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Thread: Merchant Navy College Assignment.

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    Default Merchant Navy College Assignment.

    Hello,
    For one of my college projects i have to write a 5000 word Essay on a topic/question of my choice. The question i have chosen to ask is ''What are the benefits of joining the Merchant Navy compared to a job on land.'' As part of my answer i have to include 'primary research, this is where i need to collect the answers you give and incorporate them into my work. Any help is appreciated.

    Thanks,
    Ben Dennison.

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    Default Re: Merchant Navy College Assignment.

    Ben not trying to be pedantic but you could open your dissertion by asking the question what Merchant Navy. Could give a brief account of the past and the general amount of British shipping in the world ploughing the oceans of the earth not so long back and why it suddenly disappeared and the various arguments as to why. That should take up a couple of thousand words as everyone has different reasons why. You could mention the advantages of going to sea as you see it ( not a pun). The advantages that I saw among many was that you had the chance to be your own man, make your own decisions for better or worse, saw the world the good the bad and the indifferent, lived in a fresh and challenging enviroment, was a challenge, and if ever managed to get on the right ship and the right trade gave you time to ruminate and peruse your navel. This is highly unlikely as probably you will finish up working 16 hours a day, sometimes in weather where sleep is impossible, will have to administer first aid to others, see people die and learn to become thick skinned. As long as you can get self satisfaction from any work you do that is happiness. You will have your own reasons for choosing the sea as a livelihood, you can make a good livelihood from if you are willing to accept certain conditions of service at various times. The conditions at sea nowadays vary from country to country as do salarys and conditions, you are I suppose expecting to be employed on a British Company where you hope such conditions will be standardised, I hope you do, the first couple of years will be the deciding point for anyone going to sea as a living. You might easily become disallusioned with the life. However you will never know unless you make the effort, the experience of going to sea will always stand you in good stead for the experience alone. However no one can advise you what to put in your essay as we may all put something different. It has to come from yourself, just speak the truth. If you cant use up 5000 words just say so, they aren't going to fail you on that, may even think you are a man of few words and a man of action. The best of Luck however in your well chosen career. John S

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    Default Re: Merchant Navy College Assignment.

    yes john and perhaps a list of shipping companies that have dissapeared from the list of uk companies ......that would take up a few hundred words ......cappy

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    Default Re: Merchant Navy College Assignment.

    Ben, first you have to realise that a lot of the posters on here are 60 years old plus, plus,plus, we sailed in the era's of the 40's, 50's 60's and 70's when the UK did have a Merchant Navy, and whilst in may now be reduced insize it still has certain attractions.

    However you did not say what attracted you to a sea life (if it has) neither did you say what kind of ships you envisaged sailing upon, Passenger?, Tanker?, Container? other? nor did you say what your ultimate goal is, also how old are you, so it may be wise to put the horse before the cart so that you can be guided properly.

    What are the advantages

    1. You will never get bored
    2. You will not have a 9 to 5 job
    3. You wont have to get the same bus every morning or evening
    4. You wont become stuck in a rut
    5. you will see different countries from a working perspective and not as a tourist
    6. You will meet foreign people in their everyday jobs and not in the tourist industry
    7. You will become self reliant
    8. You will work long hours but still be glad you chose the right path
    9. You will be called upon to make decisions, at a young age, maybe affecting life or death, that your peers ashore will not.
    10 You will sail with people of different nationalities and learn about their hopes and aspirations and be able to judge a man for what he is and not what you have been led to believe what he should be.
    11. The list is endless

    Disadvantages

    1. Not many, unless you count being away from home as one, but if you do then the sea is not for you
    2. Depending upon the type of ship, then not knowing when and where you may end up, again if that worries you, the sea is not for you.
    3. Not being able to plan your holidays two years ahead, again if that worries you, the sea is not for you.
    4. Worrying about whether or not your girlfriend will wait for your return, but then again she may not be there when you get of the Five o'clock bus, if you choose a shore job#

    I doubt if any of us on this site regretted ever going to sea, you learn to stand on your own two feet very quickly, you learn to trust others and learn to judge a man by who he is, and for no other reason.

    Good luck in your endeavours.

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    Default Re: Merchant Navy College Assignment.

    Hi Ben, As a landlubber myself, for starters my first step would be to approach or google
    A Career At Sea - clydemarinetraining.com‎ Adwww.clydemarinetraining.com/‎
    Become a Merchant Navy Trainee with Clyde Marine Training Contact Us Apply Now Course Information About Us..... or similar and read through to learn what is on offer now. Then read through several threads on here to compare, the past with the present. Not sure by your post if you are contemplating a career at sea or have just chosen the sea as a diverse topic to discuss. Good luck regardless.

    Sorry Ben the link has not transferred to here, Google and you'll find what's available.
    Last edited by gray_marian; 26th February 2015 at 12:41 PM. Reason: Added text

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    Default Re: Merchant Navy College Assignment.

    Ben, Go through some of the posts on here mate, They will certainly give you food for thought but as has been said we where all or most of a different era, Don't forget the golden rule, We are an island nation who along with our allies won two world wars, The British Merchant fleet was once the biggest in the world, Without the M.N. Fleet and the men who crewed them would never have won either war. Here are a few things that haven't changed from our day at sea and still applicable to you.
    Fire at sea, You cant phone the fire brigade.
    Serious injury or illness, You cant phone an ambulance.
    If you get assaulted, You cant send for the police.
    If you get caught up in a war zone, Its everyman for himself.
    Piracy although we had it, its more prevalent today.
    Never try to ride two horses, One hand for the ship the other for you.
    Always know your place at sea, walk before you can run.
    And forget the fallacy a girl in every port, Its more like a port in every girl...............Good luck sailor Terry.
    {terry scouse}

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    Default Re: Merchant Navy College Assignment.

    Going by similar queries on this site, am beginning to believe that these tasks set may also be used for perusal of any would be employers recruiting. I imagine these persons coming out of a pre sea training establishment and already certificated have no sea going history and therefore no CV. Also as there is no English paper now for 2nd. Mate this may also be a way of circumventing that and probably dodging any flak put up by the equal rights brigade. In our day apprentices were moulded into the companies ways and beliefs, I stayed 11 years with the company I started with and no doubt would have been there for life, if still existed, brain washed it would be called today. One would think there were plenty of other subjects in shipping than writing a thesis on why I want to go to sea. There must be method in their madness somewhere. Cheers JS

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    Default Re: Merchant Navy College Assignment.

    John, Be honest you wouldn't change a thing, Its a great pity our once great Merchant fleet has gone its young lads like Carl who would be stepping into our shoes. And bye the way Carl it isn't all doom and gloom its a great life for any young man, It was my only way of getting all over the world, And getting paid for the privilege. Regards John hope all is well in your world Terry.
    {terry scouse}

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    Default Re: Merchant Navy College Assignment.

    #8... Quite right Terry. Manys the time have cursed the sea, ships, shipowners, walked off ships, arguments galore with shipowners, but always went back for more. The sea is a hard mistress, but unless you have seen the sun come up or set over Mount Fugiyama, or made a landfall on some little speck on the oceans horizon, or pick up the flying fish out of the scuppers in the morning every day could be different and yet still the same. A seamans life had a lot to offer, but one had to accept the bad with the good. Some people couldn't hack it as left too much behind at home. If wasn't the sea , could have finished up a butcher, or tradesman in the building Industry. However think I made the better choice, hard going at times but worth it as a life to look back on without too many regrets. As regards the fairer sex the less said the better as we are all supposed to be respectable married men when ashore, but still think a shore worker has less morals than a seaman ever had. A seaman was more to the point and honest with very few exceptions. Cheers JS
    Last edited by j.sabourn; 27th February 2015 at 12:51 AM.

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    Default Re: Merchant Navy College Assignment.

    Ref #5... Marian Clyde Marine Recruitment although nowadays seems to be the place most go, in my days was a company not well known and on about a par with Miss Silver of Liverpool. Seems they have taken advantage of the downsize in shipping in general and are leaping ahead of what they used to be. The same applies to the Yellow Perils which at one time were considered where you went for bad behaviour, but are now considered one of the premier shipping companys in the uk, because they are one of the very few remaining. I almost had a masters job through Clyde Marine Recruitment when made redundant in North Sea and ships laid up. They then found that as I had been so many years as master in the North Sea was too oriented in my thinking. How they as non seafarers themselves can come to this conclusion God only knows. Any seaman could go on a conventional ship and take away, that is his primary use and what he trained for. Instead I went into the local pub and got a job through someone who I used to know drank there. These shipping recruitment agencies existed in various places at one time, I only ever took one job through which was a bummer and through Miss Silver in Liverpool, these agencies received the equivilant of one months salary or equivilant for supplying you to the shipowner. Fortuanetley we didn't have to pay, however the poor chinese crews working through agencies in Hong Kong had to fork out this cash themselves for the privilege of working. Cheers John S

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