Working on a Cruise ship?
Discussion
paulrussell said:
Intresting that I thought I'd be too old to go on a cadet scheme. I would need to find a sponsor, yet I have no idea how to find one. I've looked at courses and the nearest one that does apprenticship is Southampton, so I would need to move to somewhere closer.
The main colleges, Warsash (Southampton), South Tyneside and Glasgow, you're able to either live on campus or they can supply you with a list of off site housing. paulrussell said:
I've looked at the GCSE grades required to get on to the courses and mine aren't higher enough, so that's that idea I can throw out of the window.
Not necessarily; if your rubbish results were the result of being a tit at school or having poor quality teachers then there's nothing stopping you getting improved GCSE marks at an FE college before applying for a cadetship. I'd only really agree with you if you're a maths dunderhead as maths(of A-level difficulty) features throughout the college class work for marine engineering.Details of all the companies who sponsor cadets in the UK are on the Careers At Sea website. While you can apply directly to some companies, most deal with cadets via a training company like the SSTG group or Clyde Marine Training; the details of the training companies are also listed on that website.
Edited by hidetheelephants on Monday 9th January 12:20
This ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^.
If it's something you want to do, then it's certainly worth going that extra mile to achieve. At 25 your probably better equipped emotionally than a lot of the 16 & 17 YOs that come through the system. I've seen many come to sea and then get completely shell shocked at the way of life. One guy quit because he missed his skateboard.
As Hidetheelephants says, the course is heavy on the maths. Thermodynamics, ship construction, electrics and mechanics all use it to some extent. Even if at the end of it all a life at sea isn't for you, a HND in Marine Engineering is a pretty good qualification for 3 years work.
If it's something you want to do, then it's certainly worth going that extra mile to achieve. At 25 your probably better equipped emotionally than a lot of the 16 & 17 YOs that come through the system. I've seen many come to sea and then get completely shell shocked at the way of life. One guy quit because he missed his skateboard.
As Hidetheelephants says, the course is heavy on the maths. Thermodynamics, ship construction, electrics and mechanics all use it to some extent. Even if at the end of it all a life at sea isn't for you, a HND in Marine Engineering is a pretty good qualification for 3 years work.
I find that people like that never change, sadly.I've met quite a few officers from cruise ships so here's my input. If you're a sociable type being on a cruise ship is a good place to be - they're not all old fuddy duddies - average age on a P&O Summer cruise is about 46 and the discos are usually heaving.
Being on a merchant ship does not usually require wearing a smart uniform - but it can be excrutiatingly dull as there aren't many stops
Frankly - drinking can be a problem as it's cheap and there's not much else to spend your money on - so beware. It isn't tolerated and people found drunk when they should not be are usyally dumped at the next port - no employment laws at sea really
On cruise ships you get to go to all sorts of places and if you cosy up to the tours people you can often get to go on excusrions as a 'helper' which comes at a good price
If you like grass and trees don't do it - you won't see many on board
I've met quite a few officers who keep talking about retiring so they can drive their Porsches, and then sign on again - so the life can be addictive
Being on a merchant ship does not usually require wearing a smart uniform - but it can be excrutiatingly dull as there aren't many stops
Frankly - drinking can be a problem as it's cheap and there's not much else to spend your money on - so beware. It isn't tolerated and people found drunk when they should not be are usyally dumped at the next port - no employment laws at sea really
On cruise ships you get to go to all sorts of places and if you cosy up to the tours people you can often get to go on excusrions as a 'helper' which comes at a good price
If you like grass and trees don't do it - you won't see many on board
I've met quite a few officers who keep talking about retiring so they can drive their Porsches, and then sign on again - so the life can be addictive
paulrussell said:
After seeing this thread I've decided to seriously think about working on a Cruise ship. I'd like to work in engernering, but I don't have any experiance. I have mechnical knolege but I'm not sure if it's important, as the engines are alot bigger on cruise ships than engines in a car.
There are a few things I'd like to sort out if I decide I do want to work on a Cruise ship, such as full motorbike and driving licences, have a sort out of my stuff so only things I want will go to my parents places as currently I rent a room.
There are a few things I'd like to sort out if I decide I do want to work on a Cruise ship, such as full motorbike and driving licences, have a sort out of my stuff so only things I want will go to my parents places as currently I rent a room.
paulrussell said:
I wouldn't go on the cadet scheme as my GCSE results proberly aren't good enough. Also I'm 25 and I don't fancy going to college for 3 years at my age, plus I can't afford to have no job. I have looked at job roles on cruise ships, and it appears I don't need any experiance or quilifications for bottom end roles.
paulrussell said:
My GCSE results are quite poor as I found year 6,7,8 and 9 quite easy. I'm not going to bother improving my GCSE's. I could take a job in retail on a cruise ship, but it doesn't intrest me as much as engeerniring does.
With spelling like that you'll do well in the profession 
Gaspowered said:
Don't know too much about cruise line ships, not my field. But what I do know is that, as an engineer, the work scope is very specialised. One guy I did know looked after jacuzzis, and that was pretty much it. Imagine cleaning filters of body hair for your job. He left soon after.
From what I gather from friends who work (or have worked) in the cruise ship business, each junior watchkeeping engineer has responsibility for certain bits of kit (e.g. 12-4 watch will look after boilers and purifiers, etc.), and there are usually a few 2nd and 1st engineers in charge of certain departments (all very loosely based on the manpower setup the RN uses). There are large teams of fitters, plumbers, electricians who will usually deal with things 'up top', like jacuzzis, cabins and other 'small' stuff, although junior engineers may be required to assist (I've heard of one passenger who wanted a white face in her cabin, as she didn't trust the Filipino plumbers 
).Paulrussell, I'm in a similar situation to Hidetheelephants (I did the graduate course at 26 after doing the uni thing and 'working' in a different career), and can definitely recommend it; I'm now working out in the Far East on anchor handlers (Positives: more pay and better weather than the North Sea, Negatives: erm, no 'extra-curricular' action as you might get on a cruise ship!).
As Gaspowered said, if you want to do it, go for it - the HND and work experience gained should open up other doors should you decide a life at sea isn't for you!
Taffer said:
Gaspowered said:
Don't know too much about cruise line ships, not my field. But what I do know is that, as an engineer, the work scope is very specialised. One guy I did know looked after jacuzzis, and that was pretty much it. Imagine cleaning filters of body hair for your job. He left soon after.
From what I gather from friends who work (or have worked) in the cruise ship business, each junior watchkeeping engineer has responsibility for certain bits of kit (e.g. 12-4 watch will look after boilers and purifiers, etc.), and there are usually a few 2nd and 1st engineers in charge of certain departments (all very loosely based on the manpower setup the RN uses). There are large teams of fitters, plumbers, electricians who will usually deal with things 'up top', like jacuzzis, cabins and other 'small' stuff, although junior engineers may be required to assist (I've heard of one passenger who wanted a white face in her cabin, as she didn't trust the Filipino plumbers ).Paulrussell, I'm in a similar situation to Hidetheelephants (I did the graduate course at 26 after doing the uni thing and 'working' in a different career), and can definitely recommend it; I'm now working out in the Far East on anchor handlers (Positives: more pay and better weather than the North Sea, Negatives: erm, no 'extra-curricular' action as you might get on a cruise ship!).
As Gaspowered said, if you want to do it, go for it - the HND and work experience gained should open up other doors should you decide a life at sea isn't for you!
Taffer said:
I'm now working out in the Far East on anchor handlers (Positives: more pay and better weather than the North Sea, Negatives: erm, no 'extra-curricular' action as you might get on a cruise ship!).
Hurrah, gainful employment! Who with, what's the pay like and do they need any more? The weather in the north sea is getting me down.paulrussell said:
The trouble is that I've got dyspraxia, so retaking a few of my GCSE's and doing the course would be really hard for me. It would stress me out too much for it to be worth it.
Never say never; the maths involved at the college stage will always have a practical bent to it and, provided you can get a decent tutor, relearning your maths needn't be too stressful. The maritime and offshore sector is experiencing a rising labour shortage (high average ages, so lots of people retiring soon and not enough coming up to fill the gaps), so it's definitely an area to look into as there seems to be more work out there than on land!hidetheelephants said:
Taffer said:
I'm now working out in the Far East on anchor handlers (Positives: more pay and better weather than the North Sea, Negatives: erm, no 'extra-curricular' action as you might get on a cruise ship!).
Hurrah, gainful employment! Who with, what's the pay like and do they need any more? The weather in the north sea is getting me down.Still planning on doing some tall ship stuff at some point this year, but I'll have to see what my leave dates are like (6 weeks on/off doesn't always happen!) - are you planning on doing any (there's some maintenance out in the Canaries mid-March for a fortnight)?
Edited by Taffer on Monday 9th January 16:25
coogy said:
With regards to being away from home. I'm 26, recently single and got bugger all keeping me here really. Its very appealing, if a little scary.
Perfect time of life to do it OP; just don't do what a mate of mine did - he got a new girlfriend shortly before going away to the cruise lines. Judging from FB photos of the company he's keeping on there, I'd say it's best to go away without any ties! I'm tempted to do at least one 4 month trip on a cruise boat while I'm still fairly new to the industry, for research purposes like.......
Edited by Taffer on Monday 9th January 16:17
Taffer said:
Still planning on doing some tall ship stuff at some point this year, but I'll have to see what my leave dates are like (6 weeks on/off doesn't always happen!) - are you planning on doing any (there's some maintenance out in the Canaries mid-March for a fortnight)?
Just get in touch when you know your dates. Still a few slots here and there to fill. Gassing Station | Jobs & Employment Matters | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff