Deck Vs. Engineer Vs. ETO

[OCABC]

Hi there,

Does anyone know out of these 3 positions - Deck / Engineer / ETO, which is the most useful / practical / transferable and can be used outside the merchant navy eg. non-shipping related ashore job? And can explain why?


What are the typical working hours and times for each job role?


How much paperwork needs to be done on each job role - and what is the paperwork?


And which companies offering cadetships offer the best most comprehensive and thorough training, and also best pay?


Thanks

[condeh]

Can open, worms everywhere.

As a deckie, my personal opinion is that Engineer is most transferable ashore, this is based on the fact that the majority of my engineer mates now work ashore, whereas us deckies don't have so many options, or so it seems to me! Trying to explain the utility to a recruiter ashore of an HND/FD in some nautical subject and a OOW/Chief Mate ticket is painful, whereas Engineering is a more universally understood skill/qualification.

Typical working hours. Engineers and ETO, generally, are day workers, that is 0800-1700, plus 'extra' for stand-bys (that is, arrivals/departures etc...)
Deck typical working hours, generally, 2x4hr watches plus a couple of hours maintenance watches as follows
0000-0400 - 2/O
0400-0800 - C/O
0800-1200 - 3/O
1200-1600 - 2/O
1600-2000 - C/O
2000-2400 - 3/O

But this can vary, some may be 6hr watches, or even 8hr watches, but the watches above are the ones your are most likely or come across.

Paperwork is standard across the ranks/jobs, is more company dependant imo.

It's a while since I was a cadet, so I'll skip the last question.

Having said all that, I'd say, be a deckie But if you like nights in bed, be a day worker :P

[GuinnessMan]

Can open, worms everywhere.

Lol, pretty much my thoughts!

Any who, im an engineer and I came ashore fairly early on. As engineer it is easier to come ashore earlier, but I wouldn't base your decision upon that.

Have a look and think at what you enjoy the most and go with that, because if you choose the wrong one you will have a miserable time and you only really get one shot at this, so better off doing something you enjoy.

Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk

[Clanky]

If you want to work ashore within the shipping industry then there are more options for engineers, but I would say that ETO's probably have a better chance of finding work outside the industry.

[chris]

The answer is clearly ETO if you enjoy electrics and non mechanical technical work, otherwise the other two. If you like electrics and mechanical go for engineering.

I work 8-5 6 1/2 days a week 3 months on, 2 months off. After 5 Im still on call for big electrical problems and fire fighting.

Working ashore requires extra paper qualifications and another workbook probably and the money is worse, but there are ferry jobs working 2 weeks on 2 weeks off etc, better than a 9-5 shore job in my opinion.

Ive heard BP has good engineering cadet training, dont know if they train etos.

[Martyboy]

Deck Vs. Engineer Vs. ETO

Why get into the industry with a view too leaving, why not just work ashore if that's the end goal

[Bulman]

If you just want to work ashore their are plenty of ways to do it that are easier than a cadetship, apprenticeships start at a more basic level than cadetships but you can just gain the same sort of qualification.

In England there are advanced apprenticeships that take you to a NVQ level 4, and some companies will want a foundation degree to go along with that. You can get one in electrical and mechanical engineering (and more just nothing like deck ashore), and can become more specialised as some places even offer control or certain types of mechanical engineering. To properly come shore side as a ETO, you'd need to learn a lot more as there are regulations and standards that don't apply on ships.

[Quinzo]

BP has two ETO cadets on the Warsash course

[chris]

Good to know.

[condeh]

I think it is very sensible to have an 'exit' strategy in mind.

Working at sea is a pretty unique career, and if you only want to do it for a period of time, or it only works for you for a period of time, go for it.

One day you may well meet that special someone, make some small special someones, and suddenly decide that spending over half the year away from home isn't as much fun as it once was, and you decide to get ashore. Better to think it through now and set yourself up in the best possible position than feel like your stuck at sea in a decade from now, its bad enough being there in the first place!

[bobofinga]

Engineers and ETOs have a much better footing for going ashore than deckies. At the very least deckies need Chief Mates and even then its Aberdeen or London work wise...

[lumo030594]

in term of "which companies offering cadetships offer the best most comprehensive and thorough training, and also best pay?"

• The RFA offer the most in terms of pay and have good training standards but most cadets i know who are engineers with them hate it.

• BP offer the second best pay and everyone i know couldn't rate them any higher in terms of training and time ashore

Trinity house offer relatively good money too , im with them and think the training is amazing and you can go on a range of ships with them as a cadet not just bouy tenders

• cruise company's pay the lest and will normally tie you into a 2-3 year contract after your cadet-ship although this means you will have a garented job at the end. I'm not to sure what the trainings like as most people i know who are with cruise companies just talk about how much of a good time they have.

• i think Bibby offer the least but i don't know much eles about them in terms of standard of training

Personal i would recommend trinity or BP (although you will have to be 18 to apply)

[Clanky]

cruise company's pay the lest and will normally tie you into a 2-3 year contract after your cadet-ship although this means you will have a garented job at the end. I'm not to sure what the trainings like as most people i know who are with cruise companies just talk about how much of a good time they have.

Not sure the bit about cruise companies paying the least is quite correct (it certainly didn't used to be), AFAIK training agencies such as CMT are the lowest paying.

[Bulman]

Deck Vs. Engineer Vs. ETO

Carnival is the second best paying company in our class with chevron being first as the cadets are employed by Clyde so they get that pay and some from chevron, obviously after the cadetship if you work in cruises you will be paid less, yes. Trinity is one of the worst paid but their cadets do go on a good range of ships. Princess were paid lower that intake but think it's gone back up again.

It seems it varies from year to year, depending on funding from government. Supposedly they cut funding a bit and that's allegedly why princess were on less our year,

[Rootsea]

How much paperwork needs to be done on each job role - and what is the paperwork?

I'd suggest you don't worry too much about the paperwork side. I used to hate the idea of paperwork and did everything possible to avoid it. I found myself doing a job where I didn't have any paperwork, but I also had no responsibility and I was mind-numbingly bored.