Military Sealift Command

Departing Military/Veteran Mariners

Getting Started: Transitioning to Life at MSC

Preparing to transition from active duty to a civilian career?  Questions you should consider when choosing your next career:

1. How can your current skill set be leverage into a good paying civilian career?
2. Amongst the career fields under consideration what career paths and opportunities for upward mobility are there?
3. What are included in the various benefits packages?
4. Will you find the job security you’ve come to rely upon after years in the military?

How can you turn the skill sets you have learned while in the military into a good paying civilian career?

Skills acquired while serving in the military will help you in almost any job in the civilian sector.  It might however take a while to find exactly the right niche.

Military Sealift Command is looking for specific skill sets from those transitioning from the military. Hiring for seagoing positions, we are looking for individuals who have previous seagoing experience or work in associated engineering or supply management fields.

To view a breakout of the Navy positions that would best fit our current open positions click here.

What are the career paths or the opportunities for advancement in different career fields you are considering?

While many organizations have a long winding path to advancement, MSC offers a fairly clear-cut ladder to work up.  CIVMARs can apply for any internal promotion announcement. What sets applicants for promotion apart are their skills, U.S. Coast Guard endorsements, and what the position announcement evaluation criteria says about the individual applicant.

Aiding in the advancement process, MSC offers CIVMARs opportunities for paid upgrade and on-the-job training which, combined with self-initiative, can propel an individual up MSC’s ranks. Employees discuss career advancement opportunities with their assignment detailer on an on-going basis.

What will the benefits package include and how will that help you meet your current needs while planning for the future?

MSC offers CIVMARs federal government employee benefits which provide further compensation beyond the annual salary.  When weighing career options consider the benefits packages of all perspective employers.  The robust benefits package MSC offers is substantial when compared to private industry:

• 10 paid federal  holidays annually.
• Base pay is earned commensurate with the size, level of automation and type of ship. Additional compensation is earned over and above base pay to include overtime, hazardous pay and bonus provision(s).
• Rate of paid annual leave is accrued according to years of federal service.  In addition to annual leave, CIVMARs earn shore leave (based on the number of days “at sea”) and sick leave (accrued on a per-pay period basis).
• As federal government employees, CIVMARs qualify for a variety of insurance plans:   health, vision, dental, long term care, life, disability, loss of wages and injury. There are also spending account options, leave buy back and a comprehensive retirement plan. MSC pays up to 75% of employee health insurance premiums.  CIVMARs’ premiums are deducted using pre-taxed dollars thereby reducing  taxable income.

Will you be able to find a position that offers the job security that you have come to expect with your time in the military?

Military Sealift Command offers job security second to none!  MSC’s mission as the supply line to the combatant Navy is critical to keeping our war fights at sea. There is no corporate downsizing or pink slips on Friday afternoons.  Hard workers; those who put in the time to get the job done right enjoy secure federal government employment with MSC.

Becoming a CIVMAR may be one of the best decisions you’ll make.  More than 40% of our workforce has applied skills gained while in the military to a new career with MSC.  We believe you can Take Command of Your Career® with MSC, too.