Looking for suggestions / advices related to mid life career dilemma

[ruchirrathore]

Hi All,
I am writing this from India. I am (or rather used to be) a seafarer, until 2013. I'm a 2M (FG) ticket holder from India. I have been trying to get back into maritime field since then, but have not been successful, most probably due to a long gap in my career and also that I am now 47 years old. Most places where I have applied for 3rd Mate/2nd Mate roles, I have been rejected and I've been told that long gaps and age factor are working against my chances), so I have ended up working in contact centers to pay my bills and run my household, as a tech support exec. It's not as glamorous as maritime, but it's better than being unemployed. Also, technology always attracts me like a magnet. I find it easier to deal with machines, more than humans.

Now, I am still subscribed to telegram and whatsapp channels related to job vacancies. So, I am noticing that
1. Demand for deck officers (jr. officers to be specific) in dry ships are very few, but in tankers (all kinds of) I am still noticing continuous vacancies are coming up.
2. Demand for engineers is still coming up more or less steadily. I am in particular lately, looking specifically at vacancies related to ETO roles.

So, I am looking for highly valuable advice/suggestions from all fellow seasoned seafarers' from all over world.

How is the actual job market scenario related to ETO, in Indian maritime industry?

Is it possible and worth the efforts, if I decide to switch to ETO role, on board cargo / cruise vessels? If it is possible, could someone please point to right direction, as to how to go about it? I mean getting education (degree & all), seatime required, OJT, etc, any helpful resources will be highly appreciated. Also, given my age, is it actually possible to get back to college (if not in India, then somewhere else maybe)?
Alternately, should I stick to 3M/2M profile, and get into tanker side of vessels? I currently do not have any sailing experience in tankers (of any type), only in bulkers and a container vessel. If that's the right direction, then how to go about it? What all courses and trainings will be required? Also how is the job market for jr. deck officers on tankers?

And finally, between going ETO way and sticking to Deck Off profile, which has brighter future job prospects? Like diversifying to cruise, shore jobs (ETO vs Deck Officer) and which role will remain in demand in near future?
Looking forward for your valuable suggestions and career advices
Thanks

[shackleguy]

I think you'll unfortunately struggle to get much advice relating to the Indian qualifications as most people on this forum seem to have gained all their certificates in the UK.
Certainly if you were in the UK, you wouldn't be able to convert a deck CoC into an ETO one so would have to apply for a cadetship, in the same fashion you gained the deck CoC. This would take a few years and might be hard to get sponsorship due to your age.

One thing that would be a concern in the UK is revalidation of your ticket. In the UK, a deck officer ticket lasts 5 years and if you have not sailed in this period then you'll need to sit your officer's exams again. I don't know if this is the same in India but it is worth checking.

If I can assume that the requirements to work on tankers is the same in India as is UK, then you will need to find a company to gain seatime on to get your dangerous cargo certificates. It might be difficult but it is worth contacing any tanker company you can think of to see if you can get the seatime.

I'll wish you the best of luck, but as my knowledge of the Indian job market is minimal, there is not a lot of advice I can give.

[ruchirrathore]

I think you'll unfortunately struggle to get much advice relating to the Indian qualifications as most people on this forum seem to have gained all their certificates in the UK.
Certainly if you were in the UK, you wouldn't be able to convert a deck CoC into an ETO one so would have to apply for a cadetship, in the same fashion you gained the deck CoC. This would take a few years and might be hard to get sponsorship due to your age.

One thing that would be a concern in the UK is revalidation of your ticket. In the UK, a deck officer ticket lasts 5 years and if you have not sailed in this period then you'll need to sit your officer's exams again. I don't know if this is the same in India but it is worth checking.

If I can assume that the requirements to work on tankers is the same in India as is UK, then you will need to find a company to gain seatime on to get your dangerous cargo certificates. It might be difficult but it is worth contacing any tanker company you can think of to see if you can get the seatime.

I'll wish you the best of luck, but as my knowledge of the Indian job market is minimal, there is not a lot of advice I can give.

Thank you so much for taking time out and replying to my query. I'm new on this forum, and came across it while searching for anyone who could share some valuable suggestion, a lighthouse, a direction finder to help me navigate this situation. Yeah, most of regulations are very similar to UK, including requirements for seatime, on deck side.
While we are at it, may I ask you to kindly share your views on future prospects for roles of deck officer, vs eto?
Given the possibility of job spectrum for ETO as much wider than just maritime industry.
Thanks a lot

[EH75]

The general consensus seems to be that ETO is the route with the best prospects both at sea and shoreside due to the large amount of transferable skills and increasing automation in all industries.

[ruchirrathore]

The general consensus seems to be that ETO is the route with the best prospects both at sea and shoreside due to the large amount of transferable skills and increasing automation in all industries.

Thanks for your reply EH75 . Much appreciated.
If so, I was hoping to know, for ETO related competency courses, if
1. it's practically possible to get back into a college (in UK, perhaps, or elsewhere in Western maritime countries, and whose education / certification is recognized all over the world)? Any idea, if any college in UK, would entertain my application to get the essential degree (Graduation maybe, I don't know)? If that's possible, then, would my background from Deck officer side be of any use/helpful, to give any weightage in actual studies? My core education is 3 years degree in Nautical Sciences from one of the most reputed academy in India, and entire course is science stream based. My education (prior to this degree), was also science stream only
2. Will my age and nationality be any barrier in getting into college?
3. If point 1 and 2 are not an issue, any idea if there's any possibilities of distance learning / online courses?

Thanks in advance
Cheers

[Jojamc]

Hi All,
I am writing this from India. I am (or rather used to be) a seafarer, until 2013. I'm a 2M (FG) ticket holder from India. I have been trying to get back into maritime field since then, but have not been successful, most probably due to a long gap in my career and also that I am now 47 years old. Most places where I have applied for 3rd Mate/2nd Mate roles, I have been rejected and I've been told that long gaps and age factor are working against my chances), so I have ended up working in contact centers to pay my bills and run my household, as a tech support exec. It's not as glamorous as maritime, but it's better than being unemployed. Also, technology always attracts me like a magnet. I find it easier to deal with machines, more than humans.

Now, I am still subscribed to telegram and whatsapp channels related to job vacancies. So, I am noticing that
1. Demand for deck officers (jr. officers to be specific) in dry ships are very few, but in tankers (all kinds of) I am still noticing continuous vacancies are coming up.
2. Demand for engineers is still coming up more or less steadily. I am in particular lately, looking specifically at vacancies related to ETO roles.

So, I am looking for highly valuable advice/suggestions from all fellow seasoned seafarers' from all over world.

How is the actual job market scenario related to ETO, in Indian maritime industry?

Is it possible and worth the efforts, if I decide to switch to ETO role, on board cargo / cruise vessels? If it is possible, could someone please point to right direction, as to how to go about it? I mean getting education (degree & all), seatime required, OJT, etc, any helpful resources will be highly appreciated. Also, given my age, is it actually possible to get back to college (if not in India, then somewhere else maybe)?
Alternately, should I stick to 3M/2M profile, and get into tanker side of vessels? I currently do not have any sailing experience in tankers (of any type), only in bulkers and a container vessel. If that's the right direction, then how to go about it? What all courses and trainings will be required? Also how is the job market for jr. deck officers on tankers?

And finally, between going ETO way and sticking to Deck Off profile, which has brighter future job prospects? Like diversifying to cruise, shore jobs (ETO vs Deck Officer) and which role will remain in demand in near future?
Looking forward for your valuable suggestions and career advices
Thanks

No direct advice for you unfortunately. But I was wondering if you could maybe share your telegram groups? I'm still a cadet at the moment but would be interesting to see what sort of roles etc are advertised in such groups as I've heard alot of vacancies don't get posted externally.

[ruchirrathore]

No direct advice for you unfortunately. But I was wondering if you could maybe share your telegram groups? I'm still a cadet at the moment but would be interesting to see what sort of roles etc are advertised in such groups as I've heard alot of vacancies don't get posted externally.

Hi,
Where are you based? I'm asking you as these vacancies are nationality based.

[Jojamc]

Hi,
Where are you based? I'm asking you as these vacancies are nationality based.

Based in the UK

[Blueblisteringbarnacles]

Hi Ruchi Rathore,
Imho, you should not have any trouble getting a job as a 3 off or 2 off, with an Indian coc. Just keep it valid by attending the 1-2 weeks revalidation course conducted in most Indian cities (normally, its done in the same class as the masters revalidation for convenience sake!).
apply for openings online in the larger companies like angli, executive, fleet, barber, wallem, synergy, etc.

If you are not located in India, just tell them AFTER they make their offer, post interview stage. That way, they will let you know if you can do your medicals in / near the country you are in. If you tell them before, they might be reluctant to interview, spoiling your chances.

All the rest can easily be done online including signing the contract. Most Indian seafarers dont go to the main offices much bow a days, with contracts signed over email, original delivered via courrier, and air tickets sent via email. Most airlines and immigration accept Letter of guarantee LOG volour email print outs.

My experience working in a large ship management company for a few years has been that, the manager will be pretty cooperative if they need a person of your rank urgently!

Of course, getting the above with a UK based company is rare, as they might have many more conditions (uk coc, uk work permit, etc. And very few uk based seafarer employers like to get into the work permit application).