get a start and will continue to do so, but only if they’re capable of bringing technical assistance to my crew.

Best of luck in your new career.

[Anonymous]

Dam sry if I come over as a noob which I obviously am as far as ROV’s are concerned (did not expect to get flamed so bad in the forums and PM’s, i’ll shut up now). All I was trying to do is give some seasonal encouragement to others in my position.

I took a long hard look at whether to do said course before I took the plunge and as I said it worked for me. Before anyone spends that sort of cash they should also take a long hard look. On a personal note I’m not doing this career change for any financial reason rather to do something radically different that will keep my mind from getting stale.

😯

[Andy Shiers]

So , Which company do you work for ?

[rover22]

Hi ROVAP,

Congratulations on the job, that is good news. I must however agree with ROV ned, we are not doom merchants as you say and think. Most of us who bother to spend time answering the many questions of guys who want to be in the industry do actually care and try and pass on good advise.

Each trainee I work with who has come from a school, I ask how many of their class mates get work. Most have said they are one of a few or the only one as they keep touch after leaving. This coupled to the fact that most companies take on between 8 and 20 trainees a year (figures obtained from ROV operating companies) and the fact that agencies do not take anyone with less that 6 months offshore experience (the minimum accepted by one agency) and about 150-200 hours flying (the least accepted by another agency). Compare these figures to the 20-35 plus trainees graduated by Fort William, the old SUBSERV, SUBNET Services and others, and you start to understand that there is not much chasnce of the bulk of trainee rov school graduates actually getting work.

So, I uggest you re-assess your ideas of the doom merchants who post answers and comments to people who ask for information or advice.

Maybe once you havebeen in the industry a fewmonths what we have been saying will make sense.

Good luck.

ROVER22

[rover22]

Sorry, to clarrify my last post, thats 20-35 trainees a month as a conservative estimate total from the more well-known schools. Compare the total annual figures of certificates ROV Pilot/Tech grade II’s graduating to the number taken up in employment offshore and the gap is huge. These are facts that anyone contacting the schools and doing other research such as contacting operating companies and agencies can determine for themselves. For those in the industry, conversations with other ROV personnel and especially trainees will also give strong support to these figures and information.

Consider this as well, most ROV contractors do recruitment drives throughout the year and interview technical people of all disciplines to identify individuals they will train and employ as ROV technicians. The info is available on the various websites. Interested technicians outside the industry should go to http://www.imca-int.com and review the members list to identify ROV operating comoanies and then go and review their websites. By doing this, many people will save themseves a lot of money an dheart ache. This is well-intended advice that has worked for many people currently in the industry.

Good luck to veryone considering entering the industry. Get the rightinformatin and do your homework. It is a great job, but many have lost everything by betting the farm on getting work offers thrown at them once the expensive course is finished and this simply does not happen in reality.

[Andy Shiers]

Who do you work for ROVAP !

[James McLauchlan]

Doom and gloom? No

Simple bare facts? Yes

End of 2008 – There are more than enough trainees (‘flood’ springs to mind) hanging around the global market right now. A high percentage of them will never get ROV work and will quickly drop off the sonar. The only ones to gain from them attending an ROV training school will be the schools themselves.

As said over and over in this forum (and apparently blindingly ignored in some cases)

To get into this game and survive you should really have a good Tech (Mech/Hyd or Elect) background, ideally with some years of time served hands on experience. Those without such a background should forget the notion (as a non-tech) of spending money on a course at any ROV training establishment. Your bank account will end up drained with very little chance of you ever recouping the money through offshore employment.

This is not an industry for non tech people to try and get into.

I really don’t know how to put it any other way.

[James McLauchlan]

Who do you work for ROVAP !

I don’t think it matters.

best regards
James Mc

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