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WORKING OFFSHORE

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increased bargaining power within Institute. variation and challenge for lecturing staff ... ensure generous medical cover and cover all vaccinations ... – PowerPoint PPT presentation

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Title: WORKING OFFSHORE


1
WORKING OFFSHORE
  • Rewards and Challenges
  • Tim Wilson
  • The New Zealand Maritime School
  • MIT

2
New Zealand Maritime School
  • part of MIT since 1988
  • NZ class based activity 180 EFTS and 35
    International NEFTs in 2001
  • 15 FTE Academic Staff
  • domestic consultancy and direct to industry
    training services NZ 0.5 million p.a.
  • no ITO work

3
Offshore Experience
  • Teaching
  • NZ 1 million revenue in 2001
  • year end increase estimated at 25 in 2002 (on
    track 9 Sept)
  • courses in FSM, Cooks, Samoa, Tonga, Vanuatu,
    Fiji, Marshall Is, PNG, Kiribati, Tuvalu,
    Australia, Tanzania, Philippines, Indonesia,
  • Consultancy
  • NZ 0.5 million p.a.
  • excess demand
  • throughout Pacific Community, Australia,
    Philippines, Indonesia, South Africa, Singapore,
    Thailand, Malaysia.

4
Why?
  • Mercenaries, Missionaries or Misfits?
  • The TEI system has forced a mercenary approach
  • Bottom line truth is that the available funding
    is not adequate to allow quality delivery to
    enrolled NZ students at international standards
    without cross-subsidisation from entrepreneurial
    income.

5
Actual Benefits Experienced
  • increased budget for domestic activity
  • increased profile and credibility within NZ
  • increased bargaining power within Institute
  • variation and challenge for lecturing staff
  • increased technical knowledge for staff
  • professional development and consultancy
  • increased cultural awareness and improved
    teaching strategy in NZ classrooms.
  • increased NEFT enrolment in NZ classes and
    increased demand for overseas teaching and
    consultancy

6
Missionaries?
  • genuine empathy and appreciation for aspiration
    and challenges facing developing countries.
  • belief that we genuinely do make a difference.
  • our developing country strategy is now predicated
    only on institutional strengthening and projects
    with clearly defined long term benefits.

7
Misfits?
  • Internationally, maritime departments tend to not
    fit easily into TEIs.
  • staff retain industry rather than institutional
    loyalties.
  • staff tend to be pragmatic and intolerant of
    bureaucratic systems if perceived to add little
    value.
  • staff have all worked internationally but
    generally have given up industry careers to spend
    time at home and generally are not reliant on
    institutional income.

8
Challenges
  • Accreditations
  • some external bodies will not allow overseas
    teaching because they can not easily audit
  • generally, we have found it easier to seek
    accreditation and approval in the overseas
    country than extend NZ accreditations
  • insist on internal quality control under our own
    QMS
  • almost no courses delivered by us in NZ are
    offered offshore without extensive modification

9
Flights
  • require careful planning and a good sense of
    humour.
  • of last 12 courses in Kiribati, lecturers have
    missed start of course 4 times and been delayed
    when returning 8 times once for 18 days.
  • we start courses to meet flight schedules and
    work 7 days except where Sunday work is not
    possible (eg, the Pacific).

10
Course Material and Equipment
  • rarely cost effective or possible to copy in
    country of delivery
  • we only freight in where we have reliable local
    agent or contact in place and where delivery can
    be confirmed well before lecturer leaves.
  • customs clearance is often problematic.
  • beware of costs and limits of excess baggage
    prior contact and sweet talking essential
  • lecturer always carries equipment and material
    for first week with them.

11
Lecturers
  • overseas work is generally inconsistent with
    lecturer employment agreements.
  • all of our agreements specify that teaching away
    from home base may be required.
  • mainly rely on goodwill but do pay annual bonus
    to all staff.
  • we pay actual and reasonable expenses rather than
    per diems.

12
Lecturers (support)
  • never question level or expense of communications
    home
  • maintain close contact and relationship with
    spouses and family
  • include spouses in team social activities and
    annual strategy weekend
  • have both a bail out and extraction policy
  • ensure generous medical cover and cover all
    vaccinations
  • closely monitor mental wellbeing and watch for
    signs of staff going tropo.

13
Above all Lecturers must be able to cope with
anything
  • no notes on arrival
  • fix equipment and computers
  • no participants
  • participants being completely wrong for the
    course
  • no host support
  • no facilities or equipment
  • erratic or no power
  • having to modify courses and material on the spot
    or deliver a completely different course than
    that prepared or contracted for.
  • poor hotels and food.

14
Corruption and Politics
  • a cancer that underpins almost all delivery in
    Asia and developing countries.
  • department must have an agreed ethical standard
    that all staff honour. Real life situations are
    rarely black and white.
  • consider discretion given to people on ground and
    whether to report incidents.
  • tread very carefully in domestic politics it is
    very unusual to have any real understanding.
  • staff need to have the diplomatic skills of a
    career diplomat.

15
Getting Paid
  • normally slow, particularly from donor agencies.
  • ensure a system for retaining and balancing all
    receipts for payments.
  • ensure staff receive travel advance and letter of
    expectations on every occasion.
  • use actual credit card rates for all
    reconcilitations.
  • watch the GST on any NZ component and ensure that
    you are aware of any tax exemptions that may be
    applicable of working for ADB or any of the UN
    agencies.

16
Getting Work
  • obtaining significant work is normally the result
    of a long term marketing strategy with little pay
    back in the early years. In our case, it took 4
    years to develop any significant activity
  • work through PINZ and develop relationships with
    other project managers
  • register with SPC, ADP, UN agencies etc
  • get into alliances with partners who have more
    experience in the field
  • learn to play the politics of aid but rise above
    the cynacism

17
Would we still do it if we suddenly gained
adequate funding?
  • Without Hesitation!
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