Working in Canada

[Tomorrow's Winner]

Hi all,
I am a British marine engineer, working on a coastal UK ferry. I have an MCA issued STCW95 certification as Officer Of the Watch (unlimited) or 2nd engineer on vessels>3000kW on near coastal voyages. I am keen to move to and work in Canada either on Canadian vessels or as a shore based engineer. Any advice on this would be appreciated, from a detailed account on how to go about things if anyone has done this recently, to a generalistion as to whether it is a good or bad idea. I am getting conflicting reports, some say it is quick and easy to do (these people usually are looking to lighten my back pocket to the tune of several thousand dollars) while other sources suggest it is tricky and drawn out complicated affair?
Anything anyone has to say would be most appreciated.
Thanks
Jon

[JK]

Go to
www.tc.gc.ca

That is the Transport Canada website, our regulation masters here in Canada.
It may answer your questions.
I can't swear to it, because I never looked that specific question up and because the site usually pisses me right off.
If you don;t get any joy let me know and I will give you an email address to send your questions to.

As whether it is a good idea or not not. I know BC Ferries is crying for engineers. I know Canadian Coast Guard in the Maritimes is also extremely short staffed and probably elsewhere in Canada.
Living expenses on the West Coast are high, lower on the East Coast. You just get to deal with things like snow and bits and pieces freezing up though.

You can check out for any open jobs in CG at:
https://psjobs-emploisfp.psc-cfp.gc.ca/ ... psrsMode=1

[Tomorrow's Winner]

Thanks for that, I'll have a look and come back with any more questions if i get them

[CatFish]

Being Canadian myself, I have never had to jump through the hoops / deal with the red tape involved with immigration and Canadian certification. I do know that, unlike the UK, Canada does not have a system for certificates of equivalent competancy. If you do manage to deal with the whole immigration issue, then you will be required to hold a Canadian COC, in order to fill an engineer's position onboard a Canadian flagged vessel. Through various second hand sources, I have heard that it is a bit of a pain to jump through the hoops to get a Canadian ticket equivalent to the ticket you currently hold. One such source, from Bulgaria, told me that Transport Canada wanted him to take all his safety courses over again, before they would examine him for his first class COC. Now, this individual was a rather angry and arrogant man, so his inter-personal skills may have had something to do with his difficulty in obtaining a Canadian COC as well. Another item that may warrant some attention is the fact that we are required to do simulator courses, with a Transport Canada examiner present for the final exam, for our 4th and 2nd class COCs. If I understand correctly, the UK does not have this requirement, so you may have to invest some time and money in doing a couple Propulsion Plant Simulator courses. Like most dealings with the government, be ready for some level of frustration, and a bit of the old run-around. All that said, I would encourage further investigation into this matter. I've recently left my job with P&O cruises to come home and work for the Canadian Coast Guard, and I'm increadibly happy here. A (perhaps) unintended consequence of the government's protectionist policies regarding shipping in Canada is that the now arriving global shortage of qualified seafarers is starting to be felt quite acutely at home.

To conclude this ramble of mine, it may be a lot of work to get over here and get the required tickets, but I would say that it would be a worthwhile endeavour.

All the best,
-Colin McRae (Not back from the dead)