Travel the world and get paid for it!

You'll never forget the first time you go to sea as a Trainee Officer.

Your first posting – while you're still at college - could be anywhere in the world. Your company will give you a plane ticket to where your ship is due to be docked, which could be anywhere in the world. Check out the Travel The World section and see just some of the places that you could visit.

Experience different cultures at first hand. You'll come back from your first voyage with a million stories to tell – and, yes, if your voyage ends somewhere far away, you'll get your plane ticket home. And all this while your pals at ordinary colleges are scraping together the bus fare for a day out in Saltcoats!

• Catch a beautiful sunset in the South China Sea.
• Marvel as your ship glides majestically through the Panama Canal.
• See dolphins playing tag with your ship.
• Catch the Northern Lights off Norway.

And if you get the chance, what with all you're seeing and doing, send some postcards to your friends at home – they'll be boggle–eyed when the post arrives!

Colin McMurray trained to be a Deck Officer in the Merchant Navy – after spending 10 years at sea he came ashore and now he's General Manager at Clyde Marine Training. In his time at sea he sailed to 43 different countries and took time ashore in 35 of them! Not many careers will give you as many passport stamps as a career with the Merchant Navy.