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!