by Laker Mate » March 1, 2016, 11:37 pm
1. Look at their web pages.
2. No. But you will need a merchant mariner credential and TWIC card. look at
www.uscg.mil/nmc to find more on those.
3. Depends on the weather... jeans and a tee shirt with work boots and gloves in the summer time. Winter start adding layers and carhart coat and bibs.
4. Its not bad out there if you are okay with being away. Each boat is different, how happy you are on a given boat is usually decided by the crew and how well they get along. Food is often good, but awful cooks do exist.
5. Your cell phone. Works in many areas on the lakes. Also won't work in many areas. It is what it is. Some boats will have internet for the crew, but it is via an air card so it is also subject to reception issues. The one on my boat uses sprint as a provider and their coverage is poor on the lakes as a whole so it doesn't get used much. Just get yourself a good data plan with AT&T or Verizon, they have the best coverage out there. TV is satellite, usually Direct TV. It works good.
Wingsley wrote:Hello!
My family participates in the Great Lakes Shipping Channel on Facebook. My father worked on the Governor Miller on the lakes in 1963. My family urged me to seek out information on Great Lakes shipping here.
I tried to register to long-on in the forum, but registration is currently disabled. I have some questions about shipping:
I am considering applying for employment on the Great Lakes, namely American Steamship Co. and others like it. I have worked my entire career (over 30 years) in construction for a small firm operating in an eight-county area. I work at remote project sites and I'm also an office manager. They call me "Controller", which means I have a "chief, cook and bottle washer"-type multifaceted job. I do labor as well as customer-contractor/supplier relations and bookkeeping duties, to name a few.
1: Is there a place to learn more about how to apply for Great Lakes shipping jobs, learn more about the companies, etc.?
2: I have a Bachelor's Degree (not maritime related.) I am computer literate, have experience working around a variety of construction equipment (including limited experience operating a tractor with front-end loader and PTO) and I also have an FCC Technician-class amateur radio license. Will these be useful in applying for a job?
3: What kind of clothes are best worn for duties aboard ship?
4: What kind of standard of living do ship crews typically have?
5: Do ship crews typically have ship-to-shore communications? How does this work? Is there internet connectivity? Phone? TV?
1. Look at their web pages.
2. No. But you will need a merchant mariner credential and TWIC card. look at www.uscg.mil/nmc to find more on those.
3. Depends on the weather... jeans and a tee shirt with work boots and gloves in the summer time. Winter start adding layers and carhart coat and bibs.
4. Its not bad out there if you are okay with being away. Each boat is different, how happy you are on a given boat is usually decided by the crew and how well they get along. Food is often good, but awful cooks do exist.
5. Your cell phone. Works in many areas on the lakes. Also won't work in many areas. It is what it is. Some boats will have internet for the crew, but it is via an air card so it is also subject to reception issues. The one on my boat uses sprint as a provider and their coverage is poor on the lakes as a whole so it doesn't get used much. Just get yourself a good data plan with AT&T or Verizon, they have the best coverage out there. TV is satellite, usually Direct TV. It works good.
[quote="Wingsley"]Hello!
My family participates in the Great Lakes Shipping Channel on Facebook. My father worked on the Governor Miller on the lakes in 1963. My family urged me to seek out information on Great Lakes shipping here.
I tried to register to long-on in the forum, but registration is currently disabled. I have some questions about shipping:
I am considering applying for employment on the Great Lakes, namely American Steamship Co. and others like it. I have worked my entire career (over 30 years) in construction for a small firm operating in an eight-county area. I work at remote project sites and I'm also an office manager. They call me "Controller", which means I have a "chief, cook and bottle washer"-type multifaceted job. I do labor as well as customer-contractor/supplier relations and bookkeeping duties, to name a few.
1: Is there a place to learn more about how to apply for Great Lakes shipping jobs, learn more about the companies, etc.?
2: I have a Bachelor's Degree (not maritime related.) I am computer literate, have experience working around a variety of construction equipment (including limited experience operating a tractor with front-end loader and PTO) and I also have an FCC Technician-class amateur radio license. Will these be useful in applying for a job?
3: What kind of clothes are best worn for duties aboard ship?
4: What kind of standard of living do ship crews typically have?
5: Do ship crews typically have ship-to-shore communications? How does this work? Is there internet connectivity? Phone? TV?[/quote]