engineer

chief nursing officer

junior engineer

electrician

agent de réservation

MARINE ATLANTIC

I applied to Marine Atlantic to be a student assistant steward. The hiring process was extremely long, and they require a lot from you. References, background check, 2 drug test, 2 medical exams. It was a 30-40 minute interview and they asked a lot of questions. 

From the getgo, their communication was leaving something to be desired. They are unorganized, and it is obvious. Training for the job is 6 weeks long, in North Sydney. They were not clear about what we needed to bring with us. Some people were given information that others were not. We were also given wrong information. 

The hotel is great, for the most part, the training was fun and I learned a lot and met great people. However, there was a lack of communication the entire time. The people in charge of training did not have accurate information. You get paid for training, but it takes A LONG time for the first payment. Keep in mind, you are expected to pay for all of your meals almost every day out of pocket, and you get reimbursed after. As a student, this was ridiculous. We were told beforehand that we could get the food stipend upfront, but when we arrived, we were told this was impossible. Myself and quite a few others were completely broke and had arguments with management about paycheques. The training team took ages to send out the paycheques. It was a constant back and forth between us and our trainers.

Our training team told us it was going to be a very busy summer, and we would all likely be called to work on the first day our contract starts, July 1. They said we would probably all have a hard time getting off of the boat once we were on it. Well, this was a complete lie. The student contract runs from July 1 to August 31. I didn't get the call to go to work until the end of July. Meaning no income, and nothing to do for all of July. Schedules were supposed to be two weeks on the boat, two weeks off. I only got called to work for 2 days. My bilingual friends got lots of hours, my English friends hardly got any more than I did. I never ended up getting another call to go to work. 

In the end, I spent months, from November to April, applying, interviewing, drug testing, getting medicals, CDN numbers and paperwork filled out. I spent 6 weeks living in a hotel training for this job. My student contract was 2 months. I only worked TWO DAYS the entire summer. TWO DAYS. I was livid. As a student, I rely on my summer employment to get me through the school year. Working only two days completely ruined my plans for September. I was unable to get EI, and was forced to get a student loan when I thought I would be able to have money saved up. I was unable to get a second job because if you are called to go to work on the boats you aren't really allowed to say no. Therefore, I had to make sure I had no other obligations.

Overall, the training was fun and knowledgable, I met some great people who will become lifelong friends. But that fact that the entire hiring and training process took so much time and effort, for me to only work TWO DAYS is extremely despicable and unacceptable. I will never recommend Marine Atlantic to someone looking for a job if they actually want to have hours and make money.

A typical day at Marine Atlantic starts with a saftey meeting regarding safe work and job tasks and team assignments.I ensure proper saftey requirments are met and proper tools and equipment are on site , job may be anything from welding pipes , working on deisel engines or machining parts and fabricating equipment for site to ensure all jobs are preformed safely and in a timely manner.
I learn on a daily basis that saftey and communacation are key factors to preform any and all jobs. Management at Marine Atlantic can range from Captians , Chiefs , or shore base supervisers , I have worked with all management levels to preform many different tasks , i also work with many different co-workers from , machinists , millwrights , welders , electricians and ship employees. All employees at Marine Atlantic are highly skilled and great people to work with. The hardest part of my job would be from time to time working in a confined space and fridget weather conditions.
The most enjoyable part of my job is when i complete a machined part I have been assigned to manufacture and knowing it has been machined properly and to the best of my ability.

Marine Atlantic is a great place to work, The pay is extremely competitive and the benefits are among the best in Canada. There are many different positions that you can work on the vessels and on shore, Moving from one department to another is possible so you can easily have a change of pace or scenery if you feel it's needed, The management is great to work for and very "open door" if you have any issues that need resolving. The work environment can vary from easy going to fast paced depending on your position. Over all, Marine Atlantic is a great company to work for,

Working with Marine Atlantic was a pleasure. This is a company that gives you a chance to advance in your future. I worked seasonal with this company for years and was given many opportunities and training to learn different positions. Every employee in this company works together for one common goal to get the job done. Depending on the position you are in, it could get a bit difficult at first, but with the help of other employees and a nice supervisor you will love working there. I mostly worked with the public in my position as a ticket seller.

Marine Atlantic is a great place to work. This company puts safety as its top priority, which is the way it should be because everyone wants to make it home in one piece at the end of the day. 

A typical day would consist of donning the appropriate PPE. (reflective coveralls, hardhat, safety boots, earplugs, gloves) and "catching the boat". This term refers to tying up the boat when it arrives at the terminal. After this task is complete, we then board the boat and guide traffic safely out of the terminal. Stevedores are also responsible for lashing/unlashing trailers for safe transport.

My job as a deckhand would consist of 6 hrs on then 6 hrs off.During our working hours we would maintain a vigilant watch, fire patrol and deck patrol.Mooring and unmooring the vessel. Routine maintenance such as painting, sand blasting ,grinding the decks and some cleaning. Since it was a passenger vessel you would live with your co-worker for 2-4 weeks at a time. You get to know fellow workers on a personal level and develop great friendships. The company offered great food and an exercise facility.the only downfall is anyone with children tend to miss out on a lot.

The practice of having to stay working after you had just finished your 14 day schedule was terrible. It was expected of you to stay for another 14 days to fill in for someone who was on vacation. Then you would have to do another 14 days for your own scheduled shift. This meant you were on the ship for 42 days .
This was done with the junior person having to stay back each time and there was no schedule for senior staff to do this . The seniors would not share the overtime shifts but let the juniors have the stay back during the summer months.
Just was not fair.


What is the best part of working at the company?
Team players and the experience at sea. Vessels are beautiful and employee friendly 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Pet friendly cabins and the abuse we take from pet owners. Also the mess in the rooms that we find 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Excellent  . It’s definitely a place of inclusion 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
12 hour days. I absolutely love my job and each day is different and brings new challenges

discrimination and bullying from chief engineers. some junior engineers can go home and leave the valves open to fill lube oil to main engines and nothing is said. Oilers leave valves open to main engine and you check the oil figures finding out they have over filled main engines with oil. Can't start Main Engines. Response from chief Engineer, you deal with it. then chief lays chargers against you for being the engineer on watch.

Marine Atlantic is a very good place to work, it consists of tying up the vessels and directing traffic, its fun to see the tourists be in awe of how big the ships are. Safety is a huge concern there as we have to consider the public as well as our employees, the best part of the job is the employees, everyone is willing to lend a hand whenever needed. I really enjoy working with Marine Atlantic.

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Engineer 3 salaries reported	$32.71 per hour
Chief nursing officer 2 salaries reported	$43.75 per hour
Junior engineer 1 salary reported	$31.63 per hour
Electrician 1 salary reported	$36.74 per hour
Agent de réservation 6 salaries reported	$23.52 per hour

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