Life At Sea
Jennifer
Company: MaerskCollege: South Tyneside College
At the moment I'm on my last ship as a cadet. During this sea phase I feel a lot more confident in my abilities and I enjoy the increased responsibilities. To me it feels like there is a big difference in doing a job under supervision as to previously doing a job under instruction.
With only a few weeks till I’m back at college for my final phase it's starting to dawn on me that the next time I will be on board a ship it will hopefully be as a junior officer.
With more than 12 months on-board different ships as a cadet, visiting different countries and meeting different people, I’m feeling excited if a little bit nervous as I prepare for my final lap as a cadet.
I have been lucky enough to visit 27 different countries and meet family members who live on the other side of the world who without being a cadet in the merchant navy I think I would never have had the chance to meet. I have sailed on container ships, tankers and supply.
There are always bad times – like missing your family at Christmas and during birthdays – but for me the good have out weighed the bad. Being able to visit places like Australia and spending the day in Sydney being able to see the opera house and the bridge – I don't believe there are many jobs in the world that can offer such excitement.
It's been a lot of hard work - both at sea and at college – but I received a lot of support from my tutors at college and the officers on-board the ships. My training portfolio is completed after many hours of writing reports and learning the collision regulations, with just the final hurdles to go of completing my last bit of college and then the biggest day of them all – my MCA oral exams.