Finished seaphase, heavy practical experience in cleaning and carrying rags.

[Unregistered]

Hello, I just finished my final seaphase with a company that employs Ukrainian officers.

Theoretically I am fine, but my practical experience has largely consisted of cleaning, soundings, fetching wrenches and being ignored by senior officers. I feel like a lot of it is my own fault, I should have been far more assertive but they really didn't want anything to do with me. I know how to start the main engine, and I know the principles behind operating the machinery but it is all theoretical and from observation.

Basically I feel there is no way I know enough to really be qualified to be a 4th engineer even if I pass my orals.

What does someone like me do from here? I don't particularly want to waste the last three years of my life and go elsewhere- are there options? How do I gain more practical experience after my cadetship is finished?

[ETwhat?]

If your TRB isn't complete you may be able to get the company to send you back to sea after the last college phase and just delaying the oral. If you have one enough to get through the oral its going to be difficult to find more experience there are the random charities that tend to be looking for volunteer labour, but you will find that they tend to want skilled labour for free rather than providing training and experience for free.

But yes you should have been more assertive and certainly after the first sea phase should have know what to expect.

[Unregistered]

It's not that I don't know what I am supposed to be doing, it's that I never allowed to do these things myself while I was onboard, such as operating machinery and performing maintenance myself without someone staring at everything I did and taking over if I wasn't going as fast as they liked.. Surely I am not the only person this has happened to? I thought there were positions as assistant 4th engineers and such, are they no longer around? Is there really no option for me?

[YoungMariner]

It's not that I don't know what I am supposed to be doing, it's that I never allowed to do these things myself while I was onboard, such as operating machinery and performing maintenance myself without someone staring at everything I did and taking over if I wasn't going as fast as they liked.. Surely I am not the only person this has happened to? I thought there were positions as assistant 4th engineers and such, are they no longer around? Is there really no option for me?

The cruise lines would be your best bet to get a good bit of mentoring as a junior engineer, just be honest and keen.

[chris]

BP has the rank of additional 4th engineer (5th engineer in old money)

[Unregistered]

yeah I was the exact same, never allowed to do any jobs never mind alone except cleaning, had one or two practical jobs within the first week of joining supervised by 2/E and he just took over it within a few minutes because I didn't automatically do the right thing or took a bit of time. And to make things worse my training company couldn't care about my sponsors obvious priority to have cadets for tonnage tax purposes rather than to train them.

[Unregistered]

That's a very common story now. Just pick up any mechanical related trade to increase your hands on experience then try to get out to sea on anything. Christmas time is a good time to pick up a job when others run and hide to eat Turkey at home.

[jcwilson91]

Don't worry, When i finished my cadet program, i had barely taken more than 10 soundings, i was cleaning floors and buffing them after. I had two weeks as a junior engineer because i had never been on tankers before and then i just threw myself in. At the end of the day, when you are hired as a first time 4th, the senior officers will remember how it was for them. Be honest, ask for advice expect some angry people, but take it all on the chin.

The deeper you throw yourself in the more you will learn. Just be safety aware so you do not hurt yourself in the process!

You will be fine! Don't forget to read the manuals!