This is my first (and probably only) blog. It exists so that I can maybe give the general public an idea of what is actually going on with Marine Engineering, and particularly - Cruise Ship Engineering.
Without going into too much detail, I have been sailing on Cruise Ships now for over 12 years, and am now in a Senior position for one of the largest Cruise Ship companies in the world. Technology changes FAST, and sometimes I see and hear members of Joe Public getting the wrong idea about Cruise Ship technology, and what we (as Engineers) are required to comply with when carrying passengers.
From what I read on the net (and there are some very amusing sites regarding Cruising - more on this another day), Cruise Ships are getting a bad rap because there is very little information out there as to what the role of the Marine Department is. This really jacks me off, as most Marine Engineers work extremely hard, are HIGHLY qualified and very knowledgeable. I say most, as I am sure fellow Engineer Officers reading this all have a story to tell about the Cadet who stayed a Cadet.
So, I hope to be able to jot down here over the coming months and years, some notes from my fragile mind.
Are blogs supposed to be educational?
So how does working on cruise ships compare with the pay and conditions (and sense of intangible reward) of working for the RFA or merchant navy?
I'm a British electronics engineering student, with a wife from a non-EU country.
I'm looking seriously into going for a cadetship after I graduate: either RFA or Clyde Marine.
It seems the best option for being able to live in a much less expensive country with a much better quality of life than a graduate/young family man could hope for in the UK, and save up to return to Britain and actually be able to afford a house, by legally avoiding the UK (and any) tax system.
There's a lot of talking up of the merchant navy; but what's the reality? Is it a genuinely enjoyable (i.e. non-monotonous) job?
Can you realistically get IEng or CEng status?
Are British trained seaman hired at a premium, or are we to be undercut by people from the developing world in this industry as well?!
Can you move into oil and gas careers after a stint on ships as a Tiffy or something more advanced like subsea robotics (given the right background)?
Really, what I'm asking is, is it a career that's got a good future; or is it just another dead end?
They seem to want to work us to death in the UK for a pittance!