Not doing Maths or Physics

[hatty]

hi, i only decided this summer that i wanted to be a deck officer, but unfortunately im on my second year of A levels and am doing pretty bad subjects (applied science, psychology and drama, done english and geography AS) but Ive done alot of great things on my cv that i think help me stand out, but I still dont really get any replies from alot of the companies regarding an interview. Can anyone offer any advise? thanks!!

[Mick Alton]

Hello mate. I have no A levels and I got accepted into Clyde marine on an HND engine cadetship, why not try Clyde marine if you havn't already. Also comapnies tend to take a while when replying to applications so try not to worry.

[danielbv07]

Hi Hatty, I didn't do Maths or Physics at A level either and I'm due to start at Fleetwood in January. Companies tend to have different academic entry requirements for the FD; i.e. some will only accept a candidate with Maths and/or Physics at A level, others just require the 120 UCAS points. Regardless of your A levels, providing you have your GCSE grade C passes in Maths and Physics you should be fine for the HNC/D with any sponsor offering that route.

The only advice I would give would be to get your applications in and try your best to forget about them .

[hatty]

thanks guys your great, its just im woried because im sending off applications for sept 2012 and just get nothing back, is this normal? or if they wanted me would they reply anyway? i just hear people on here say 'just got a reply when i applied yesterday' etc

[billwillis]

If you have not heard within a month, then you should take it as a no go- unless they've sent you confirmation that you're on file.

What maths GCSE did you get?

[hatty]

B in maths C in Physics

[Mick Alton]

thanks guys your great, its just im woried because im sending off applications for sept 2012 and just get nothing back, is this normal? or if they wanted me would they reply anyway? i just hear people on here say 'just got a reply when i applied yesterday' etc

When I applied for clyde marine they took about 3 to 4 months to reply for the interview and about a month after the interview to say I had been accepted, I have also heard from friends that it took a few months for the companies they work for to reply. The best thing is to keep applying to as many companies as you can to give yourself some choice and also decide what type of company you want to work for. This means that when a company does ring you up your reply is based on if you want to work for them and not just because they were the first company to reply.

Hope this helps.

[GuinnessMan]

It's November! They've only just started taking applications!

If you havent heard back by February, then worry!

[billwillis]

If you got a B in Maths, and C's in the rest, then I wouldn't worry too much! This is the basic requirements laid out by the training institutes. Just make sure you're prepared at interview, and know your stuff! Remember, there'll be people going for cadet-ships with A levels; so you need to show the company that you're not larking about, and it's not some quixotic "run away to the sea" phase you're going through. Have this in mind at interview.

From personal experience - SSTG, and Viking completely ignored me (I heard of others being contacted immediately) - This could possibly be an age factor, as I'm 27, and people who told me they'd got contacted were nippers. Chiltern sent me a rejection email. I'm waiting to hear back from princess, and maersk. I was going to apply for BP, but I'm gonna give it a miss. I'm not too worried, because I've an offer from another company, and I still have an interview with CMT, and Anglo Eastern; but to be honest, I'm happy with the offer I have.

Apply for them all, I applied for most, and got 3 interviews out of it. If you throw enough ****, some of sticks!

Good luck!

[hatty]

thanks so when do you think the best time to apply for september would be? x

[danielbv07]

Hi Hatty, I would advise getting your applications in as early as possible. Some sponsors such as SSTG and Clyde have been accepting applications for the Sept 2012 intake for a couple of months; others do not start their recruitment process until the middle of next year.

I'm sure this subject has been discussed on here before, do a quick search if you haven't already

Dan

[SierraTango]

Hatty, I know from experience that applying to the most popular companies now for Sept is not too early. They receive so many applications that after a while they are obliged to close the applications and keep them (not in all cases) for the next intake. So, you're better off applying now and having your name at the top of their list!

[Randomist]

Some companies will say they'll take applications for sept 2012 in jan once tyey've sorted out their current intake but a lot will be happy to conduct an interview for you now. You may have to wait a while to be told yes or no because the company may have to wait for results from people with predicted grades.

As fir your qualifications. So long as you have a grade A-C in Maths English and Science at GCSE, along with 2 other A-C passes in other subjects, you're perfectly qualified to be accepted onto an HND cadetship.

Some bigger and more popular companies can afford to be choosy with who they accept, if they have a lot of interest. So if you really want a place, apply for a number of companies.

[h.sinfield]

I wouldn't worry about it at all. My A levels consisted of Art, Design and technology, Religious Education and English. Hardly nautical science based. I'm with Clyde Marine and upon getting an interview all they really looked into was my GCSE's.

When you actually start the course most of what you cover as far as maths goes is higher tier GCSE. We weren't really expected to know some of the A-level stuff because some schools don't even cover spherical trig etc.

Nothing to worry about. I was terrible at maths before starting and blazed through, you'll be fine!

[CharlieDelta]

The maths needed for the course is all higher tier GCSE plus a few oddities like spherical trigonometry which aren't on many school syllabi.

If you can get your head around interpolation/extrapolation you'll be fine. You'll be doing a hell of a lot of it. The maths really isn't too difficult.