Welding Tips and Tricks

Hi everybody, I have a question for boilermakers that I haven't been able to get a definite answer for on my own. I'm currently in school and just about to finish my general welder program. Recently a recruiter for the boilermakers out of local 13 visited our school and is looking for guys who can weld tube w/ tig root and 7018 the rest of the way out. Apparently there is a shortage coming up this fall and if you can pass this test they will take you on as an apprentice. My instructor put together a short course specifically to pass this test and I'm set to begin the first week of June.

Now the question I have is I understand that boilermakers do a lot of power plants and schools and background checks are required on certain jobs. When I was 18 I got a drug paraphernalia charge but since then I've had it expunged and I no longer have to report it when going for work. I'm just wondering if I'm safe because I don't want to go through all the trouble of joining just to have the work I can get be severely limited because I can't get clearance. I called local 13 and asked them and the guy couldn't give me an answer however be said if I was able to get a TWIC card I should be alright. I checked the TWIC website and I didn't see anything that would hold me back.

Either way I know getting my 6G certs can only help me but I'm after the money and prestige of being a boilermaker but I would like a little reasurrance. Thank you for your help!

Pepper23.

Welcome aboard.
No help on the question ... but others might have some input.

Lots of jobs do unannounced chemical testing though.
The good old days of half a beer or a couple drags before welding up the qualification joint are out of question anymore.

Enjoy the boilermakers.
Alexa

I'm not strictly qualified for the answer to your question as I'm in the UK - but in my youth I was not exactly an angel !! I do however go into a couple of local schools for occasional welding work & the only check is that your not on any kown sex offenders register ! beyond that their not interested.
If they stopped people working because of one ( alleged ! ) bong or whatever I'd be shocked - if they found your meth lab that might be a problem - bottom line is step up & do the job - if your good at it and their short of guys an employer would look the other way 9 times outa 10 on this stuff. good luck.

No worries, Pepper23,

The background checks look for property crimes such as theft and fraud, and violent crimes. Really bad credit can hurt you, too.

A parephrenalia charge when you were 18, especially without a related possesion charge, is meaningless.

I passed a 7-year background for Hemlock, where industrial espionage was an additional concern, and my background is about as "spotless" as a Jackson Pollock painting.

Steve S

If your record is expunged, you should be fine. If it does become a problem, you can petition the court and the government for a pardon which will completely wipe it off your record. The only thing that might pose a problem would be working or moving to another country, but a pardon should take care of that too.

I was no angel when I was younger either, one year I had a DUI in one state and 2 drug possession charges in two different states. A year later I had a CDL and was driving trucks across the country. Go figure!


Other Steve