Feasible reason to not stay in the halls?

[Rmar11]

Hi everyone,

Local lad here, live in jarrow (2 miles away from STC or a 5 minute car/metro journey) and this college is my main choice for September, now, staying in the halls seems massively inconvinient to me as i only live a stones-throw away from the college and i turn 18 in January. If i brought this up to clyde marine, do you think they would be able to sort something out so that i do not have to live in the halls? Or is it compulsory?

Cheers in advance

[billwillis]

I believe it's a must for the first phase!

Someone will be along to confirm.

[GuinnessMan]

I don;t know about STC as to whether it's mandatory or not but it is recommended.

To be honest, you should probably go to a college away from your home town so you can't just nip off home for an hour or two as that will get you a bit used to being away from family and friends, like you would be on ship.

[alistairuk]

As GM says the entire idea of staying in the halls is that you get used to being away from home - which is why a lot of the companies prefer to deliberately send you to the other side of the country.

The only people who can answer this will be Clyde Marine (or the college itself - they normally have a "cadet administrator"), so drop them an email or give them a call.

[ETwhat?]

The whole ' going to sea will take you away form home so lets make sure you do that at college aswell' is pretty weak, the lifestyle in halls is nothing like it is on a ship. It certainly doesnt impose the amount of restriction to you that will be experienced.

If your college is outside reasonable travel distance its possible as a cadet to spend 7 or 8 months with only a week at home. which is nothing like what working at sea will be for british crew.

Clyde will tell you what they require (its not the responsibility of the college) and dont try to argue that the money would be wasted, its their money and to some degree you are supposed to spend it on achieving the course, Saying that its not unheard of people to move out after Christmas and you might find that the halls are good fun. Or has been said they may send you where ever they wish to remove this problem for you.

[YoungMariner]

When I did my cadetship at shields, I recall a few of our guys were local lads. They stayed in the halls, but headed home at weekends. To be honest they missed out on all the fun by dissapearing at weekends.

[electrolytic_coffee]

If memory serves right when there was a local lad (just down the road from the college i think) staying at the halls too, he didnt last long on the course but thats for a different reason. Also, you say Shields is your "main choice" they may not actually send you there anyways (but if your engineering its likely.....wouldnt go putting any money on that though).

Also to re-iterate a point that ETWhat made, the point of sending you away to work at college "cause you go away to work at sea" is pretty lame IMHO, I live in cardiff but go to college in shields and in my college phases Im home maybe less than a week in term time (out of 6 months) and i have the use of my own car. This sea phase im on now started with a month off im away now with about 3 weeks (completing nearly 2 monts) left again and looking at more time off before my next ship again andthis pattern will repeat all the way again till January.....so the two have no correlation in reality. But a phrase from my G-man days "Cause thats the way its always been" springs to mind.

[size4riggerboots]

"Cause thats the way its always been"

*shudder* I hate that phrase. Heard it all too often on ship. I beg you all, if you hear those words, question and investigate further!!

[mak]

As far as I remember you generally have to stay in the halls 'till Christmas, although I didn't, a couple of local guys didn't and one of my mates didn't. The college says you have to but as long as you take it up with the company and the college before you go, and have a legit reason you might be able to get out of it. I just said I was going to live with my "partner" and they let me out after 6 weeks, the period my sponsoring company paid for.

[JJ8811]

Friend of mine with SSTG was in the same position and he was allowed to move back home. Speak to Clyde, they may let you, although you save cash and have home cooking, privacy and your own bed- these luxuries aint available at sea hense why halls do have the benifit of helping you adapt to semi-independant living. I wasnt lucky enough to have this option but Im happy at halls, saying that ive been to sea before and also lived away from home so know the crack and probably would live at home now. If you aint been away then this is a chance to experience independance and seeing how well you cope without home comforts

[Ratrodr]

Last year a lad in my company (GMS) lived in jarrow and he asked our company rep if he could stay at home and they said yeh, fine. Ask your companies rep