Careers at Sea

A Career at Sea?

The British Shipping industry offers you the chance of an adventurous lifestyle packed with exciting career prospects. Sailing the world's oceans is not a job for the faint-hearted. To succeed you'll need to combine technical skill with a range of robust personal qualities.

We won't expect you to turn up on day one with all the skills you need. But show us that you have the potential and commitment to succeed and we will provide you with a training programme that is second to none.

Careers

Deck Officer

As a deck officer you'll be a vital member of the ship's management team, and with the prospect of sophisticated and expensive vessels, valuable cargo or passengers in your charge, it's a big responsibility.

While on watch, it will be down to you to make decision on steering and manoeuvring the ship, controlling navigation and communications. Using the latest technological systems, you'll have control at your fingertips. In port you'll be responsible for cargo handling and ship stability. As a senior deck officer, you'll be a leading member of a small team of skilled, professional seafarers. You'll direct and supervise the work of your team - maintaining the ship and its equipment at optimum efficiency.

What qualities will you need?

You'll need to be decisive, calm and able to inspire confidence in others. You'll be a good team member with an interest in technology, mathematical ability and good written and verbal communication skills. Beyond that, confidence, enthusiasm and self-reliance are essential attributes.

For more information check out the Careers at Sea website here.

Engineer Officer

As an engineering officer, you'll operate and maintain all the mechanical and electrical equipment throughout the ship. You'll be responsible for power generation and distribution systems and for other equipment such as lifts, refrigeration plant and pumping and ventilation systems.

Via a bank of high-tech instrumentation, you'll monitor mechanical, electrical, hydraulic and control equipment, and have charge of computer-controlled engine management systems. You'll overhaul and maintain equipment throughout the ship, where your engineering problem-solving skills will be your greatest asset. At sea, if equipment goes wrong you can't just pull in to the nearest garage! It will be up to you to diagnose the fault, get the equipment dismantled, repaired and reassembled and back into operation. As a senior engineer officer, you'll lead a team of professional engineering personnel and supervise their work at sea and in port.

Electro-technical/systems engineering

In some ships electro-technical or systems engineering officers maintain and repair the ship's navigation and communication computer systems.

What qualities will you need?

You'll need to be practical, resourceful and have a real interest in mechanical, electrical and electronic systems. Like deck officers, you'll be decisive, calm and able to inspire confidence in others. Good written and verbal communication skills are required. Beyond this you'll need to be prepared to learn about new technology and adapt your skills to its use.

For more information check out the Careers at Sea website here.

Ratings

Ratings are personnel who assist officers in all departments - skilled seafarers who carry out essential tasks in the day-to-day running of the ship. Please note that entry for ratings is limited with only a small number of companies offering this training.

Deck ratings maintain the ship and its equipment, steer the ship and assist the deck officer in other navigational duties. In port, they secure the ship to the dock, carry out maintenance and contribute to the security of the vessel.

Engineering ratings maintain shipboard machinery. They carry out routine oiling, greasing and servicing, and strip, repair and fit equipment parts. Experienced ratings help the engineering officers to monitor the main plant and other equipment to make sure it is run safely.

Catering ratings provide a variety of catering services for the crew and passengers. Most cargo carrying vessels will have a cook or cook-steward on board. As a trading you'll be trained in fire prevention and sea survival skills. In an emergency you'll deal with hazardous incidents, for example, as a member of a fire-fighting party or fast rescue boat crew.

What qualities will you need?

You'll need a sincere interest in going to sea and be a good team worker with initiative and the maturity to work unsupervised. You'll be able to accept responsibility and be willing to adapt your skills and learn new ones. As a deck or engineering rating a lot of the work you do will be practical, so you'll need good hand skills to operate technical equipment.

For more information check out the Careers at Sea website here.

Hotel Services

Modern cruise ships and passenger ferries are run on the lines of a large hotel, so a whole range of catering and hospitality support services is needed on board. Specific roles vary from company to company but generally prior qualifications and experience in the catering, hotel or hospitality industry are necessary. There are jobs for pursers/receptionists, restaurant and bar staff, housekeepers, cruise directors, entertainers, hairdressers, beauticians, photographers, retail and childcare staff. In all these functions you'll be providing services to passengers on a daily basis. In addition to relevant qualifications and experience, you'll need a bright personality, an efficient manner and a sincere commitment to providing top quality customer service. You will need to contact the individual cruise or ferry companies direct for further details on entry requirements and application procedures. There are a range of useful books with specific details, including 'Working on Cruise Ships' by Sandra Bow.

Opportunities Ashore

Many seafarers spend their whole career at sea whilst others choose to advance their career ashore either in shipping companies or in a host of other marine industries or sectors where their skills and experience are in great demand.

Typical shore-based posts include:

• Ship management and fleet operations
• Surveying ships to check seaworthiness
• Ports and harbour management, and pilotage
• Lectures in colleges - training the seafarers of the future
• Maritime regulatory authorities
• Ship repair and marine equipment production management
• Marine insurance
• Ship broking and finance
• Ship classification
• Maritime law and arbitration
• A range of opportunities in offshore exploration

Training and Sponsorship

Officer Training

All training starts with a residential course at a nautical college or university. This is designed to enable you to work safely at sea. The next phase of training is the first sea-going phase. As a trainee deck officer, you'll begin work alongside ratings and later work under supervision of qualified deck officers, developing practical navigation and other ship operation skills. In the engineering department, qualified engineering officers will help you put your college theory into practice. After this, your training alternates between shore-based studies and work at sea aboard different types of ship, where you'll be given greater responsibility as your training progresses. The period of training typically lasts three years (four years for some ordinary and Honours degree courses). It is slightly longer if you're following a scheme linked to a degree. Further training and experience as a qualified deck or engineer officer will enable you to achieve the qualifications needed to sail as Captain (i.e. Master, in overall command) or as Chief Engineer Officer (in overall charge of engineering and technical services). Typically these top-level qualifications take around a further five to six years to achieve, although promotion will depend upon the company you work for and the types of ship it operates.

Ratings

Training starts with a six-week residential training course designed as an introduction into the industry and to enable you to operate safely on board ship. Following this you'll join your first ship to gain practical sea-going experience. After approximately eight months at sea you'll return to college for a short 3-6 week course for training relevant to your specialism. Allowing for leave, it will take some 12 to 18 months to complete the training and achieve Level 2 and ratings' qualifications. Enhanced training (known as Marine Apprenticeship) gives the opportunity to progress to Level 3 and gain the MCA Officer of the Watch Certificate of Competency, which normally takes a further 18 months.

Sponsorship

Sponsorship for training is widely available from shipping and training companies. Your course fees will be paid and you will receive a training allowance. You'll need to apply direct to shipping companies or training organisations for details of recruitment and the availability of sponsorship.

Lifestyle

At sea

The first thing to realise is that you're about to embark on a world-class training programme. You will develop professional and management skills that will be of value throughout your working life. No matter what kind of vessel you join you're about to experience life in a completely different way. So where could you work? The British shipping industry comprises some 200 shipping companies that own or operate a large and diverse fleet of merchant ships that trade worldwide. Once qualified you could work aboard any type of ship, from a small coastal vessel to a huge passenger ship, roll-on roll-off ferry, cargo vessel, offshore support vessel or supertanker, or aboard a Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessel supporting the Royal Navy at sea.

Ships operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week. On board you'll work a watch pattern. Normally your daily working routine will be four hours 'on watch' and eight hours 'off'. Your lifestyle at sea will depend on the type and trading pattern of your ship you are on. You'll have the opportunity to study, pursue leisure interests and socialise with your colleagues on board. Your living conditions are clearly very important. You'll find the food and accommodation on board is excellent, with single cabins and en-suite facilities on many vessels. Off duty activities vary depending on the type of vessel, but many ships have extensive leisure facilities - and they're all free. Holidays, pay, welfare and benefits vary from company to company, but are generally very good. For example, after a voyage lasting four months, you could get two months holiday or more.

How to Apply

All candidates should apply direct to shipping companies for details of recruitment and training and for the availability of sponsorship. Please see the accompanying list of sponsoring companies. The list is also available at www.careersatsea.org.

Candidates must be at least 16 years old.

All seafarers are required by law to meet standards of medical fitness and eyesight laid down by the Department for Transport (DfT) and must pass a medical examination carried out by a doctor approved by the DfT in order to obtain a certificate attesting to their fitness. Details of the medical examination and a list of approved doctors can be found on the MCA website www.mcga.gov.uk.

You may wish to apply for your degree course to the university or college concerned, in the first instance, following which you will need to apply to the shipping and training companies for sponsorship.