Ship Building recruitment
Coded welders and ship fitters, tested to position before they fly.
We recruit skilled trades and marine professionals for shipyards, marine engineering firms and offshore fabrication companies across Ireland, the UK and Europe. Welders are tested to process and position, and the results come to you with the CV.
- Welders tested to process and position, with the results sent to you
- NDT results on the test piece, not a certificate photograph
- Confined space and height tickets checked where the role needs them
- We handle the permit, the visa and the Labour Market Needs Test
George, welder, placed with Kevin Burke Tyres
Who we work for
Employers we work with
Established operators across Ireland and the UK. Transport, automotive, construction, engineering and food service.
What we place
Roles we fill in Ship Building
If what you need is not on the list, ask anyway. We turn down briefs we cannot fill, so a no from us costs you a phone call and nothing else.
- Marine Welders (MIG, TIG, Stick, FCAW)
- Coded Welders
- Ship Fitters
- Steel Fabricators
- Pipe Fitters
- Platers
- Riggers
- Marine Electricians
- Marine Engineers
- Blasters and Painters
- Outfitting Tradespeople
- Scaffolders
- Quality Inspectors
- NDT Technicians
- Welding Inspectors
- Production Supervisors
Trade testing
Where we test ship building candidates
These are our workshops, not stock photographs. Every candidate is trade tested on the tools before you see a CV, and before anybody gets on a plane.
Placed, not promised
Roles we have filled for employers like you
Named clients and the roles that actually started. Ask us for a reference and we will put you in touch.
How we fill it
Three routes, and we will tell you which one you need
We look at your local market before we look anywhere else. Overseas deployment is slower and more involved, so we only recommend it when local genuinely cannot deliver.
Ireland and the UK
- About two weeks from brief to a start date
- Candidates pre-screened and compliance handled before you interview
- No retainer and no monthly fee
- Thirty day replacement guarantee
International deployment
- Sourced from the Philippines, South Africa, the UAE, Bangladesh, Colombia, India and Nepal
- Permit, visa and Certificate of Sponsorship work handled end to end
- Labour Market Needs Test managed for you
- Flights, accommodation and welfare checks after arrival included
Remote support roles
- Live in one to four weeks, because there is no permit in the way
- Five stage vetting including a proper English assessment
- Employed directly by your company
- Typically 50 to 70% below the cost of a local hire
The work behind the shortlist
What we check before you see a CV
A shortlist is only worth anything if somebody did this first.
The weld test
- Tested to the process and position the job requires, including 3G, 4G and 6G
- Test piece put through NDT and the result shared with you
- Material and thickness matched to your actual work, not a generic coupon
- Assessment done by a qualified assessor and recorded
Safety and access
- Confined space, working at height and rescue training checked
- Blasting and coating work assessed against surface preparation standards
- Rigging and lifting tickets verified with the issuer
- Medical fitness confirmed as part of the process
Yard experience
- Prior yard or offshore fabrication work confirmed with the employer named on the CV
- Experience working to class society and inspection regimes probed
- Drawing interpretation tested on a real drawing
- References from named yards with named contacts
Recruitment trips
Come and test them yourself
Every month we are in Manila, Johannesburg and Dubai with clients, running in-person trade tests and volume interviews. Based on everything we have seen, it is the most effective way to hire.
- Meet more candidates in a day than you would in a month of video calls
- Get a better read on somebody by watching them work, not just hearing them talk
- Trade test in person, on the tools, to your own standard
- We handle all the logistics. You turn up, we do the rest
A weld ticket is not a weld test
Certificates travel. Skill does not always travel with them. On marine work the cost of finding that out on your own steel is high, so we test on a piece that reflects your material and your positions and we send you the NDT result with the CV.
If a welder fails the position you need, you will hear it from us. That is the entire point of testing before anybody gets on a plane.
Lead times
How long it takes, honestly
Government processing times move, and anybody quoting you a single confident number is guessing. Which route applies to your role, and the current wait, we confirm in writing before you commit.
Local hire, Ireland or UK
About 2 weeks
Brief to start date. Candidates pre-screened and compliance handled before you interview.
Ireland, employment permit
Department clock
Our preparation takes days. The Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment publishes its own processing times and they move with demand; we tell you the current one in writing before you commit.
UK, Skilled Worker
UKVI clock
You assign the Certificate of Sponsorship; UK Visas and Immigration publishes decision times. We tell you the current one in writing before you commit.
Remote support role
1 to 4 weeks
Where the job can be done remotely, there is no permit and no queue.
Official processing times: enterprise.gov.ie for Irish employment permits and GOV.UK for the Skilled Worker visa.
Cost and cover
What it costs, and what happens if it goes wrong
Government fees are passed through at cost and the placement fee is staged across the process, none of it up front.
Replacement guarantee on a local hire
Replacement guarantee where the trade test was remote
Replacement guarantee where the trade test was in person
Retainer, startup or candidate fees, at any point
Sama Talent & Offshore Services Limited, 136 Capel Street, Dublin D01 T2C9. Licensed employment agency EA 5649, Workplace Relations Commission of Ireland. CRO 810220. Local first. Internationally ready when local cannot deliver.
Straight answers
Questions employers ask
Do I get the actual test results?
Yes. The weld test result and the NDT outcome come to you with the CV. You are not asked to take our word for it.
Can you test to a specific position or procedure?
Tell us the process, the position, the material and the thickness and we test to it. A generic coupon tells neither of us anything useful.
Can you supply a full fabrication crew?
Yes, and it holds together better than fifteen individual hires. Give us the trades, the headcount and the programme dates.
What about blasters and painters?
Assessed on surface preparation and finish against the standard you work to, in person. That is also the testing route that carries the six month replacement guarantee.
Which permit route applies to a marine trade?
It depends on the role, the salary and the current lists, which change. We confirm the route in writing for your specific vacancy before you commit.
Tell us the role and the start date. We do the rest.
No retainer, no startup fee, and nothing is ever charged to the candidate. Call us on +353 1 903 8249, Monday to Friday, 8am to 8pm.
Looking for work in Ship Building?
You will never pay us. Not once, not for anything.
Not to apply, not to be placed, not for your visa, your documents or your training. Employers pay us. Your wage is yours in full.
Everything else we cover