Applying for work @ BC Ferries
Posted: Thu Mar 28, 2013 9:21 am
I just thought I would pass along my recent experience with applying for work at BC Ferries.
A few weeks back I met with a C/E friend of mine regarding what it was like to work at the ferries, I have avoided applying for many years but now I thought I would like to settle down a little and now might be the time. While we sailed from Swartz Bay to Fulford Harbour we discussed the position of C/E Management Intermediate Vessel (at the time posted on the public web page for employment). We discussed the terms and conditions of his employment when he was hired to the same position. I said I would think about the position as it sounded good to me. I was encouraged by my friend to send in my C/V to him and he would forward it to HR in Swartz Bay. I forwarded my C/V to my friend who in turn passed it on through the system, I also informed the Senior C/E that I would be in Victoria on a certain day and that if HR wanted to get in touch with me they could call me on my cell phone (included in my C/V) and I would be glad to stop by and discuss my application with both the Senior C/E and HR at that time.
Well imagine my surprise when I got home from Victoria after waiting around for an entire day thinking I might receive a phone call from HR to have a message on my answering machine to call HR the following day. I phoned the following day and as usual went to voice mail, I received a call a short time later from HR. It was obvious that they did not even bother to read my C/V as the conversation started off with "well I new you were in Victoria so I called you home phone number" and then "BTW what certificate do you have?". If HR had bothered to read my C/V all of this information was already in their hands. The person then went on to offer me a position as an on call ERA/oiler on the condition that I sell my house and move to Saltspring Island. I declined this "offer".
Now one might think that if I were applying for a permanent position as a C/E why on earth would I accept a position as an oiler on an on call part time basis especially when one considers that I have a 2nd Class Motor and 34 years of sea time and the last time I sailed as an oiler was back in 1982.
I contacted my friend who in turn got in touch with the Senior C/E to tell them of how I was treated, to say the least they were shocked. My friend suggested that I send my application directly at HR in Victoria while in the meantime he would contact the Engineering Superintendent to discuss my application. Victoria bounced my application back to Swartz Bay as they said that it was their job to handle my application. I called Swartz Bay again and informed HR that my application had obviously been placed in the wrong file and that I was applying for the C/E Management Intermediate vessel, they said that they would then place my application in this file. This was the last I ever heard from HR, I waited for the competition to close to see if I would receive a call for an appointment which never came I then noticed that the competition had been removed from the BCF web site so I e-mailed my friend to see what had happened and it turns out the competition went to the "employee only" web site. My friend got in touch with the Engineering Superintendent who was also quite shocked at how I was treated but he said there was nothing he could do as it was in the hands of HR.
So in a nutshell if you want to work for BCF's and you have a 1st or 2nd CoC be prepared to start as an oiler, sell your house and move for the vague offer of on call employment. It may come as no surprise that as of this moment BCF's is currently short by no less than 7 positions for 1st & 2nd Class on the public site and at least 2 positions that are currently being hidden from the public. Both my friend the Senior C/E and the Engineering Superintendent are quite puzzled by this given that they are currently sailing short handed.
I guess BCF's does not really need people that badly according to HR but when you talk to people that work on the vessels you get a completely different picture, one has to wonder!!!
I do not always expect to get employment when applying for work but to be offered an oilers job is an outright insult.
Best of luck to you if you decide you want to apply for work with them. I personally would not recommend them to anyone given the way HR treat professional Marine Engineers.
A few weeks back I met with a C/E friend of mine regarding what it was like to work at the ferries, I have avoided applying for many years but now I thought I would like to settle down a little and now might be the time. While we sailed from Swartz Bay to Fulford Harbour we discussed the position of C/E Management Intermediate Vessel (at the time posted on the public web page for employment). We discussed the terms and conditions of his employment when he was hired to the same position. I said I would think about the position as it sounded good to me. I was encouraged by my friend to send in my C/V to him and he would forward it to HR in Swartz Bay. I forwarded my C/V to my friend who in turn passed it on through the system, I also informed the Senior C/E that I would be in Victoria on a certain day and that if HR wanted to get in touch with me they could call me on my cell phone (included in my C/V) and I would be glad to stop by and discuss my application with both the Senior C/E and HR at that time.
Well imagine my surprise when I got home from Victoria after waiting around for an entire day thinking I might receive a phone call from HR to have a message on my answering machine to call HR the following day. I phoned the following day and as usual went to voice mail, I received a call a short time later from HR. It was obvious that they did not even bother to read my C/V as the conversation started off with "well I new you were in Victoria so I called you home phone number" and then "BTW what certificate do you have?". If HR had bothered to read my C/V all of this information was already in their hands. The person then went on to offer me a position as an on call ERA/oiler on the condition that I sell my house and move to Saltspring Island. I declined this "offer".
Now one might think that if I were applying for a permanent position as a C/E why on earth would I accept a position as an oiler on an on call part time basis especially when one considers that I have a 2nd Class Motor and 34 years of sea time and the last time I sailed as an oiler was back in 1982.
I contacted my friend who in turn got in touch with the Senior C/E to tell them of how I was treated, to say the least they were shocked. My friend suggested that I send my application directly at HR in Victoria while in the meantime he would contact the Engineering Superintendent to discuss my application. Victoria bounced my application back to Swartz Bay as they said that it was their job to handle my application. I called Swartz Bay again and informed HR that my application had obviously been placed in the wrong file and that I was applying for the C/E Management Intermediate vessel, they said that they would then place my application in this file. This was the last I ever heard from HR, I waited for the competition to close to see if I would receive a call for an appointment which never came I then noticed that the competition had been removed from the BCF web site so I e-mailed my friend to see what had happened and it turns out the competition went to the "employee only" web site. My friend got in touch with the Engineering Superintendent who was also quite shocked at how I was treated but he said there was nothing he could do as it was in the hands of HR.
So in a nutshell if you want to work for BCF's and you have a 1st or 2nd CoC be prepared to start as an oiler, sell your house and move for the vague offer of on call employment. It may come as no surprise that as of this moment BCF's is currently short by no less than 7 positions for 1st & 2nd Class on the public site and at least 2 positions that are currently being hidden from the public. Both my friend the Senior C/E and the Engineering Superintendent are quite puzzled by this given that they are currently sailing short handed.
I guess BCF's does not really need people that badly according to HR but when you talk to people that work on the vessels you get a completely different picture, one has to wonder!!!
I do not always expect to get employment when applying for work but to be offered an oilers job is an outright insult.
Best of luck to you if you decide you want to apply for work with them. I personally would not recommend them to anyone given the way HR treat professional Marine Engineers.