Location: Worldwide
Description:
It takes many people, doing many different things, to operate a ship at sea. Since each person starts from the bottom and works their way up, each person is competent in their own field as well as all the positions under them. There are many positive aspects to working at sea. One of them is travel, and there’s ample vacation time to do it with. The starting rate for accumulating vacation time starts with 8 hours every month, plus 1 day or shore leave a month, and the option to convert weekend and overtime hours to vacation time. The ship’s crew can take their vacation time in foreign countries. Another plus to a maritime career is the money. The pay is pretty good on a ship (check out any of the occupations listed on the chart below to find out how much) and since you’d be on the ship for months at a time, without anywhere to spend your money, it’s much easier to save. But, there are some drawbacks to being on a ship for months at to time. The biggest one is being away from family and friends, though e-mail has made that a little easier to deal with. Another problem is when you return for a couple of months and want to go out with friends and family, they all have to get up and go to work Monday through Friday. If you’re single, your bills go unpaid until you return. Nevertheless, those I spoke with on the ship love this life. For them the advantages far outweigh the disadvantages.
If so, a dynamic and exciting career at sea or ashore in a related field could be for you!! WHY Merchant Navy? Good Wages..
Wages earned by seafarers are normally very generous compared to similar professions ashore. Seagoing officers are assured a very comfortable standard of living, and are usually within the upper income bracket of their national populations. In Europe, a recently qualified third officer can earn a “take home” salary that is comparable to what many shore-based university graduates might hope to earn in their early 30s. In developing world countries, ships’ officers working on internationally trading ships are amongst the very highest paid in their countries. Opportunities for accumulating savings, even when young, are considerable (unlike most people, officers have relatively few expenses when working at sea as accommodation, travel and food are met by the employer). The real value of wages may often be substantially greater because they are often tax free. Officers at sea can be promoted rapidly, eventually progressing to Captain or Chief Engineer, with wages matching their responsibilities. Salaries obviously vary according to the country in which you live and the shipping company you work for. Some types of ship require specialised skills for which pay may be higher. More detailed information will be available from national sources. Ships’ officers enjoy considerable responsibility right from the start of their careers. They ensure the safety of their ships and their cargoes, the lives of their shipmates and the protection of the marine environment Officer trainees usually learn the professional skills required through combining education at specialist institutions and practical training on board ships and you can expect to qualify as either a Deck or Engineer Officer at the “Operational Level” within 3 or 4 years of starting maritime education and training. As a junior officer, reporting to senior officers, you will supervise the work of “ratings” – seafarers qualified at the “Support Level”.
Earlier Responsibility:
As a deck officer at sea you will be responsible for the safe navigation of a seagoing vessel, its passengers and crew. Alternatively you might be responsible for mooring or cargo handling, leading a team of seafarers using your knowledge and experience to ensure safe and successful operations. As an engineer officer ,you will be responsible, during “watch periods”, for the safe operation of the ship’s engines and technical systems – enormous industrial machinery. The forces which the sea can exert on a ship mean that the full and proper functioning of engineering systems are vital at all times for the safety of the ship and the protection of the environment. Within 10 years of commencing specialist maritime education and training, it is possible to qualify as a Captain or Chief Engineer with total responsibility for the operation of a ship and the management and safety of its crew.
Oppourtunity To Travel:
Although modern ships spend less time in port than 25 years ago, a career in shipping still means that you can literally travel to almost anywhere in the world. This gives seafarers the chance to experience interesting and unusual places, rather than just the typical business or holiday destinations visited by many people. Since shipping is such a unique international industry, it is common for seafarers to progress eventually to shore based work in shipping offices all around the world – from Los Angeles to Hong Kong, to Singapore or London, the opportunities are endless. By embarking on a career in shipping you are joining a special international network of contacts and associates.There is a great need for more qualified ships’ officers to meet the skills required by international shipping companies. Industry predictions suggest that this requirement will increase in the next few years, especially if the world economy (and population) continues to expand, and thus the quantity of goods moved by sea continues to increase.
Good Long Term Prospects:
Many senior personnel are shortly due to retire so there are excellent prospects for fast advancement by new entrants to the maritime profession.Career opportunities extend to thousands of shore-based management jobs, which require people with seagoing experience. A career at sea may not mean a lifetime at sea.
Doing Something Useful:
Today´s competitive world sometimes makes it difficult to fully understand the purpose and value of many jobs. Shipping, however, is key to the global economy, responsible for carrying over 90% of the world´s trade. Without shipping the world economy would collapse. It would be impossible to transport the vast quantities of food, raw materials and manufactured products the world currently takes for granted. People working at sea have the satisfaction of knowing that shipping is also the safest and most environmentally friendly form of commercial transportation, and that they are playing a vital role in ensuring efficient global trade.
Long Holidays:
In most jobs, it is often only possible to take a maximum of two or three weeks holiday at one time, and total annual holidays are of course far less than you might be used to at college or school. In shipping, however, seafarers commonly enjoy generous leave or holiday periods. Exact terms will vary, but on “short sea” trades a system of one month working followed by one month paid holiday is often applied. On intercontinental or “deep sea” trades, leave periods of several months’ duration are not uncommon. So while seafarers may sometimes be away from home for extended periods, they also enjoy flexibility to pursue other interests at home, or spend long periods of time with their families and friends.
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