hi advice needed please

[james1977]

hi
a little advice needed i have always wanted a career at sea my dad was at sea and my grandfather was at sea both as deck officers i am now 33 i know i should have done it earlier what i need to know is

1. am i to old to start now ?
2. if not what route can i take ?
3. what courses do i need to start off ?
4. any other infomation you think will help will be good
5. can i pay for these courses my self ?

regards james

 

[Portland Billy]

career at sea

At 33 I would not recommend taking the commercial shipping route.
I would look at the RYA/Yachtmaster type courses which you can take yourself without a shipping background or 'seatime'. While applying for these courses you can ask about employment opportunities.

 

[oldrib]

1. am i to old to start now ?
2. if not what route can i take ?
3. what courses do i need to start off ?
4. any other infomation you think will help will be good
5. can i pay for these courses my self ?

regards james

Hi
i am currently in training so know a bit about it.

1. No you're definitely not too old i know of cadets who are 40+
2. have a look at http://www.careersatsea.org/ for details
3. You need sponsorship with a shipping company for the seatime and course fees
4. research it thoroughly and visit http://www.officercadet.com/
5. You could pay but its expensive and we get paid for the training so its best not to and you still need a sponsor for the seatime so choosing a company will certainly be the easiest route
   Good Luck

 

[nigel1]

I'm a skipper with Maersk Supply, and have sailed with cadets 30yrs+, so yes its doable. An article in the NUMAST telegraph was on an engineering cadet who is 40, so your a mere whipper snapper in that respect.
As mentioned in previous post, look at those websites and then start on the applications

 

[ferrymaniom]

I think the earlier replies will have answered your questions. There have been older cadets starting in their thirties, so it is possible.

The one bit of advice I always give if asked about a career at sea is to ask yourself the question do you really, really want to do it. If there is any doubt, don't. I did my cadet training in the 70's and saw a lot of fellow cadets merely going through the motions and who admitted that they hated it, and I could never understand why they were putting themselves through it. One lad even stood up and walked out of the final exams so he didn't even get a piece of paper at the end of it - four years down the pan.

If you are set on a career at sea, then go for it. As a boy I never wanted to do anything else, and thoroughly enjoyed my career at sea. Well, most of it anyway - there will always be horrible bits.

The current shortages in qualified seafarers should mean that once qualified you won't have any problems finding work, especially if you can get into one of the more specialised trades such as gas tankers. The money isn't bad, either. And after that, if you decide to come ashore the jobs should be there as well. There are plenty of jobs ashore in the industry for experienced Masters and Chief Engineers.

 

[cavite]

To old to start?

Please excuse me if I slip up here, I am a "first tripper" on this site. I was very interested to read the comments, particularly from serving Masters concerning age when beginning a sea-going career. I went to sea in 1962 as a Deck Apprentice and by the time I was 33 I was about to be "called" as a Trinity House Pilot! I applaud the young mans enthusiastic approach but he should be aware that he is often going to be subordinate to guys who are much younger than he but who have the sea time and the ticket. I was Master on a P&O Ferry in 1998 at the age of 52 and had a 2/O who was 70 !!
I hope not to have dampened his ardour and if he goes for it well, good luck and good sailing.

 

[luciobolton]

Shipping is really a great profession..I like it very very much..But may be I can never do it....anyways, good wishes for you to have a great and enjoyable life with sea..

 

[skipper681]

hi
a little advice needed i have always wanted a career at sea my dad was at sea and my grandfather was at sea both as deck officers i am now 33 i know i should have done it earlier what i need to know is

1. am i to old to start now ?
2. if not what route can i take ?
3. what courses do i need to start off ?
4. any other infomation you think will help will be good
5. can i pay for these courses my self ?

regards james

1. No you're not too late
2. It depends on what you want to do
3. You will need STCW95 to work on vessels (over 24m)
4. Get as much experience as you can
5. Certainly. (who else will lol)



Edit to add, sorry I didn't realise how old this thread was.

 

[Gorbadoc]

you are not too old for this couse and i would say that its better to look up for courses on google you will get the best information you want and will also say that this course is a bit expensive you may get helped through education loans.

 

[SmileyGiley]

Go for it. Massive shortage of skilled seafarers. Once you have some sea time check out seismic surveying... 5wks on 5 wks off.

 

[ssjpiv]

Ship

Hi James,

Just to offer a slightlly different perspective on the discussion. I am a similar age to yourself but maybe a yearfurther down the line in terms of experience. I went down the RYA route as a previous poster suggested, I am not really sure how much use this will be longer term as it seems that moving up to work on ships still seems a bit tricky to get in to.

I would probably suggest if you can sustain it the cadet route would be best as this offers the progressive structure.

Also it my be worth doing an efficient deck hand ticket, if you want to go the different route... seatime seems to be the hardest to get.

I have my yachtmasters, STCW's and a few other courses but they dont really seem relevant ( excluding the stcw) when going for a deckhands job.

good luck.

 

[Chiedozie]

just go for it you will get many types of courses relating to it and would also say that the fees are also very less as compared to other courses in this segment......

 

[dharl]

I was 23 when I started my cadetship...and I thought I was too old then! But as other posters have pointed out there was plenty of other cadets who where older than me. On my first trip as Chief Mate I had a cadet who was born in the same year as me...

Go for it! Its a great career and I love nearly every minute of it! Now work as a Superintendant so spend half my time driving a desk and the other half at sea.

Check out Safe Ship Training Group (www.sstg.org) and also The Maritime Volunteer Service (www.mvs.org.uk) foir further information.

David

 

[7htas]

I'm 28, and I'm just about to finish my first college phase. I'm an Officer Cadet. There's a guy in his 30's in my class; so you're certainly not too old!

I can't wait for my first sea phase! Two more weeks of Fleetwood Nautical College! Then 8 months of 'sea time'

 

[fisherman]

On the Jubilee Sailing Trust's Lord Nelson the mate had been Thames River police, then a MN cadet in his forties.

 

[penfold]

I don't want to rain on the parade, but the OP has probably qualified by now; look at the date!

 

[lenseman]

RFA Recruiting Event - Fleetwood


DATE: 16 February 2013
TIME: 10:00
VENUE: Fleetwood Nautical Campus, Blackpool

Fleetwood Nautical Campus Open Day

We will be holding a Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) Recruiting Event at Fleetwood Nautical Campus, Blackpool on Saturday 16th February 2013, between 10:00 and 16:00 with our Specialist RFA Recruitment Officer, Second Officer Katherine Moggach.



She has been an RFA Recruitment Officer for the last two years and will be on hand to answer your questions.



Call 08456 04 05 20 for more information.