Sponsoring Companies to aim for

[C500]

Hi there,

some advice on what sponsoring companies are good to apply for be welcome and also what is a good offer.

Offshore: My friend suggested that I should look for something offshore since it's one month on a one week off during the sea phase which helps break it up and also that's where the money is when you start working: what shipping companies count as offshore that offer cadet sponsorship?

If a shipping company offers the funding for a foundation degree what would be monthly allowance would be reasonable? ?600? (to be used for accommodation, food and living expenses). Are people being offered more?

Other than offshore companies what type of ships are good to work on?

Thanks in advance,

C.

[GuinnessMan]

Hello and welcome....

Urm, not being rude but have you read up on how the cadet training system works? You would be sponsored by a company, either directly or through an agency and they (with the college) will determine whether you do the FD or HND.

Also, to be honest, I wouldn't get locked in to going only for offshore vessels. There are lot of different vessel types out there and I will always recommend that a cadet starts with tankers. Reason being, it is easier to start with them and move on to other vessels, it's a lot harder the other way around.

[laura]

Hi,

Offshore isn't necessarily one month on, one week off as a cadet... depends very much on the company, berth space, length of sea phase and the logistics involved in getting you to the ship. I had a 3 and a half month stint on an offshore vessel as a cadet: 12 hour watches, 7 days a week.. working 2 months of that on a 1800- 0600 watch, a day off was very very rare, certainly not weekly so if you think Offshore is the easy opinion with shorter stints think again, it's not easy hearing that classmates are joining in places like Long Beach, Hong Kong or Sydney while you're getting soaked on deck working cargo in the snow sailing in/ out out of an oil base miles from anywhere mid Norway, but that's not always a bad thing either!

Every company and ship is different plus you may find your sea phase gets very squeezed and instead of trying for time off, it's time on you get desperate for!

And to reiterate GMan's advice, don't get too locked into the whole offshore thing, it's not always the best place to start as a trainee... you would probably have a more rounded cadetship on other types of vessels, tankers are definitely a good one to aim for!

People seem to get blinded by the money... here's a very very quick oversight of my take on the

advantages for a CADET onboard an offshore vessel: short stints, relatively modern ships, lots of responsibility/ possibly ship handling at a low rank, very hands on, more likely to be European Mates and some ABs (although this seems to be changing rapidly), can be interesting work, people tend to get stuck in together so morale can be good, generally better food, better welfare conditions- tv/ cd player, internet, phone. You learn lots of different skills- cranes, winches, FRC, supply- lots of tank/ pumping ops/ dangerous goods, Anchor Handling very deck/ operations orientated. It's a good foot in the door to the offshore industry.

disadvantages: as a cadet the crew change constantly- square one with each crew again and again, very frustrating. Long hours, little shore leave. North Sea winter can be absolute hell. Small cabins. Most crew work ( Deck/ Engine/ Catering) watches, either 6 on/off or 12 on/off, social life limited- eating or sleeping only, can be short sailing time- reduced opportunities to learn, it'a a working boat 24/7 for ALL departments and so you'll be used as an extra hand (good!) but.... often not getting learning opportunities, dumped as look out/ gangway ( though this does happen deep sea too of course) just so they've got an extra man cause it means they can free someone more useful, getting your training book filled out is pretty hard- it's supposedly generic but many cargo tasks seem to be deep sea orientated and the navigation stuff isn't always easy to do either, if you can find anyone onboard who knows Celestial Nav in the first place. No other cadets onboard. Drills are done, but they interefere with work and everyone's on watch round the clock even in portso they're often limited.... it can be interesting but it can be very boring too. Same ports constantly, same job repetitively for years/ months. If you get a DP boat as a cadet it is hell, you want sailing experience and a chance to get see colregs in practise instead you get weeks moving little more than metres.

Again I'm not trying to put you off if you really want to work Offshore, go for it, but there are reasons it's well paid after you qualify (outside the fact it's paid for by the oil industry) so look beyond the cash! Lots of Offshore sailors tend to be quite lazy regarding traditional seafaring- lots of technology onboard, lots of chances to take shortcuts, not always the best learning environment! Do a bit of research anyway before you decide.

As for monthly allowance... that's a can of worms! Depends on your age/ circumstances... ?600 ain't so bad if you've got parents to go home to, ?600 while paying rent all year is pretty hard going but possible.

[laura]

Sponsoring companies.... avoid recruitment agencies, less chance of employment after training though they do have some advantages, still want to go offshore: I'd try DOF, Farstad, Sealion, Gulf, Swire, Stena, Bibby for starters (some of these get cadets through a training company, but approach companies first and then get them to put you through the training agency). There are others... these have a fairly decent reputation and are fairly sizeable. Maersk Supply Service ( covers all offshore but known as) have a very good training reputation but seem to be losing a lot of people due to conditions + pay, as well as more and more employment out of Europe...

[laura]

Incidentally, reads a bit weird but yeah you do get time off, you might just not get it as cut and dried as 'okay you've been here 4 weeks, we'll send you home for a week' but of course you get time off! I got three weeks off after that three and a half month trip, three lovely storm free weeks!

[C500]

GuinnessMan: thanks, hahah yes of course I've read how the scheme works: with my qualifications I'm elligible for foundation degree path and have been offered places with two companies in january for the FD but they only operated container ships so wasn't sure...that's useful advice for the tankers, I appreciate it.

[C500]

Laura: that's a great help. I hadn't thought about contacting the companies that use a recruiting company directly that's useful to know. Thanks!

[GuinnessMan]

GuinnessMan: thanks, hahah yes of course I've read how the scheme works: with my qualifications I'm elligible for foundation degree path and have been offered places with two companies in january for the FD but they only operated container ships so wasn't sure...that's useful advice for the tankers, I appreciate it.

To be honest, if you have the offer then take it as there is no guarantee that anyone else will offer you a place and we all have to start somewhere.

[HarmlessWeasel]

Guessing from the salary you mentioned I think I can guess at least one of your offers. If they're both with the same parent company but one is a type of tree, I'd advise against the tree... but like GM said, an offer is an offer is an offer...

[bobofinga]

A lot of people have glorified views of the Offshore Industry until they work in it. People just think of the 'decent' money and 1:1 rotations.

The North Sea doesn't take any prisoners...

[laura]

Next trip... West of Shetland... shuddders, it is Summer soon though, right?

[bobofinga]

Next trip... West of Shetland... shuddders, it is Summer soon though, right?

I was working inbetween the Faeroes and Shetland this Winter at a drill ship...

To say a 10m swell was a decent day isn't far from the truth.

[laura]

I've spent too many winters in the North Sea already, but even there West of Shetland is a dirty word... on the upside 90% of our crew have pretty much only been working in Africa the last few years... no queue in the mess at meal times I suspect! Got to see the positives and all that!

[bobofinga]

My company has had to give 5% pay rises to certain ships working in the area due to people refusing to work there. That is no word of a lie.

If you are crew changing in Lerwick thats also the arse end of nowhere!

[laura]

Can't be worse than West Africa can it... lost count how many times the Captain had to give out 'gifts' to get us home, crew change took the entire trip to get sorted out and it was still a visa filled nightmare, not everyone managed to get onboard, I almost began to miss the North Sea!