Rate your NPTU Instructor Experience!

[withroaj]

I had a decent enough time there as a SPU.  I'd probably go back.  Your thoughts?

[Preciousblue1965]

I truly think that the ONLY way I would go back is if they tripled my pay, told me I could drop students without having to get half of Congress to sign off on it, and that I could leave whenever I felt that I was ready to leave. 

The only bright side of that duty was the people I worked with that I normally would never have worked with (sub types and surface types) and the fact that all of us going through hell day in and day out made us all that much closer.  My crew was my second family(actually more like my first since I didn't have an immediate family).

[S3GLMS]

My tour was at S3G in the late 80's and into the early 90's.  For about one year we were the only protoype training in New York and the floatotypes were not built yet.  It was crazy the number of students we pushed through in that last year of operation.  I really liked living in upstate New York and I really liked the people that I worked with at the facility.  There were a lot of long hours and that 15 day marathon of dayshift to afternoons was a killer.  Time went fast though, and it helped me become a better operator and instructor later in the fleet.  I would agree that it was hard to drop students then, and is probably even more difficult now (pump vs filter issue).  To be fair though, we really only needed to drop an average of about 4 students per class back then.  We had to nurse quite a few along, but that was par for the course in prototype training. That was when  a class was 100 students ( ET,EM, MM) spread out across 4 sections. We would have up to three full classes in hull at a time to schedule watches and checkouts.  Staff EWS quals were a problem then, they were hard to get people through the watches and suck up the extra load in each section during that time.  We usually had 6 SPU's and 2 staff Sea returnees in each MM section to make the plant run, not a whole lot of slack to get through all of the other duties. 

All in all I had a good tour , never went to the green table and trained a lot of good students.  But, I did not go back to Prototype at the end of my Sea tour, I made the choice to get out because I had the feeling of "Been there, done that" and wanted to try something new.  From my original section at prototype of the 8 MM's that were there, I know two of them did go back to New York to be instructors again.  That is not a bad return of number of people who knew what to expect. 

The most important thing for staff on a second prototype tour is to have the chance to do something other than on crew watch and instructor.  They need a chance to work in classroom phase or off hull support roles to break up that intense training pace.  That is my two cents worth on Prototype duty.

[Fermi2]

I'm not in anymore of course but I had a great time at NPTU Idaho Falls. I met the three people who are currently my three best friends. Got married there, enjoyed the mountains and had a great time operating two kick ass reactors.

Mike

[goobs22xx]

Since I'm a SPU, I don't really have anything to compare it to as far as the Navy goes.

I don't mind the job, for the most part. I'm tired of teet-feeding (some) students and really tired of the politics. It also sucks being a SPU and having a dead end job while you're here, which is probably my biggest complaint.

Of course, the hours are terrible for my wife and kids, but we're managing. She wouldn't have the opportunity to go to school full time if I underway...

[AFT21]

How about a "I was getting $150/mo in pro-pay while the guy next to me who couldn't operate the plant to save his life but was otherwise doing the exact same job got $475/mo in pro-pay" checkbox?  I've done my time on the boat now, and I still feel this way.  Maybe if the sea-returnees had to qualify EWS at prototype before they got that raise I would feel differently.

A bad day at prototype was still better than a day at sea on the boat, or a duty day, or working until 6pm day after duty. 

The people, and the area made the job worth it, but it's not really something I feel the need to do again.  Especially with what's going on there now. 

MM1/SS

[NukeLDO]

No complaints....showed up as an EM1 and went straight into EWS quals (qualified on the boat before p-type).  Did that for a while and got put into EOOW quals.  EOOW/EDO/POI/SI....loved it.  Really enjoyed operating the plant for ORSE drills and training the watch officer students.  As EOOW/EDO, didn't have any of the E-Div responsibilities and no sea-pups to contend with.  One of the best jobs I've ever had.

[Fermi2]

I tried not to type this but I just had to, absolutely had to!!!!!!!

don't you mean "...and had a great time operating two kick ass start up sources..."?!?!?!?!?!?

,...heheheheheh,....

DANG I hate being around other nukes LOL!!!! Touche' my friend.

[withroaj]

Sure I'm digging up an old thread, but we have new posters here with new experience and views on the pipeline.  Just bumping it up.

[JsonD13]

Did my SPU tour on 635 from Nov 02-Jan 05.  Didn't care so much for it, but it was the Navy and it kept me away from sea while my wife was pregnant (no she wasnt pregnant for 2 and a half years!).  I liked the camraderie better there than on my carrier, but I suppose that was from all the sub guys that were there.  I came off of there a meaner person than I normally am due to the lack of manpower (less bodies to help=less time to teach=less toleration of students that have learning issues=more failures given=more frustration when you have to stay late to get the guy you failed to pass=me being pissed off).

I am sure there are a few people on here who thought I was a total a**.

Jason