How / Where do I start?

[Ivan Cloherty]

. Why are so many on the defensive here? .

Stephen, no one is on the defensive here, why would or should we be, we've been there, done it, what we are trying to do is give you the benefit of our hindsight, we have nothing to prove, we've worn the Tee shirt. We are ex and current Merchant Navy men, we say it how it is; we are straight talkers which is something you'll have to get used to. You've told us of your ambition to make the sea your life, who are we to argue, we made it ours, you have received advice from numerous sources and also good wishes in your endeavours. All you have to do now is follow the leads given, there is no magic formula, only persistence, if you get knocked back by one company, write to them again and again and yet again until they get so fed up of receiving your letters they'll give you a job to get you out of their hair. Send them to different people in the same organisation each time you get a knockback, you may eventually land on the desk of someone who sees something in you that the others haven't

[Keith at Tregenna]

If you get it right, you will be the Master of your own destiny.

Listen, but decide for yourself.

GO FOR IT AND ENJOY.

K.

[Red Lead Ted]

Hi Ste, You could do worse than have a word with Chief Exec, John Wilson. he runs the mission to seafarers on Crosby Road North Seaforth and Waterloo follow this link and tell him of your quest and that you have had some experience in sailing training ships. He is very helpful and understanding ask him for an interview on advice to be arranged when he has the time he isn't there every day. The chances are when you ring you will get one of the cleaner,s or bar staff answer the phone. Failing that email him. You already hold the right degree the desire we all had on this forum the calling of the sea. Nothing is impossible m8 ask John can he point you in the right direction and that you got his number through posting your quest on this forum, He is well aware of its existence. Good luck Sailor I wish you well Terry.


http://www.missiontoseafarers.org/qu...ey&l=1&cloud=1

[John Arton]

Stephen
I note that you failed the Princess Cruises maths exam by 4? points. Then as a lot of people on this site have said, try and try again. I know, as possibly said before, the RFA have an advert for Deck Cadets out at present.
At the college where I was lecturing we ran a "pre-sea" course that many of the Shipping companies prescribed to as it tended to sort the wheat from the chaff, so as to speak. I had one lad of 29 who had failed the maths exam when he applied to Carnival, but he persisted and eventually got taken on by Maersk line and is now happily sailing the high seas with them after been flown to New York and put up in a very smart hotel for 2 days prior to joining his first ship which strangely enough was the Maersk Alabama of Capt. Philips fame but no Tom Hanks on board.
All sea licences these days, be it deck or engine, are being upgraded to be of a degree level recognised qualification and there is a foundation degree level of entry for merchant navy trainees.
One failure should not discourage you, keep applying to the Likes of Clyde Marine, Trinity House, etc. and keep a watch on the various Nautical Colleges web sites for their open days. The latest info I have is that there is a minimum of 500 new entrants to Officer training required yearly just to maintain the present level of manning in the rump of the U.K. fleet alone and should you eventually be successful and gain a U.K. STCW licence then the world could be your oyster as strangely enough a U.K. licence is still considered to be one of the best in the world.
Another route you could also explore is that of the super yacht industry which is a fast growing market. The term yacht may be a bit of a misnomer as many of these are 100 metres plus in length.
The best place to investigate this is Southampton Warsash College which has a specialised unit devoted to training ratings and officers for the super yacht industry.
As said before, good luck and keep hunting, if you have the will and desire you will get there but as stated by many here before, do not go in with rose tinted spectacles. Life at sea is very different from a few weeks on a sail training ship and completely different from the life that most of us experienced but as I have said before, it is still one of the best career's you can have as evidenced by most of us who despite all the trials and tribulations we suffered during our time at sea and despite being in the main a bunch of old codgers, would jump at the chance to do it all again even given the huge changes that have taken place since we started.
rgds
JA

[cappy]

i do think stephen will find a very different life to what we had the container ships with there quick turnaround and minimum crews wuld drive you potty but each must find his own

[Captain Kong]

Maybe if he went to Fleetwood College or somewhere similar, and got himself a Survival Course Cert and Lifeboat ticket that would show the Companies he had commitment.
I had a distant relative Electrician, who was out of a job, I told him to go to Fleetwood and do the Helicopter survival Course. He did and now he is on big money, he flies out to Rigs to do repairs and out to Qatar on the Gas Plant and to Bonny Nigeria,
So things like that can make a start some where.
Brian

[j.sabourn]

#25... Richard there is nothing stopping him that cant be surmounted, from joining the Australian M.N. such as it is. I did it at 53 years of age he is 23. I did it when the unions were in their heyday. If I can do it, whats to stop anyone else. Its called perserverence. I was told by whoever I approached I had to be a union member so I became a member. The Unions are not that powerful as they were then, and to me they should be in a lot of cases, they are still there for the members welfare , in theory at least. We had a younger person who came out here for an interview who was on this Old Friends program, he came out to Fremantle and got the qualifications he was after , we never heard no more from him but it would be nice to know how he got on. He would of been able to give Steve up to date advice. Forget his name but hasnt posted here for a good few months. It was last July he was out here and I missed him by a day as was in the UK at the same time he was here. I beleive at 23 years of age he could if nothing else get a temporary work permit. Even in my era in the 80"s had to get off your ass and go looking, work doesnt come to you on a platter, especially when there are supposed to be 6 people after every job. I would never decry Australia for the treatment I have received working here it was a damned sight better than the UK latterly. There is other work apart from going to sea he could use until he makes whatever connections are necessary. At his age in my time with the same opportunitys I would of been here like a flash, if not here other places in the Commonwealth. Cheers John s.

---------- Post added at 10:25 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:24 AM ----------

Richard think you will find a lot of the students in the Tasssie Nautical School are foreign students the same as the universitys. Also the courses when I was working, the seamens courses that were required were paid for by the Union. Cheers JS

[John Arton]

Just adding another thought for Stephen.
Today I saw an ad. for a G.P.(General Purpose) sailor on the SERCO website. Perhaps they run or sponsor trainee ratings.
rgds
JA

[Stephen Beard]

Thanks for all the leads, advice etc. I will be looking into them and have already sent numerous applications off.

Some of you seem to be commenting on how things aren't the same as when you joined up and that I may not know what I'm getting into - but that's bound to be the case. Change is a fact of life, but its hard to objectively quantify wether the state of the industry is better or worse now compared to when it was when you were at sea because the world is a very different place from when a lot of you joined up. I don't feel my age is an issue at all - I've gone the long way round but I've seen and experienced things my peers may not have so wether I'm "late" or not I still have my own contribution to make.

Just because the last 6 years of my life were not spent at sea doesn't mean I haven't learned or experienced anything of value.

[Captain Kong]

Here is a bit off the Fleetwood College site.
.
Maritime and Nautical - Cadet Officer TrainingCareers in the Merchant Navy
If you’re looking for a rewarding career with excellent prospects and the opportunity to travel the world, then the Merchant Navy is for you. Apply for the three-year sponsored training scheme and train to become a Deck or Engineering Officer in the Merchant Navy.

What skills will I need?
A Merchant Navy Deck or Engineering Officer should have management skills and leadership qualities, enjoy using the latest technology and be good at Maths. The job involves spending periods away from home so you should have an independent nature.

Local opportunities
British Shipping is an industry of the future – well managed, technologically advanced and committed to respecting the environment. Despite the economic downturn, there are still excellent opportunities for capable and enthusiastic young people to train to manage and operate modern and technically sophisticated ships.

Career types and salaries
For more information about the different careers in maritime operations and what you could expect to earn go to nationalcareersservice.direct.gov.uk or download an FE prospectus.
.
. Open Day - June 2014 Saturday 7 June 2014
10:30am - 2:00pm
It is a good college, I went there and got all my Certs there up t Master.
Go for it.
Phone them OR email , address on google.
Cheers
Brian