Merchant navy is a great career option as the experience and the respect that you can earn it is absolutely incomparable to much other profession in the world. If you have decided to join this profession or you are planning to take it up then let me assure you that you have clicked the right article.

We will tell you all that you need to know about this profession. Let us first discuss the type of jobs and careers that you can make in merchant navy. The careers will always start as an officer or a rating and the two major specializations that one can opt for is marine engineer and the other option is to work in the deck as a Nautical. Whatever the role you chose they have their own challenges and aspirations.

In India there are many institutes that can help you follow your dream of becoming a sea farer. However, one word of caution here, do check that the institute that you are selecting is recognized by the government of India. Else the course and the certificate will not be recognized by the Navy. These institutes and the degrees offered by them are very closely monitored by the General director of the shipping board and the ministry that run shipping as an operation in India.

The entry into Merchant Navy at the level of an officer will require one to complete a three year Nautical Science after completion on twelfth grade. If you want to pursue a career in marine engineering then a four years degree in marine engineering has to be completed after completing twelve years of high school. Some can also complete a two years diploma after tenth and then join the navy. There is also a one year course available for graduated mechanical engineers to groom themselves for a career as an officer in the navy. Some students after completing their twelfth grade can take a two to three month course to become a deck cadet. These are the options available if one wants to become an officer in the navy. You can also start to pursue your career in navy just after completing your tenth board exam. In the next paragraph we are going to discuss this.

Once you have just finished school and you are sure that this is what you want to do in life. Then don’t waste time. You can directly apply for rating course. A four month pre-sea course can be taken for a general purpose. A three month pre sea course for deck training and engine training is also available that will eventually give you a deck and engine rating. The latest addition is that of a four months pre sea course for saloon rating. After completing four basic courses namely EFA, FPFF, PSSR and PST the student or candidate can join the navy as utility hand or as petty officers. The earlier you join the better for you as you will get ample opportunity to learn from experience and from practical knowledge that no book or course can match.

There are many institutes in India that train people on joining merchant navy some of the most prominent and the reputed ones are Training Ship Chanakya, Navi Mumbai, Marine Engineering & Research Institute (MERI), Kolkata., Marine Engineering & Research Institute (MERI), Mumbai. And last but not the least Lal Bahadur Shastri College of advanced Maritime Studies and Research, Mumbai. These instates have been training students for years and they have all the recognized courses available. If you get into these you can be rest assured of a career in this field and a brilliant future.

All these institutes have their official sites that you can visit to get more information. They have email ids and contacts numbers that you can dial directly and speak to them and get all the information that you might need about the course. All these institutes run their own joint entrance exams that one needs to pass to get entry into these institutes. These exams are conducted by IIT. During the course for few years the candidates spend some time in the sea for which they are paid. T.S chanakya is the best naval engineering institute in the country. The course fees are about thirty thousand Indian rupees a year. Every year these exams are held and two months before the process begins the advertisements are places in the site and the newspapers. You can check these and apply for the exams. Marine Engineering & Research Institute (MERI), Kolkata is recognised by AICTE and the Jadavpur University here to the process followed is the same. All the other institutes have more or less the same courses offered and the cost of the courses are the same. You can apply for two institute’s entrance exams and select accordingly.
Before you plan to join these courses do keep in mind that you must be physically fit enough to take this challenging job. Now as days even girls can take up this career and make a mark for themselves. Age definitely is a factor you must be above sixteen and below twenty four years of age to join these courses. However, you can start preparing for the entrance exams soon after your tenth boards and appear for the exams when you are eligible to. It is a serious job that requires a lot of dedication and sacrifices in your personal life. However, the money that you can make from this profession and the satisfaction of serving your country is the most motivating factor in this career.

These are few things that you need to know about merchant navy and the courses that they offer. These are some things that you must keep in mind before you apply and the institutes that we have listed are the best places to get this training from. We hope that this article will help you decide how you want to go about this and at what stage of your life you want to take this up. All the best with your dreams of becoming a successful sea farer!