Advice for an Aspring Cadet

[BiB29]

Hi guys,

Im looking to apply for a deck cadet opening in the coming days, however, from what i've read it may appear that my chance of a possible September start are slim - with January 2014 being a more realistic opportunity.

Anyway, what I ask is for advice - hardcore, raw advice!

To make my CV/Application as strong as possible, what experience would you say is useful ? I'm what you call a 'mature student', I tick all the educational boxes but my background is mainly ITS, management and web design based...this doesn't consist of much time spent at sea!

If anyone has any suggestions and advice to gaining good,grounded experience, it will be much appreciated and fully taken onboard (see what I did there)!

[Giorgos.Vr]

since I'm in a rather similar situation I will do my best but no promises...

IMHO the biggest asset "older cadets" can present for themselves is transferable skills you already know you have

management is one
proven mathematical skills is another, you mentioned web-design... well what about programming?

even without programming skills though, HTML for example is -in a sense- a high-level type programming language of sorts

this is a proven skill for logical thinking and the ability of following procedures!

and so on and so forth... think it through!

[BiB29]

Cheers for the advice Giorgos - really appreciate it!

What about practical experience - any suggestions for someone who's currently in FT employment and lives in a rural area? I wish to cover every angle if possible but I may be hampered by the logistics?

Also, age... I'm 29, physically fit and everyting works but would my age may be a hinderance to a career with the merchant navy? Any experience of this?

[Giorgos.Vr]

I soooooo can't help you on that, being 28 and with no sea-time either I'm on the same boat myself and would love to read more from someone "in the know"

however one very reasonable conclusion on that would be somewhere along the lines of,

"at the very least I have "real-world" experience that "straight-out-of-school" 19 year olds don't, so what's to stop me???"

it might sound a bit arrogant I understand but from what I read (for example here ) confidence is rather necessary even when it only concerns an application

sure hope someone can tell us more!

[RudderNonsense]

I'm 28 and didn't have too much trouble finding a cadetship. Although I'll admit I did worry about my age at the time. People have told me that a bit of life experience can help so long as you are prepared to learn from someone who is younger than you during sea phases. Also, while on paper you may have more qualifications than the person you're learning from, in terms of the job you are an absolute beginner and that's something to bear in mind. Being humble appears to be essential. If you can cope with that then I expect you'll be okay.

I know that as of the 28th May Clyde Marine Training were still posting on their website saying they were taking applications so you could give them a call and see what the position is.

Best of luck to you.

[Giorgos.Vr]

[...]so long as you are prepared to learn from someone who is younger than you during sea phases.[...]

true that!!!
I take it for granted but that is in fact important!!!!

You see mate, one of the reasons I left Ireland was because of my mandatory army service (those who "skip" it on their own initiative could face prison time although it rarely ever happens!) and going through my military training (boat full of manure if you ask me, but still!) I saw a TONE of guys around my age having super serious issues taking orders from younger-than-them officers even though it was abundantly clear (to me anyway!) that said officers were perfectly capable and well trained at their jobs and even if they didn't really have to were more than able to prove it!

but I see how that can be an issue though!!!

[BiB29]

Thank you both!

It has put my mind to ease, knowing that i'm not the only 'elder' wishing to begin a career with the Merchant Navy!I agree, I have no qualms at all with learning/age gaps - you wont tell tell Lionel Messi or Bale to do one if they advised you on how to properly strike a football. One of the main reasons why I want to join is to learn - if I had to learn from a mop I will learn from the mop! Everyone has to take a first step at some point i suppose.

As Indiana Jones said "It's not the age, just the mileage"

[BiB29]

As Indiana Jones said "It's not the age, just the mileage"

I have no idea why that is relevant but it does sound good!

[CharlieDelta]

Im looking to apply for a deck cadet opening in the coming days, however, from what i've read it may appear that my chance of a possible September start are slim - with January 2014 being a more realistic opportunity.

September start is pretty much out the window now. However, if you can I would very much recommend attending the Warsash open day on the 28th June. You'll be able to meet all the companies face to face which will help you a lot as you you through the recruitment process. There's also a very slim chance that some companies will have last-minute spaces for September and will be looking to use the open day as an interview. As I say, a VERY slim chance but it's been known to happen.

To make my CV/Application as strong as possible, what experience would you say is useful ? I'm what you call a 'mature student', I tick all the educational boxes but my background is mainly ITS, management and web design based...this doesn't consist of much time spent at sea!

They're not expecting you to be a master mariner from the start, so don't worry too much. The best thing is to do your research and be able to speak with confidence about what you feel the career offers you and your motivations for choosing it. Work experience of any kind is valued, so an IT and management background should work well for you. Electronic navigation is a big thing right now, and companies are looking for people with an interest in technology and who are computer literate.

As everyone else says, don't worry about age. People much older than you have gone down the cadetship route.

Finally, welcome to the forum!! Don't forget to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. You may find our company profiles useful. The search function unlocks the wisdom of three years of forum posts (over 40,000 of them) and you can guarantee that most questions, even the more bizarre ones, have answers somewhere. If you can't find by searching, start a thread and we'll be all over it.

Welcome!

[Giorgos.Vr]

As Indiana Jones said "It's not the age, just the mileage"

I have no idea why that is relevant but it does sound good!

I got a better one!!! Murphy's law abt the corporate ladder,

"employees will rise to the max of their inabilities"!!!

[BiB29]

Cheers for the advice Charlie Delta (great community you have here too - very prompt!)

You mentioned the Warsash open day on the 28th June - is this based down in Southampton? Do you know they run any national campaigns - say in the North West?

[CharlieDelta]

Thanks!

Warsash is the only college I know of that has does a summer open day, though others may correct me. It may be worth looking at the Fleetwood and South Tyneside websites to see if they have anything planned. If you're quite far up north then Southampton might be a bit of a pain, though people do come from far and wide!

[HarmlessWeasel]

check to see when the Fleetwood open day is. tis near Blackpool

[BiB29]

Ahhhhh Fleetwood yes! Thanks for the head's up!

[BiB29]

Ahhhhh Fleetwood no! Balls - February 2013 was the only listing, has anyone heard anything different?