Maine Jobs (Portland, Brunswick, Bath: rent, house, employment)

[cvanripe10]

I am a young 23 year old painter/carpenter, looking to further my skills to be able to constuct/renevate homes 100%.

Will i be able to make enough money to survive in maine with this occupation?


Also, is there hope for exciting jobs such as deep sea fishing, deckhand, or any type of work with boats and the ocean in Maine? Every picture that i see of Maine is a tall ship in a harbor, so i'm guessing there is.

I just don't have any experience in that field, but has always been a dream of mine. any information on how to get started would be appreciated.

[flycessna]

residential construction has slowed a little. Probably due to the housing slump. I do not know anything about deck hand opportunities but I don't suspect there are many jobs like the ones you see about the alaskan crab fisherman making 25k in a week. Go to this website. It is for BIW (Bath Iron Works) located in southern coastal maine in the Bath Brunswick area. I believe it is one of the largest employers in the state. The pay is very good and everyone I have met that works their likes the working conditions. There are ample opportunites to get a job there as an apprentice in many different trade occupations like, Marine electrician, Plumbing, Painting, Tin workers ect. They also have office positions like marine designer, engineers ect. Really big company.

There are also various boat building opportunities through out the state (google the employment times and look around)

Good luck

Bath Iron Works, A General Dynamics Company

[mollysmiles]

have you ever considered wooden boat building or carpentry on boats? There are a number of boat builders in Maine--with good reputations for quality work, Hinckley Yachts among them--that may offer some employment opps. fly has a great idea....see what you can find on google. Have you visited Maine?

[bhanson]

Job Opportunities:

Despite the recent housing slump there is still a demand for home improvement work. Starting out on your own without references may be difficult but it can be done.

There are no deck hand fishing opportunities left in the Portland area. Catches are down 60%, tuna fishing(which paid well) is virtually non existent and lobstering is pretty tight knit. With patience you may be able to get on a lobstering crew or tender during scallop season(2 weeks).

Maine's boatbuilding is still going strong despite diminishing long term ordering. Maine has several excellent boat building schools and boat building companies seem always short on skilled trades. Depending on skills pay can be excellent and employment is most often along the coast.

BIW is a closed shop but Cianbro is hiring for a new modular assembly facility in Brewer, Maine. They are looking for all skilled trades and are hiring 600+. I believe they are open shop but working under a collective labor agreement.

The lumbering industry is suffering from a severe worker shortage. Most loggers are older and younger workers are not entering the industry. Tough and dangerous work but maybe something that interests you?

Good luck!

[DavidoftheNorth]

Originally Posted by cvanripe10

Also, is there hope for exciting jobs such as deep sea fishing, deckhand, or any type of work with boats and the ocean in Maine? Every picture that i see of Maine is a tall ship in a harbor, so i'm guessing there is.

I just don't have any experience in that field, but has always been a dream of mine. any information on how to get started would be appreciated.

Here's a good place to start looking: Homepage There are many links to resources, in addition to the Forum itself.

[cvanripe10]

boat building sounds great, i'm going to look for some information on that.

[Acadianlion]

Originally Posted by cvanripe10

boat building sounds great, i'm going to look for some information on that.

Last fall my daughter and family took a new job in Virginia and moved away. They needed to either sell their house or rent it. Unfortunately, it was a charming old farmhouse frixeruper when they started,a nd when they left there was still fixing up to do before it could be rented or sold.

Well, Dad and step mom did the work. Painting here and there inside, fixing some plaster walls and ceilings and the like. When I first moved to Maine in 1977 the only work that I could find to do was handy man stuff using my seventh grade shop skills. What I found then was that if I had blood flowing through my veins, was able to get out of bed in the morning, and was willing to step out of the house, I could find work to do. And I did. Some of it wasn't very glamerous, and it paid a princely sum of $4 per hour back then, but I worked every day and even had a crew working for me. That first winter I didn't make any money, but I made a living, paid off some old debts, and in reflection, lived pretty good.

From my experience last fall working on my daughter's property, I learned from the Sherwin Williams store and from the local realtor handling her home, that there were LOTS of jobs available such as I was doing, and did I want another one?

The bottom line here is that if you want to be a carpenter or do odd jobs for a living, you will find a LOT of work. BUT you will have to get out of the house and circulate around...talk to realtors, put a little ad in the local newspaper, and not be too proud about what you do at first, and show up! EVERY day and do the job quickly and as well as you can.

You can make it but it will not be automatic nor easy.