tag:marineengineer.blog.co.uk,2009-11-11:/The Cruise Ship Industry from a Marine Engineers Point of View.MokoFeed2009-11-11T00:51:12+01:00tag:marineengineer.blog.co.uk,2008-04-04:/2007/09/27/introduction~3046176/#c6482838Captain Nemo2008-04-04T19:36:47+02:002008-04-04T19:36:47+02:00So 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?<br> <br> I'm a British electronics engineering student, with a wife from a non-EU country. <br> <br> I'm looking seriously into going for a cadetship after I graduate: either RFA or Clyde Marine.<br> <br> 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.<br> <br> 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?<br> Can you realistically get IEng or CEng status?<br> 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?!<br> <br> 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)?<br> <br> Really, what I'm asking is, is it a career that's got a good future; or is it just another dead end?<br> They seem to want to work us to death in the UK for a pittance!