MM2 Looking for a Nuclear Operations job

[Hurricane James]

Hello everyone, I'm a first time poster but I have been lurking on this forum for a few months. I am a 6 year MM2 with ERS and QA qualifications. I've been out since Dec. 2003, and I am looking for an entry level operations job in the South-East. I applied at Southern and passed the POSS and recieved an invitation for an interview for a System Operator In Training position at Plant Hatch. From reading other posts I believe that I did not do to well on the interview. I recieved an e-mail saying that I am in their records for quailifing for the job should another one become available in the next three years.

I would appreciate any advice that could help me on my next interview or any other operations positions in the South-East.

I am currently working at a coal fired plant in Orlando as a Plant Operator. I am on the first responder fire team and I am qualified SCBA, CPR, and HAZMAT.

Thanks.

[ChiefRocscooter]

Welcome
Have you seen the post about Progress hiring?  Look at some of my recent threads and you will see scrub saying that Progress is hiring in SC.

I am from Orland (OAK RIDGE High class of 83)  where is the pklant you are at?  Only one I can remember is in Sanford.

Rob

[ChiefRocscooter]

Oh yea that symbol might be a problem cause everyone know that UM had to install a prison bell system at thier practice facility to make the players feel at home!!

Rob

[scrub]

Yep Progress in SC is looking.  In addition Southern might release your POSS test results to Progress.  If you're test recommended by Progress standards you could go on to the interview phase.  Southern would need something in writing to release your scores.  Then again they may not release them at all.  Just a thought.

Next spring Progress in NC by the ocean will be putting together another AO hiring group.  Not sure if you can hold out that long.

Let me know where you get an interview and I might be able to help with the interview.  We can conduct that through PM.

Let me know if I can help.

[ChiefRocscooter]

Hey scrub,
    Glad to here to seaside plant will be hiring in spring will be good time for me.  Wondering if Progress does instant RO or how long the progression is to RO from NLO(AO) as I am fairly sure I want to get lic'ed? (not that I am sure they would take me but I will have a degree so they might offer it).

Rob

[Hurricane James]

Thanks for the info about Progress, I saw that posting a few days ago. I'm not in a big hurry to find the job, I'm just putting out feelers to see what is available. I'd prefer Alabama or Tennessee for my next position ( getting tired of the storm seasons ).

I'm working for Orlando Utilities Comission at their Stanton Energy Center. About 15 miles east of downtown. It's a good plant but the pay is not high enpugh for the cost of living in the area. Looking for a place a little easier on the pocket book for a single income.

ChiefRocscooter,
I'm Winter Park class of '97. Born and raised in Longwood. Still there.

Thanks for all the info so far.

Lowell

[ChiefRocscooter]

O yea I bet we have been to alot of the same places.  My wife has an uncle still living in Maitland, her dad graduated from WPHS in late 50's when everything there was still dirt roads!!!

Hey who was your recruiter (what station did you go in out of? I recruited in Leesburg from 92 to 96 so I knew most to O town reccruiters.

Rob

[Fermi2]

There is no such thing as an Instant RO.

MM2, if you'd like to PM me the questions that were asked along with your answers I'll see whether I can figure out where you went wrong.

So far as I know no one releases results of the PSS test to other utilities. Some utilities only use portions of the POSS and I doubt most are all that enthralled about using their money to recruit for other utilities.

Mike

[ChiefRocscooter]

Should I have said SRO?

[Fermi2]

Yepper.

Mike

[scrub]

We're putting together back to back license classes.  Currently we have a license class started and will start a new AO class.  My point is we're short of staff and license class could come sooner than later especially with Navy and/or college.

Progress offered to release my scores last year when I mentioned I was applying to other jobs (Entergy ANO).  Maybe they knew they weren't going to hire me.  Anyway I bugged the mess out of HR like Broadzilla said in a previous post.  Next thing I know I had two offers from Progress in the mail.

Good luck.  If I hear about anything in your preferred area I'll post it here.

[Roll Tide]

Turkey Point is Southeast. Way South!

It should be a plant considered because they hire often, but only go there if you know what you are getting into.

[ChiefRocscooter]

Does Turkey Point have sign in the plant in both english and spanish?  ANd would being bilingual be helpful to hired there

[Roll Tide]

English only. Bilingual will help you order from Burger King!

[ChiefRocscooter]

OKay do theyu make you sign any kind of aggrement to stay with the plant when you get your licsense?  Or do people get them and bail?

Rob

[Fermi2]

It depends. When I changed utilities I had to sign an agreement to stay at least one year, otherwise I'd have to pay back the moving expenses. In answer to your question I'm not aware of anyone that requires you to stay as a condition of getting the license. I will say this, once you get that license it'll be under rare circumstances that you get to leave at least inside that utility.

Mike

[ChiefRocscooter]

I was only looking at the leaving aspect from the Turkey point view.  Thought maybe guys were going there to get license and then useing that to make them more employable to other companies.  Not anything I would like to do as I am lookiing for some long term stability, well at least about 8 years worth, till youngest finishes school.  Of cousre I think my wife would shoot me if I tried to move her there and she was born in FT Lauderdale!

Rob

[Roll Tide]

I was only looking at the leaving aspect from the Turkey point view.  Thought maybe guys were going there to get license and then useing that to make them more employable to other companies. 

There is not a big advantage in getting hired by a plant if your RO license still has wet ink. On the other hand, since Turkey Point has smaller units (3-Loop Westinghouse) and high turnover, you can get experience faster there. I did many things at Turkey Point in my 3 years licensed that only the most senior people at my current plant had done.

I would say to anyone considering Turkey Point to plan on 6 years as a minimum stay. That is long enough to get useful time on the boards and outage experience. (Also vested in retirement and thrift plans in less time than that, but that is another story for another board.)

[ChiefRocscooter]

I see your point about taking wet ink on the run.  All in all it does not much matter this plant would not be an option for me. I would work as walmart door man in VA before I would move my family there.  I am from Orlando and love it in Fl but I am a parent first and my wife's family who lives in south Fl says stay away.

Back on topic are there advantages to certian plant ie westinghouse , or PWR Vs Bwr that people moving into civ world should look for? (not that I have a dozen offers to choose from (yet! ) But knowing ahead might help when making choices.

Rob

[M1Ark]

Don't worry about wet ink.  Do what's best for you and your family.  Go to who's hiring and move later.  There's a guy I work with that was a ring-knocker and got his pwr instant-sro several months ago and he's going to a bwr up north to be closer to family.  Nothing is wrong with it. Although, he'll have to spend another 2 years in license class.

As far as which reactor type to go to.  No right answer to that question.

[ChiefRocscooter]

Well hopefully I can get in one of the two or three plant I have targeted and it becomes a moot point, if not well then I have to decide if .. well then I have much harder choices to make.

[Fermi2]

I have some thoughts about what you should look for. Don't base it on the type of plant, try to figure out the quality of the utility if you can. Thats for more important than the type. I was at a facility that was barely INPO 2, and moved up to INPO 1 due to people challenging the status quo. While it was tough work getting there it was very rewarding. They then started back sliding because they forgot the values and the thought process that made them excellent, instead they adopted a form of collegial decision making. This type of decision making always results in collegial mediocrity. A one time great facility really has taken a somewhat hard fall. I'm pretty sure they have the right people to get them back to a good INPO ranking however they'll have to get back in the mode of decision making they were in around 5 years ago. The point is, any reactor is as good as the people running and working at it make it.

Mike

[ChiefRocscooter]

I have seen these INPO numbers listed in a few post here and there, is there a way you can find out what INPO rating a site has from the INPO or NRC sites?  They sound like the rating given by ORSE or PEB I hope there is less politacality involved in issuing the ratings

Rob

[Fermi2]

INPO has nothing to do with the NRC outside the NRC now accepts your training program as meeting their requirements if you meet INPO recommendations.

There is no way to access anyones ratings via the INPOs website as its a restricted webpage, it can only be accessed from a member utility. INPO doesn't put the ratings on their website. The ratings are 1,
2 (Average to above average) 3: Below average. 4: Piss poor. They rate each department then come up with an overall site rating. You used to be able to get an INPO 1 if the majority of the site is INPO 1 but now INPO won't issue a 1 without having a 1 Ops Department.

Their evaluation consists of.

1: A Pre Visit usually lasting a few days. Many times they try to do this during a refueling outage.

2: Pre Eval: The Eval team reviews data they've requested the utility to provide. IRC this lasts about 2 weeks.

3: Simulator Visit: They come to your site for 1 week and watch at least two crews perform drills.

4: THE VISIT: a 2 week eval. Usually it consists of 3 or 4 INPO people and 2 Industry Peers (employees from other Utilities)

5: Exit Meeting, they give preliminary findings.

They then issue a report with their findings and your plant rating. The report is usually maybe 40 or so pages long. It has your Strengths which are what you do very well and your AFIs (Areas For Improvement) where you don't meet either an Industry recognized standard or are way out of line with INPO Guidelines.

And example of a Strength would be if you use an evaluation tool to evaluate your SROs then use it and training in order to target areas of individual improvement. You might have weak SROs but if you've recognized it and developed a program which is improving performance you might get a strength for the tool you use BUT an AFI for your SRO performance.

The utility takes the AFIs and developes action plans to improve the performance for that area. In two years when INPO comes back you'd best have improved in that area.

Many insurance companies base their rates on INPO Ratings, in other words as a condition of your policy you have to reveal your rating. IIRC the Fermi INPO 1 saved them something like 3 million in insurance.

Yes it's partly political but 99% of the time INPO gets it right and can usually use data YOU provided to prove it as so. Some of it is kind of BS in that if you are an INPO 3 it doesn't matter how squared away you become, you won't get a 1 in your next 2 year eval. On the other hand Diablo Canyon was at one time the only plant to ever get INPO 1 in every eval. I found it dubious in that Diablo Canyon has had MORE than their fair share of screw ups and the first time they got INPO 1 was the same year they become infamous when they boiled their core during mid loop refueling ops. HOWEVER, their electricity rates were based on regulatory and INPO performance.... HMMMMMM

The NRC uses an entirely different process which is made public on their website.

Here is an example of what the NRC uses. They also fill out quarterly inspection reports which are available on their website.

http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/DAVI/davi_chart.html



Mike

[ChiefRocscooter]

WOW, Mike you type fast or have a better secratery than me cause it would take me an hour to type that!

I looked at the NRC link and noticed they kind of hang stuff right out there names and all.  Thought they would have changed that with all the threats now days, but it is intresting to see what they write and how the format works.  Not unlike some of the inspection reports we wrotet when I was a fleet inspector with Atlantic fleet.

So when a guy says Palo Verde went from 1 to 3 and things are bad he means things are "BAD".  These rating appear to carry a good all around fell for how a plant is doing.

Ok so now is it considered bad form to ask about INPO ratings during interviews? Do you gus in civilian world take credit for improvement in INPO ratings when bargining for jobs? (just wondering on the last part)