When Seafarers Come Ashore

Wed Jun 19, 2013 6:34 am (PDT) . Posted by: "SekharGC" captsekh

While a minority of seafarers may spend their whole working lives at sea, for most of them, their sea career will be a temporary period which, for officers will probably range from 7-15 years. However, the maritime industry does offer opportunities for sea trained and qualified officers in a whole range of activities in which their professional qualifications will be relevant and useful. It is thus sensible for seafarers, during their time in seagoing employment, to keep abreast of these opportunities as a potential route for their own career to take when they wish to come ashore. The seafarer ashore is a valuable employee, educated in a demanding school and accustomed to self-discipline and hard work. He (or she) is mature, does not watch the clock, and possesses drive and initiative. Employers would be wise to seek him (or her) out. Dr Ronald Hope, Director of the Marine Society in the UK penned these words some years ago, and this organisation has always offered sympathetic and practical career advice to seafarers, notably on the educational extras seafarers will need in order to make themselves more attractive to shore-side employment. The job of a ships officer is that of a specialist; increasingly so with the development of specialist ships and sectors within the industry and while statutory qualifications may be a useful measure of professional attainment, it is likely that a seafarer wishing to come ashore will need to be able to demonstrate other qualities, which will make him or her stand out among the other candidates for shore side careers. The choice is a wide one but can be simplified into those careers in which seafaring professional qualifications are essential pilotage, superintendency, ship management and those where they will be useful but will only be a first step towards other specialities, such as ship broking, forwarding and logistics, casualty work of various kinds, insurance and adjusting. The forward-thinking seafarer will be constantly looking around the industry and may well come across former seafarers in a whole range of potentially interesting jobs. They will meet cargo surveyors, harbour masters, superintendents and ship managers, stevedores and pilots, surveyors from maritime authorities and classification societies and many other people who are carving out interesting careers after some time at sea. Most people are more than happy to talk about their jobs and the sort of qualities, skills and experience that they need to accomplish them. While the seagoing professionals may be preoccupied with the need to obtain

their statutory qualifications, it is well worth looking around other useful qualifications that might be recommended and made available by a variety of interests, which range from the professional institutions and organisations such as BIMCO, to commercial educators. Continuing Professional Development will be well worth exploring. *Links to look at*: www.bimco.org, www.nautinst. org <http:> Www.Bimco.org