Alright, so I'll try to make this thorough but brief since this will all be keyed in on my shitty phone.
The specific title for the job is called "live-aboard deckhand" or "live-aboard cook" for those that want to go ahead and do their own research. A cook makes the same pay as a deckhand at my company. There are three major requirements before you will be hired: Pass a drug test, pass a physical(be able to lift 80 pounds once) and possess a TWIC card ($132 last I checked). I'm not entirely sure if the requirements are different for cooks. TWIC is probably the only thing you haven't heard of, but instead of trying to explain it and failing miserably I'll just link the information.
http://ift.tt/2cGWfwk
Okay now onto the job itself. Let's start with the details people are most interested in. Keep in mind it varies by company and these are the things I know about mine.
The pay: As a deckhand or cook, you'll be paid around $230-$240 dollars a day. If you like the job and are competent you can apply for and train to be a "watchman" or "mate" which make pay rates of roughly $270 and $350 respectively. Of course there are others in the "pool" applying for those positions as well but I'm not entirely sure on how someone gets picked for the promotion. The top of the food chain is going to be the pilot and captain positions, both making anywhere from $650-$1,000 a day. These positions require schooling to acquire a license, which may or may not be paid for by the company. It is not easy to get that far.
The schedule: The company I work for has a schedule of roughly 1 month on the boat, one month off. It depends on the location of your vessel when "crew change" happens but generally speaking you will not be on the boat for less than 26 days, and no more than 34 days. Once you're in that window of days on the boat, and in a suitable location, your relief will come to the boat and change places with you. He gets on the boat, and you get off to enjoy anywhere from 26-34 days off. The work days are probably the hardest thing to get used to. You work 2 shifts a day for 6 hours each shift. It will either be 12-6am and 12-6pm or 6am-12pm and 6pm-12am. Work. Off/whatever. Work. Off/whatever 1 2 3 4 5 6| 7 8 9 10 11 12| 13 14 15 16 17 18|19 20 21 22 23 24
The work itself: On most days you will not actually work more than 6 hours despite having 12 hours "on the clock". Work is sporadic but predictable, if that makes sense. We may know that there is no actual work for the next 36 hours, but after that the work is every 4 hours. Regardless, once you are "off the clock" the work is no longer your problem until you clock back in. Although the position of deckhand is technically the same company wide, the location of your vessel dictates the type of work you may do. The biggest differences being "Upper Mississippi" and "Lower Mississippi". Both locations involve doing "tow work" which is the act of tying barges together or untying them, except on the "upper Mississippi" you will also "make locks". Making a lock on the river is the same basic principle as ships in the Panama Canal except that deckhands will secure the "tow" to the lock walls with lines. Everything you need to work will be provided for you, including work boots. No clothes, though. :(
Living on the boat: Generally speaking, lower Mississippi boats are much larger than upper Mississippi boats. So depending on the boat, you may have to share a room with someone. If so, you two will never be in the room at the same time. When you are on the clock, the room is his, when you are off the clock, it is yours. There will be two beds if this is the case. Each room is usually furnished with two closets, a dresser, a mirror, central A/C, two clothes hampers, a fan and a chair to sit in usually for taking off or putting on your boots. Some boats have tvs in each rooms and I've even heard of wifi being provided as well as some companies providing fountain drinks in the galley (kitchen). There is usually a shared bathroom between two rooms that includes a shower, sink with mirror and a toilet. All linen and soap are provided by the company. This includes bar soap, towels, sheets, blankets, pillow cases, hand wash and laundry detergent. Yes, there is a washer and dryer provided as well but you have to do your own laundry. And on to the food.. Most boats have two huge freezers and one huge refrigerator along with a regular sized refrigerator, all stocked. They include everything from whipped cream to prop chops to shrimp and fish. There is always no less than 10 gallons of milk, multiple pitchers of sweet tea and kool-aid and an endless supply of bottled water. A cook provides three meals a day and you're more than welcome to eat as much as you like in between meals as long as you are not working or have been assigned a task. The cooks are obligated to at least attempt to accommodate any specific diet you have as long as it's within reason. Yes, this includes vegetarians and vegans. At the very worst you will have to fend for yourself, which is hardly an issue with the amount of food accessible on the boat. Every boat has a dishwasher and industrial ice machine.
What about my van, man? Every company has a secured parking lot on their company property that is only accessible via key card, along with a guard at the gate. That is where your baby will stay for the duration of your time on the boat, unless you decide you want to leave it elsewhere.
When you're not on the clock you can pretty much do what you want, but more than likely you'll want to sleep. Hell, most of the time even if I'm on the clock on my night shift we watch movies provided there isn't any work. There is a small lounge area on most boats that has a tv, some couches and a lot of old dvds lol. Most guys bring a thumb drive, there laptops or tablets and stuff they've downloaded. Everyone shares movies and shows. Some guys bring their gaming consoles. Most boats also have some form of workout equipment wether it be a bowflex (lame) or treadmill. Some have freeweights.
The major companies that I know of are Marquette, Ingram, AEP, ACBL and Artco. There are many, many more. I hear that artco pays the most (those are the numbers I used) but is the strictest safety-wise and paperwork wise.
That's all I can think of for now, if anyone has any questions or feels I left something out, just let me know. I'm sure this information is in no way formatted properly, but I'm a deckhand not a writer, cut me some slack.
P.s. If you're thinking you can't do the job, think about this: We have guys that range from 18 years old to 60 that are deckhands.
Submitted September 14, 2016 at 01:15AM by BoringGuyisBored http://ift.tt/2c6Ybv9 vandwellers
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