Those of you who are Deck officers can ye help me!

[Paraic]

Well i started filling out my college application form to study nautical science in Cork Ireland, last year it was something i dreamt of doing for a career &thought of nothing else. Anyhow i have single sided deafness & i have been to audioligists that i cannot & will not become a deck officer. When i contacted my department of marine & spoke to a cpt. they could not tell me a straight answer whether or not it would effect me. Presently i have found out how to treat my deafness with a Bone Anchored Hearing Aid. Do you believe would there ever be a chance of becoming a deck officer with a hearing aid that will give me stereo hearing??? Please not knowing is killing me.

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[trev]

In order to be considered fit for sea service you must pass a medical (form ENG-1). Part of the medical is a hearing test (unaided) - if you can pass that then OK.

<hr width=100% size=1>Trev

 

[AndrewJ]

You might consider the US Merchant Marine academy. I don't know about their entrance quals, but you might
want to check. (the academy is a 4 year and I believe still qualifies you as a third mate)

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[Dyflin]

Sorry mate, I think you'll have to give up on this one. Unless they relax the rules I can't see you being allowed to have a hearing aid onboard because of emergency situations and you are the eyes and ears of the ship while on watch...

If it's any consulation, I qualified from Cork a couple of years ago and work is very scarce and getting more and more so. I wouldn't recommend anybofy a career at sea, despite what the college's and government bodies say. Because of cheap second and third world officers there are more and more northern European officers chasing fewer and fewer jobs...

Maybe for the best in the long run.

<hr width=100% size=1>Well it's all for me grog, me jolly jolly grog!

 

[Equinox]

As hard as it may seem, you have been done a favour. It is certainly true that work is very scarce for European junior officers. Unfortunately the situation will not improve as it is now generally accepted that shipping companies prefer to fill the junior positions with officers from the Far East and eastern Europe.

Don't believe the rubbish you keep hearing about professional officers being much in demand as it simply isin't true! You've had a lucky escape!!

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[philip_stevens]

Following what the previous have said, I got this email from a Master friend of mine. I medically retired 4 years ago, and never regretted it.

I have removed any names to protect him.

"A lot of changes in ******, they have made some 3rd and 4th engs redundant. Also a lot of crowd from the ******** side has come over to this side, so they are now flooded with officers."

Not only engineers, but mates as well.

My wifes' nephew is on supply ships in the North Sea, and wonders if he will go back after each leave. There have been redundancies within his company.

<hr width=100% size=1>regards,
Philip

 

[Guest]

Training others to have my job

In the latter years at sea - I ended up training others to do my job ...... they were cheaper and stayed on ship much longer. As a brit officer - my average contract was 4 months with 4-6 weeks paid leave ........ my replacements often did 1-2 years !! and only 2 - 3 monhs leave. AND their salary was a fraction of mine.

Before anyone says anything - the biggest rouble I had was that many of them were good as well !! We did not have a monopoly on knowledge as some would suggest. We had stupid Unions, Govt's and Associations that couldn't wake up to what was happening around them.

My advice - forget it - its a road to nowhere. A brick-layer has more future - and please I mean no ofence to brickies ..... I couldn't lay a brick for the world !!!


<hr width=100% size=1>Nigel ...
Bilge Keelers get up further ! I came - cos they said was FREE Guinness !
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