Why all at sea is the place to be

When you're at college, going to sea will be an adventure. And when you've graduated? It will still be an adventure. Every day will be different. You'll still be learning new things all the time. And the sights you'll see! One day you'll be watching icebergs calving (falling into the sea) off the tip of a Chilean glacier. Another, you'll see whales forging through the waters of the North Atlantic. You'll be paid, tax–free and you'll be fed like a king or queen – free of charge – on your ship. Most things come your way for nothing on board, so when you're ashore in Sydney or Cape Town your money will go further, especially since you don't have a student loan to repay. It's a wonderful life…but what happens when you decide you want to settle down on dry land? Just read on…

How far will the sea take you?

The first time you go to sea you'll be a Trainee Officer with much to learn. Throughout your career you will learn a wide range of skills and with hard work, climbing the ranks, you could be the Captain or the Chief Engineer in charge of your own ship or engine room one day. But, when you drop anchor and decide you want to return to shore, there are many different career paths you can follow in the maritime industry on-shore.

What's in store on-shore?

Going to sea when you're in your teens and twenties is a great way to see the world and make friends for life. The things you see and do will equip you with skills for life, too. And such skills are exactly what the maritime industry values on-shore. If the time ever comes where you want to switch to a career on land (maybe you've got a partner and a family), we have plenty of jobs that let you go home and sleep in your own bed every night. Maritime companies prefer to recruit seafarers for their on–shore executive positions, and they need a steady flow of people coming ashore who have honed their skills at sea and are able to command a desk and a computer just as well as they have operated a ship or its systems. 

On-shore jobs include:

• Ship management and fleet operations
• Ship surveying
• Lecturing in nautical colleges
• Acting for regulatory and classification authorities
• Shipbuilding
• Ship repair and equipment maintenance
• Marine insurance and finance
• Ship broking
• Maritime law
• Off-shore exploration