How about that first hurdle?

PHASE 1

I haven't posted in the longest time! 
I'm back with lots to tell.

The last few months have been quite the roller-coaster. 
After my second interview with Evergreen I was granted a confirmed place with them at Warsash Maritime College - my first choice. 
I spent the few months up to September getting a few things together.
I had to buy a lot of stuff - bedding, cutlery..your standard first year student stuff.
I had to also get a US Visa, apply for my discharge book and get my ENG1 certificate. 
I moved in September and the first night was a social night.
Spent the afternoon moving in and meeting my neighbours as well as roommate.
Spent the evening at the Mariners Bar meeting and greeting everybody else.
The atmosphere was really chilled out and everyone was so friendly. 

We spent the first week getting introductions to different aspects of college life and structure, also had a paintballing day to 'break the ice'.
After that week we got straight into the work. 
The next three months flew by. The work was always there as well as juggling the social aspects of it all. 
I'm HND entry for deck - work structure is different depending on entry level.
I had LOTS of Maths (nothing impossible if you do as you're told), Navigation, General Shipboard Knowledge and Ship & Port Operations. 
The days are 9-5, Monday to Friday.
Our groups were quite big for this phase. We all got along well and helped each other whenever we could. 
For me it was all new and at first I found quite daunting but, with the support network from the friends I made, I quickly got into the swing of things.

Exam week..
I can't really say much about this except DO THE WORK and you will be fine.
ASK FOR HELP. DON'T SUFFER IN SILENCE. 
I have no maritime background at all. I knew nothing going into this. I haven't got A-Levels. I did it. I'm not saying it's easy but it's doable.

I have passed my phase 1. We had a couple of weeks of STCW training and that was pretty cool. I've got all my certificates for that. I'm now ready to go to sea.

BRING ON PHASE 2.
Keep you posted!

Did I do enough?

SSTG

So I guess it's time for a quick update! I have received an interview date with a sponsorship company within SSTG. It's later this month with Evergreen. I have heard good things about them with regards to deck cadetships. I'm not particularly nervous about it but there's always a little bit of 'what if' lingering in the air.
I'm hoping that this will be a nice and relaxed interview! 
I have already booked my travel tickets and organised my schedule for that day so as to not forget anything or lose track of time.
I will post more on this if a couple of weeks time..

MAERSK

Unfortunately I was not successful with Maersk after a long couple of days in Newcastle. I was a lot more disappointed than I thought I would be :(
The response I received was via email and stated that the reason I was unsuccessful was due to the high caliber of applications etc.. 
I have emailed them back asking what it was in particular about my application that was not of that 'high caliber'. I am yet to receive a response..

Is it my turn to speak yet?

SSTG

My first interview was with SSTG in Kent. I was on time and not nervous. I think the amount of preparation I did helped with my nerves!

It was a lovely place, very welcoming and homely. 

The whole interview lasted about 1 hour and a half. Yes, I know, it's sounds like a long time but I didn't notice because he put me at ease and we just had a chat. 

At the end of the interview I handed him all my paperwork which I had already made photocopies of for him and I had the originals just in case.

It was all very smooth going.

Luckily for me, I was told there and then that my interview was a success.

THIS MAY NOT BE THE CASE FOR EVERYONE!

The sheer relief and excitement I felt was unreal! I was so excited and I just couldn't stop smiling. It really felt like a stepping stone in the right direction. 

I was told that I would receive a confirmation email from recruitment and I was to email them back with my chosen sponsors and go from there.

I didn't receive this email. I waited a little longer but then decided to call them to find out what had happened - thanks to a little advice from officercadet. 

Turned out to be a minor confusion but I did have an offer.

*phew*

I am now just waiting for all the relevant paperwork to be processed and I'll write a bit more when I know a lot more..

MAERSK

On my way back from Kent I received an email from Maersk which said that my application was being taken to the next stage. This stage was the online maths tests. There are three tests which are scored and you receive a certificate for. The pass mark I believe is 60% but I'm not completely sure. There were not too difficult. I passed all with 100%. After that I had to do a psychometric test. There are no answers to this one or any preparation you can do. Just be yourself. I haven't seen my results for that yet.

They were happy with my scoring and so invited me to an interview at their headquarters in Newcastle. There were 9 of us and I met some lovely people there!

The atmosphere here was more corporate but still very warm and welcoming. 

We had an hour long presentation which covered the basics about the company, course, e.t.c. We then had a short test  which I can't remember the name of..similar to an IQ test-ish. After that we finally had our interviews and they were a lot shorter than SSTG. They were 30 mins long.

The type of interview they have is one that you will be able to do with the right preparation - like I have advised. However a lot of it comes down to your personality and enthusiasm. You can't fake passion.

I will find out how well I did at the end of March.

Finger crossed!

I know I haven't mentioned what they actually ask you. It's because, well..that'd take the fun out of it. Don't you think? Haha!

All I can promise is that practicing your answers to pre-meditated interview questions is the way forward. 

Trust me.

What do I say to make them want me?

To prepare for my interviews I researched as much as I could about the company in depth. This included their world ranking, cadet reviews, reputation, values and history. I read over my application I'd sent to them and read through my personal statement again. Knowing what was on my application/CV and personal statement meant I could prepare for questions directly linked to that. For example, I mentioned that I used to do sailing and though it was a while ago I made sure I knew what type of dinghy I sailed, what I learnt and how this was useful. I also said that being a manager helped me learn to cope with stressful situations in a calm manner. So I wrote an example of when I was in a stressful situation and how I dealt with it. I find that the more answers you prepare then the less you have to think hard in an interview. I hate long, awkward pauses.

Get the picture?

I also prepared by writing my own questions that I would expected to be asked.

Here are some examples;

Why did you apply to X company?

What do you know about X?

Why do you want to be a Deck Officer and not Engineer?

What are your responsibilities as a Deck Officer?

Why did you choose this type of vessel?

Can you explain the gaps in your education/work history?

What experience do you have that will help you in this career?

I won't give all of them away but that's a start for you.

Hint: Prepare questions to ask them at the end of the interview!

All my interviews required for me to travel long distances. Luckily I have a car. I planned my journey focusing on time and cost. I calculated how much it would cost to get there and back. I calculated how much I would use whilst I'm there and budgeted accordingly. 

I would travel the day before to allow me time to go over my notes and time to relax.

Enjoy a beer and salted pretzels.

This gave me enough time to sleep and leave without worrying about running late. 

I picked the cheapest and closest hotel to my interview destination just in case my car broke down the next morning.

I packed my bags the night before leaving - essential paperwork, notes, expenses form, debit card e.t.c

I planned my interview outfit in advance to save time faffing around in the morning.

Last but not least, I made sure I had a good breakfast before hand.

Having all this prep reduced the worry levels for me.

I am a worrier.

Where do I sign up?

January 2014.

Applications.

Personal Statement.

I started working on my personal statement at the beginning of January and making applications. Before I did all that I had to think real hard about the following questions in no particular order.

WHY DO I WANT TO DO THIS?

HOW WILL I COPE WITH BEING AWAY FOR LONG PERIODS OF TIME?

IS THIS LIFESTYLE REALLY FOR ME?

WHERE DO I WANT TO GO WITH THIS?

HOW DO I PROGRESS IN THIS CAREER?

IS THERE JOB SECURITY IN THIS SECTOR?

HOW IS THE COURSE LAID OUT?

WHAT QUALIFICATIONS DO I GET?

WHAT DOES A DECK OFFICER DO EXACTLY?

WHAT TYPES OF VESSELS ARE OUT THERE?

WHO ARE THE SPONSORS?

WHICH IS THE BEST COLLEGE?

I won't be able to answer those questions for anyone but myself. But if your answer to any of those is 'I don't know' or 'I'm not sure' then STOP and find out the answer. You have to consider that whoever sponsors you is putting a whole lot of money into you and a truckload of trust. You are also dedicating a chunk of your life to this. Is it worth it?

Lecture over.

I was given a lot of advice when I went to Warsash open days. I, initially wanted to go on cruise ships. I realised, pretty quickly, that it was highly competitive and I was made aware that a lot of your time is spent entertaining guests and not really learning the practicalities of the job. If I do a job I want to know how to do it well, so that was an important factor for me.

I began researching other vessels and what they had to offer. I'm not a person who is phased by being away from family for long periods of time. I've lived independently since I was 16 without regular contact. With that in mind, I decided on containers ships and supply vessels. 

I applied to various shipping companies, even cruise ships because I wasn't going to narrow down my options. Reason for that is I am willing to do whatever it takes to get my ticket.

Within a month I received interview invites with Maersk and SSTG.

Hello World. Meet Me.

There's no better way to open up a blog than with a little 'get to know me' section.

So..

I'm a 19 year old girl living in Bristol. I'm currently working as a shift manager at Pizza Hut whilst still pursuing A-Levels in Biology and Chemistry - but that's not going too well.. *sigh* 

I'm an aspiring deck officer.

Deciding on a career in the Merchant Navy was never on the cards growing up. In fact, I wanted to study Medicine hence the choice in A Levels. I only found out about the Merchant Navy through my boyfriend who always wanted to pursue a career as a marine engineer - spanners, screws and hammers. 

After a few visits to Warsash Maritime Academy I really started to get into it. Two years later, I'm committed to pursuing a career in the Merchant Navy. 

This blog is just going to be all about me, my experiences and my achievements. Enjoy!