For those who are somehow connected with the sea, there is no such profession as “sailor”. The entire crew of any ship consists of various workers with a specific specialization. The crew is headed by the captain of the ship. Below him in rank is the deck service, which consists of officers. These are the captain's assistants (senior, second, third and possibly fourth). The rank and file is represented by a boatswain, sailors and a cook. Sometimes cadets who study various maritime professions in specialized educational institutions also go on voyages. Of course, some ships also have radio operators and even doctors on board. If we are talking about a passenger ship, then the number of people, as well as the person on board, can be much greater.
Training for seafarers
If you decide to become a member of the crew of a merchant ship, first of all you should think about obtaining the appropriate education. In order to become a sailor or motor mechanic, it is enough to complete a one-year course at a nautical school. Such graduates often end up on national ships, both commercial and passenger. If your dream is to work under a foreign flag in a large shipping company, then such knowledge, of course, is not enough. Here, attention is paid more to excellent knowledge of the English language and experience at sea.
If the position of a sailor is not the limit of your dreams, and you want to rise to the rank of officer, you should think about further training. Higher maritime educational institutions train specialists for various positions. In addition to the study itself, you have the opportunity to gain experience while practicing on ships. In addition to full-time study, you can also take part-time courses. This is very convenient for those sailors who are already working and want to get a promotion. University graduates have every chance of getting the desired job right away in a foreign company.
Employment
The crewing company is responsible for recruiting personnel. You can find quite a lot of them on the job market for seafarers. Some of the most popular are Jobatsea, Odessa Borda, Sovcomflot and many others. Also, it is crewing that assists in preparing the necessary documents for seafarers. It is these companies that act as intermediaries between ship-owning companies and the personnel they recruit to work on ships. Communication is primarily carried out through email and telephone.
If you want to get a job on a ship of a foreign company, you do not need to go to another country for an interview. A phone is enough for this. However, in order to issue documents that give the right to work in a given company, sometimes you still need to fly to this country to take an exam in English.
If you do not have any experience working on a ship, then you can get the first contract for no more than 8-9 months. In some individual cases, shipowners may enter into a contract on a permanent basis. But in foreign companies, contracts are still temporary. You can get higher salaries in American or European shipping companies.
Whatever work direction you choose, it is important to understand that working at sea requires great discipline, responsibility and a considerable amount of knowledge. But with hard work you can achieve greater heights.
