How to hire sailors and marine oilers

Job description template

Copy it, fill in the brackets, and remove anything that does not fit your job. Keep only must-haves you would really turn someone away for.

[Job title] at [Company name]
[City, State] · [Full-time / Part-time] · [Pay range]

About the role
[Two or three sentences about your team, the work and why it matters.]

What you will do
• Chip and clean rust spots on decks, superstructures, or sides of ships, using wire brushes and hand or air chipping machines.
• Handle lines to moor vessels to wharfs, to tie up vessels to other vessels, or to rig towing lines.
• Lubricate machinery, equipment, or engine parts, such as gears, shafts, or bearings.
• Maintain government-issued certifications, as required.
• Operate, maintain, or repair ship equipment, such as winches, cranes, derricks, or weapons system.
• Splice and repair ropes, wire cables, or cordage, using marlinespikes, wire cutters, twine, and hand tools.
• Stand watch in ships' bows or bridge wings to look for obstructions in a ship's path or to locate navigational aids, such as buoys or lighthouses.
• Sweep, mop, and wash down decks to remove oil, dirt, and debris, using brooms, mops, brushes, and hoses.

What you bring
• [Required license, certification or years of experience, if any]
• [Education, only if you truly need it. Typical to start in this job: No formal educational credential]
• Strong monitoring, active learning, active listening, critical thinking, reading comprehension and speaking skills
• Working knowledge of transportation
• [Anything else you would really turn someone away for]

Pay and benefits
[Pay range]. For reference, the U.S. median for this job is $24.77 an hour ($51,520 a year).
[Benefits, schedule and anything else candidates should know.]

How to apply
[Apply on JAI Bot. Every applicant hears back.]

Copy the template Check your finished job post

Interview questions for sailors and marine oilers

Ask every candidate the same questions, in the same order, and write down what they say. Questions about past work show what someone has actually done.

1. Tell me about a time you had to chip and clean rust spots on decks, superstructures, or sides of ships, using wire brushes and hand or air chipping machines. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
2. Tell me about a time you had to handle lines to moor vessels to wharfs, to tie up vessels to other vessels, or to rig towing lines. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
3. Tell me about a time you had to lubricate machinery, equipment, or engine parts, such as gears, shafts, or bearings. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
4. Tell me about a time you had to maintain government-issued certifications, as required. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
5. How do you keep track of your own work quality during a busy shift or week? Give an example of catching a problem early.
6. Tell me about something new you had to learn quickly for work. How did you learn it?
7. Tell me about a time you had to understand a request or problem that was explained poorly. How did you make sure you got it right?
8. Why this job, and why now? What would make you stay here for the long term?

Good answers name a real situation, what the person did themselves and what happened. Avoid questions about age, family plans, religion, health, national origin or anything else unrelated to the job.

What sailors and marine oilers do

• Chip and clean rust spots on decks, superstructures, or sides of ships, using wire brushes and hand or air chipping machines.
• Handle lines to moor vessels to wharfs, to tie up vessels to other vessels, or to rig towing lines.
• Lubricate machinery, equipment, or engine parts, such as gears, shafts, or bearings.
• Maintain government-issued certifications, as required.
• Operate, maintain, or repair ship equipment, such as winches, cranes, derricks, or weapons system.
• Splice and repair ropes, wire cables, or cordage, using marlinespikes, wire cutters, twine, and hand tools.
• Stand watch in ships' bows or bridge wings to look for obstructions in a ship's path or to locate navigational aids, such as buoys or lighthouses.
• Sweep, mop, and wash down decks to remove oil, dirt, and debris, using brooms, mops, brushes, and hoses.

Skills that matter most

MonitoringActive LearningActive ListeningCritical ThinkingReading ComprehensionSpeakingTransportation

Education, experience and outlook for sailors and marine oilers

• Typical education to start: No formal educational credential (BLS)
• Related work experience most have: 6 months to 1 year (O*NET)
• Training on the job: Moderate-term on-the-job training (BLS)
• Job outlook: +3.2% over ten years, about as fast as average · about 3,600 openings a year (BLS)

What to pay sailors and marine oilers

Pay depends a lot on where the job is. Highest and lowest median yearly pay by state:

See sailors and marine oilers pay in every state

Related hiring guides

• Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels
• Ship Engineers
• Riggers
• Motorboat Operators
• Dredge Operators
• Hoist and Winch Operators
• Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers
• Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loaders
• Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators
• Crane and Tower Operators

Job duties and skills: O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license; O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. JAI Bot has modified this information; USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. Pay: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS, May 2025. Interview questions and the job description template: JAI Bot, based on the duties and skills above.