Clyde Marine Training Interview

[DaveThePlumber]

Hi i have an interview with clyde marine training in january got a few questions.

How difficult is the interview going to be ? iv been reading the pamflet they gave me about oil tankers reefers etc n how much crew and what speed they go and how they differ what else should i study about it?

also i know clyde are slightly different to other companies and theyll ask me what i know about them? are they basically an agency that pair cadets up with shipping companies and supply the funding for your college course?

also when they say why do you want to go to sea, well i know a lot people have family that were maybe in mn but i dont have this. one of my friends was in the royal marines and is now working on maritime security. is a good enough excuse that i see how much he enjoys coming home after being away for 2-6months at a time. it makes him appreiciate friends family more. I have worked away from home for a few summers and thats how i feel about being away. also is this relevant that iv worked away from home so can cope wth homesickness etc?

i come from an engineering background iv finished an apprenticeship so understand what it takes to get throguh a course like this and thrived on doing the dirty work that engineers couldnt be bothered doing as it gives you a sense of responsibility etc.

also i take it with my interview being start of january then i wouldnt start till september?

[EFC92]

I could be wrong but I wouldn't worry too much about speed and technical details in the application stage I doubt they will ask you too much about that (just to let you know I never applied through Clyde), although if you think you can get your head around remembering the details it may impress them. I'm sure the purpose of that pamflet is so you can discuss your preferred work placement and have a better idea of which type of company/vessel you would like to train on.

My understanding of Clyde is that many companys outsource there cadet recruitment to them, so the companys don't have to deal with it and Clyde can keep an eye on them in college. You are essentially right about them being an agency, the wider Clyde group also recruit post-training in the same agency format. They have a pool of companys which sponsor the cadets and Clyde manage the training on there behalf, it is the companys themselves which fund each individual sponsor and Clyde probably get commission. You choose your preferred companies from this list I believe http://www.clydemarinetraining.com/content/sponsorslist so it is worth reading up on some of the companies, I would bare in mind company reputation, number and variety of vessels operated when discussing your company. Also ask clyde during the interview if, say you pick CalMac Ferrys to sponsor you, whether there is opportunity to experience bulk carriers or tankers as well so you can train on many types of vessel.

In regards to why you want to go to sea, only you honestly know that, some points you may want to use are adventurous, challenging, wide-variety of skills, unique lifestyle appeals to you, thriving industry with lots of opportunity, I can't really think of anything else. One thing I did was identify in my own head questions they are likely to ask and wrote them down in a Question and answer format on a sheet of paper, then when you have your best answers read over it a few times a week and take it with you to the waiting part of the interview to focus yourself and you won't stumble. A big point you have to get across in your interview is your committment level as there is a high drop-out rate at various stages of the course, and your understanding and consideration of some the bad parts of the job. Taking that into consideration while putting a positive spin on your answers is key.

They are likely to ask you about school, employement, qualifications, hobbys that sort of thing. Teamwork and leadership and problem solving are also desired qualifications so I would be prepared incase they ask you for examples of a "time when blah blah blah"

[DaveThePlumber]

so do you think its not worth studying the types pf boats just now ? iv wrote notes on crew numbers and speeds of bout 10 different types of boats but is this wasting my time?

[EFC92]

in the 3 interviews I had altogether I didn't get asked anything specific like that, to be honest I'd think there was better things to be talking about then silly facts and figures for the sake of it. However reading through other posts on the forum someone did say to learn that sort of thing. I don't want to say for definite as if I'm wrong and you do get asked it I'll feel somewhat responsible for misguiding you. I can only give my experience which was that I didn't bother.

I think the main things to do are to find out what type of vessel you want to go on and explain why, so do a wee bit of research. But just be aware that with most of the agency type sponsors you'll say one type of vessel (i.e. Passenger), but get placed on what ever is available (such as containers). But having a 5 minutes of conversation at the ready about different type of vessels, the workings of and why your preference is what it is I'd thought would come in handy.

Do you have a particular vessel type in mind? I think most companys get sick of cadets aiming for Cruise ships, so even if that is your preference your unlikely to get it so I would be open to the other commercial vessels. Being open-minded and eager will be a good trait they look for, so have some knowledge about a few different types, i.e Tankers carry liquids (what liquids?), bulk carriers all-sorts of loose cargo, containers carry any ****e in a box, ferrys carry people so people management skills are needed, car-carriers self explanatory.

Overall for the interview think about what exactly you want, yet still being open-minded. Why exactly you want it, just be honest. What you've done to deserve it (i.e. skills and acheivements) and overall paint the best picture for yourself.

[CharlieDelta]

I think most companys get sick of cadets aiming for Cruise ships

Definitely. I would say, unless you've applied to Carnival/Princess/Viking where it's quite obvious you'll be on cruise ships, don't go to the likes of Clyde or SSTG saying how much you want cruise ships. The chances are you're not going to get them and the recruitment types probably hear it all the time.

If you're coming to sea, come with an open mind. If you couldn't imagine yourself ever working on a cargo ship, and if being on cruise ships is the only reason for applying, then you're probably best applying to work as hotel staff on cruise ships.

[alistairuk]

If you're coming to sea, come with an open mind. If you couldn't imagine yourself ever working on a cargo ship, and if being on cruise ships is the only reason for applying, then you're probably best applying to work as hotel staff on cruise ships.

I wouldn't say that - I for instance had and still do have no intention of ever going near a cargo ship - thing's might change down the line but for now it doesn't interest me.

If it is the passenger market you want to work in, then obviously you should, as CD said, apply to Viking Recruitment and Carnival UK who recruit solely for the cruise lines otherwise your putting quite a lot on what is essentially a gamble that your going to be selected for one of the few cruise spaces the others have going.

I do note that it wasn't the original poster that brought up cruise lines :-) Cruise Line's seem to be popular because people see us standing around in our lovely clean white uniforms doing f-all - what they don't realise (& don't see since their usually asleep/ashore) is that we do actually work quite hard - occasionally

[agibbs98]

The interview won't be easy or hard, I think anyone who is serious about the MN will find the interview ok.

Clyde will almost definitely ask you about some vessel crew sizes and speeds etc.. They have a sheet with loads of questions on it related to the MN which they ask, so be prepared.

I got asked:
What kind of temperature do you think you'll be working in when in the engine room?
What are the risks of working in an engine room?
How many crew would I expect to find on a container ship, and how fast would I expect it to be sailing?
You just walked into the engine room, tell me the different things you can see.
Name a few of our sponsor companies and briefly what ships they operate.
What kind of shifts would you be working?
What is the rank structure of officers in the engine room? (only need to say 4th 3rd 2nd chief)

That is all I can remember, but that gives you the general idea of what could be asked. The fact you've worked away from home before is probably of interest to Clyde (I remember a question on the application "What experience do you have of living away from home", or something like that), so they will hopefully ask you about that.

Goodluck!

[DaveThePlumber]

Don't mean to be rude but the questions you just asked..... What's the answers to them. Iv not read anywhere bout temperatures or what an engine room looks like ! Kinda nervous now !

[Clanky]

Engine room temperatures will depend on the ship itself, where in the world you are sailing and what time of year it is, I have seen ice on the plates in Finland in the winter and people dropping from heat exhaustion in the Red Sea in summer, it is not unthinkable that you could be working in temperatures of 50 C in the Red Sea in summer.

As for hazards in the engine room, well obviously the temperature is one of them, drinking loads of water to keep hydrated and in extremes of heat rehydration salts will help, moving machinery, chemicals, slips trips and falls are the other hazards, most of these can be overcome by good housekeeping (keeping the place clean and tidy) safe working practices and care and attention to what you are doing and what is going on around you.

What you are likely to find in the engine room:

Main engines
Auxilliary engines (for electrical generation)
Various pumps for the systems required to run the engines
A boiler (or possibly more than one) to produce steam for heating fuel, water and accomodation
Fresh water production plant
Sewage plant
Bilge water treatment plant for pumping bilge wtare from the engine room and ensuring that it is free of oil.

[The H]

Normally a variety of air compressors too.

[The Belsonator]

Clyde Marine Interview Help

Hi There Folks,
I start my training on the 9th of January at City Of Glasgow College and doing my cadetship through Clyde Marine Training, with regards to your interview questions i had mine end of October and the leaflet that they have given you is very handy, they will ask you how many vessels there are and you will be asked to name each of the vessels. I got asked how many crew members were on a few specific vessels and also the average speed of a selected few vessels. I also got asked what i knew of Clyde Marine, everything can be found on their website with regards to this if you need more help with this part then i could write out my notes for you but its not that hard to remember a few lines which is really all they are looking for from you.
I also got asked about the types of engines on the majority of the ships...you don't need to go into too much detail...all they are looking for is ''DIESEL ENGINES''...you could do what i done and say about 2 stroke and 4 stroke, talk about how they work mechanically but i was told this was ''WAY MORE THAN WHAT THEY WERE LOOKING FOR'' lol
Other questions like AGIBBS98 stated were included in my interview also
What kind of temperature do you think you'll be working in when in the engine room? 50C+
What are the risks of working in an engine room? Exhaustion, Dehydration, Trip Hazards, Parts catching fire etc...
Name a few of our sponsor companies and tell me of what sort of ships they operate? again, i chose British Marine PLC, Sub Sea Seven & NorthLink as my chosen sponsoring companies so i basically said British Marine - Bulk Carriers betweeen Europe and China, Sub Sea Seven - North Sea Rig Supply Work etc... I did say a bit more but it really depends on your chosen top 3 sponsors so you should really know this =)
What kind of shifts would you be working? Again...4 Hours on, 8 Hours off....But as a cadet you will be expected to sometimes work for days at a time without much rest...where as officers above you will get rest...they asked me after this question, how do you think you will be able to deal with hardly any sleep working in such conditions...i just said because i had worked for 2 days solid that i found by making sure i was always getting a good sleep and regular excercise i was able to deal with sleep deprivation whilst keeping alert lol
What is the rank structure of officers in the engine room? again i said cadet, 4th officer, 3rd officer, 2nd officer and Chief...
Another question is how i would deal with time being away from family, again a personal question so personal answer required.
How would you use your spare time when not working on ship? again another personal question, i answered with reading a book, exercising etc...
Also the only question i got asked about the engine room was ''name 3 different things you would see within the engine room''...again this has been answered for you above =)
as for other basic questions like ''What made you want to join the merchant navy?'' you'll know this by now and all they are looking for is basic key points to show your genuinely interested...good points to mention are ''Travel Prospects, Rewarding Career, Clean Environment (because its the sea etc..))
Wish you the best of luck =)

[DaveThePlumber]

Fantastic info can't thank you enough coz I wouldn't have new the answers to lot of them. Are you allowed to take notes into your interview

[The Belsonator]

Hi there,
As far as i know no your not allowed too, i gave myself a few hours each day for like a few days to remember and learn the stuff...as i said before, all they are looking for is the basics of stuff, nothing too technical.
The main thing is to remember all the different types of vessels, that's probably the biggest question out of them all. Also try and remember the number of crew members on each vessel type and the speed at which they cruise at as they will ask you for a few of these on random ship types.
Again, really everything you need to know is in the booklet you would've recieved and the website itself is a very handy tool...don't do what i did and memorise stuff about longitude and latitude and what each one means etc...she did ask me if i knew what a nautical mile was though, so handy to know that =)
Best of luck to you anyway and any issues, send us a little pm.

[GraaY94]

Dave! ive got an interview too on the 20th of january!

what ive been doing is, reading up on ships, to try and decide what ships i want to go on,
read up on current affairs, prices of oil and any shipping news
learn the ratings/ranks in the MN
learn as much about CMT on their websites


GOOD LUCK!

[billwillis]

Where are your interviews at guys?