I leave for basic on Aug. 12 and then off to EM A school in November. I was wondering how many positions are avaible on the MSRT and MSST teams. How would one go about getting onto one of those teams. I have been working on a towboat for a little over two years and decided to join the coast guard I was told these teams are avaible to all rates and that i should pick the rate I like the best. I have researched the best that I can and EM is the best route for me. I just would also like to get on one of these teams. Any opinions from EMs would help me out alot. My recuiter has been great but he does not have the EM point of view that I am looking for. Again that you for your help.
Will

I would try for a cutter first thing to get some skill as an EM set in stone, first.

go BM or MK if all you want to do is LE. going out of rate that early in a career is a killer

Agree with both reply's. I wouldn't go out of rate till I was atleast a 2nd. Personally as an EM not at all. We are getting to be too technical of a rate to be out of the game for long periods. You will have no clue about being an EM if go go play only LE. I would atleast get on a cutter. You can play BTM (boarding Team Member) then see if you really are cut out for the LE side off our little Canoe Club. Good Luck
EM1

I agree with all of the previous comments on LE. If you plan on advancing in the EM world you will need the afloat training. Our practical factors are 99% ship. As fun as LE is (yes I did it for a few years) it just is not a smart move right off the bat. Good luck in Boot Camp and welcome to the sparky world.
EM1

Agree with not mixing LE and EM, as both require a lot of dedication to staying current. Going to EM school, it is far and few between, at least in the last four years, that EM's get picks with an LE billet. That would be setting you AND the CG up for failure. If LE interests you as well as EM, I would take a cutter out of school to gain some experience and sea time in your rating, then shoot for a shorter billet where you can expand your LE skills. Hoping or expecting to get into an MSST on the waterside (beyond just being a boarding team member) or an MSRT billet out of EMA school will only dissapoint you.

EM is one of the most technical ratings in the CG. If you want to be proficient as an EM, Law Enforcement is only going to slow you down (imo.)

Hope this helps!

So you would not coutinue as an EM while on one of these teams? I was under the impression that you would continue normal daily duties as an EM and when need act as a LE when needed. Someone mentioned about a canoe club was that intended towards the EMs that are LEs or just EMs in general. How long does it normally take to go from E4 to E5 I was told as soon as I get out of Aschool I would become an E4. Another question as for the BTM is what would be the best type ship to get experience for EM as well as LE. I was going to put down on my dream sheet for anywhere in Florida but specifically Key West or Miami as I am fluent in spanish.. and want to do work with drug interception.

Sliguy you mention you were LE for a few years and are an EM1 now what were you when you started doing LE?

Again thank you for all you help. I have alot of intrest in the electrical field and want to presue that but I also waht to presue the LE as well... thanks again for the help

I'm on a MSST team and there are 2 EMs on the Engineering Support Staff. They work on 25'RB-S as well as other engineering items. Most EMs at MSSTs are on engineering. Waterside is composed of BMs and MKs. Any unit has advatages and disadvantages. However, being on a cutter will teach you more about your rate. Good luck in whatever you decide!

EM's and LE do not mix. if you have your heart set on being an EM then do it. It is a good rate. And if you do then go to a boat out of "A" school. You mentioned Key West. Well we have the Thetis and the Mohawk. Both have EM3's and both do LE. And you will have the opportunity to do LE. However know that you will have to get fully qualified as well(security, gpow, throttle, basic and advanced dc, davit operator, possibly small boat engineer) to name a few. and your an engineer which means long hours, little sleep, and next watch. so after all of that if you want to go BTM (boarding team member) its your decision. And lets not forget studing for that awsome EM2 test and sevrice wide. My advice is if you want to be mister LE then go BM or GM. They seem to really like it.Good luck

You would do EM duties if you were on the support side of the MSST, but I don't think you would be involved in LE. As many of these guys have said, a cutter would be the best place to do both EM work and LE.

I may be wrong, but you might not graduate "A" school as an E4. In order to make E4, you must be an E3 for 6 months. As far as your advancement to E5, that is up to you and how well you retain the study material. Again, you must also be an E4 for a minimum of 6 months before you are eligible for E5. Also keep in mind that you will need a minimum of a years sea time to be able to compete for E6. This is another area where a cutter will help you.

As far as where to go, Key West and Miami both have MEC's (medium endurance cutters). Just keep in mind that cutters as far north as Kittery, ME still go south and perform the same missions.

LE= Law Enforcement It's a mission, and not a rating (job.)

If you have been an E3 for six months by the time you graduate EMA school (April), and you pass the E4 EPME tes while at EMA school, then you will graduate as an EM3. If you don't meet these requirements, you will graduate as an FNEM (E3) and stay as such until those requirements are met.

You will not have the opportuinity to "choose" where to be stationed until sometime around February (A little over halfway through EMA school). Being from boot camp, you will start with less points than students from the fleet, which gives them higher pick order. The amount of tests failed lowers your point total, also lowering your order when it comes time to pick billets.

When billets come in, they are a bit of a mystery in that the detailer is truly the only person who knows what billets will be on the list. The class will get to pick from the billets offered based on their point total (resorting to sea time/time in service as a tie breaker.) So, there's no telling what units will be available.

Being an EM and actively participating in Law enforcement is do-able. In my opinion and experience though, doing both will probably leave you as a master of neither. There is so much in both fields that requires you to "use it or lose it," when it comes to tasks and knowledge.

There are lots of long term benefits to both routes....... Going a rating that offers lots of opportunity for LE such as BM, GM and MK will give you a chance to go full speed in a Law Enforcement capacity. Going EM will rarely do that early in a career, but is also a rewarding career in and after the Coast Guard. And don't take this the wrong way, but if the signing bonus is what is swaying your decision about being an Electrician's Mate, think beyond the $ that will be spent probably before you finish 'A' school.

Good Luck in your decision and keep the questions coming!

EMA Instructor sends......

(Canoe Club = Coast Guard)

quote:

Sliguy you mention you were LE for a few years and are an EM1 now what were you when you started doing LE?

I started doing LE as a non rate on a 378. Once I became a qualified BTM it seemed that every cutter I went to needed a BTM. But it was ALWAYS secondary. I chose cutters because it gave me the necessary training to advance. In my opinion a white hull would be your best bet (i.e 210, 270, 378). This will give you a broad spectrum of knowledge in the EM rate and allow you to play BTM as well. Once you advance to E-5 and E-6 you can transfer to a 110 WPB which does a ton of LE. Hope this helps.
Tim