Hello all,
(I hope this is posted in the right place!)
I am wanting to change my career. I've become very bored and frustrated with the office day-to-day and I have always been interested in a career at sea. I've been trying to get onto the oil and gas platforms for a few years now, with no luck thus far (no experience and all that), and over the last few months have started looking at getting into the Merchant Navy. The route I am wanting to take is to do the Navigation Deck Officer Training Course / Marine Engineering Course - or something along those lines at college. I have been speaking to my local college (South Tyneside College) and also to a number of shipping companies about the best option for me. My hesitation about it is that I am 27, and there are 3 years at college before I'd be qualified, and only some of the shipping companies that would sponsor me through the college course can guarantee a job at the end of it. As well as that, there isn't a huge amount of money available during the course to support myself. It's a large pay cut to take considering I am in full time employment at the moment. But it's something I'd happily do if there was a career at the end of it.
At my age, I need to make a career out of it. So I am wondering if there are people reading this who've been there, done it and would recommend it? Or perhaps anyone who could recommend alternate / quicker ways of starting a career at sea? I'm also wanting to get some real insight into what life is like at sea, there's so much online about it, but I question the authenticity.
One of the things I am hesitant about is the mathematics involved in both the Navigation and the Engineering courses. I got a C at GCSE, I have a degree, but it isn't marine specific or transferable. Because I am not overly confident in maths, I am wondering if anyone could provide insight into how difficult the maths is? I looked into it as the courses not being overly academically challenging, because the entry requirements for both are 5 GCSEs at C or above. The sponsor companies (bar the RFA) have re-iterated this as well.
Any useful advice would be appreciated!
Thanks,
Sygnus
(I hope this is posted in the right place!)
I am wanting to change my career. I've become very bored and frustrated with the office day-to-day and I have always been interested in a career at sea. I've been trying to get onto the oil and gas platforms for a few years now, with no luck thus far (no experience and all that), and over the last few months have started looking at getting into the Merchant Navy. The route I am wanting to take is to do the Navigation Deck Officer Training Course / Marine Engineering Course - or something along those lines at college. I have been speaking to my local college (South Tyneside College) and also to a number of shipping companies about the best option for me. My hesitation about it is that I am 27, and there are 3 years at college before I'd be qualified, and only some of the shipping companies that would sponsor me through the college course can guarantee a job at the end of it. As well as that, there isn't a huge amount of money available during the course to support myself. It's a large pay cut to take considering I am in full time employment at the moment. But it's something I'd happily do if there was a career at the end of it.
At my age, I need to make a career out of it. So I am wondering if there are people reading this who've been there, done it and would recommend it? Or perhaps anyone who could recommend alternate / quicker ways of starting a career at sea? I'm also wanting to get some real insight into what life is like at sea, there's so much online about it, but I question the authenticity.
One of the things I am hesitant about is the mathematics involved in both the Navigation and the Engineering courses. I got a C at GCSE, I have a degree, but it isn't marine specific or transferable. Because I am not overly confident in maths, I am wondering if anyone could provide insight into how difficult the maths is? I looked into it as the courses not being overly academically challenging, because the entry requirements for both are 5 GCSEs at C or above. The sponsor companies (bar the RFA) have re-iterated this as well.
Any useful advice would be appreciated!
Thanks,
Sygnus
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