FAQ
Below is a list of frequently asked questions about training.
Should you be unable to find an answer to your question please contact us.
Tuition fees will be met by the Trainee’s Sponsoring Company. If additional local funding is available Trainees may be asked to apply for this.
There are three rates of pay depending on the phase you are in. At college you get paid £175 per week, at sea you get paid £120 per week and during the final college phase the college pay rises to £195 per week. There are also bonuses available over the period of training, dependent on performance and achievement. As you receive sponsorship payments they are exempt from Income Tax and National Insurance. All payments are received on a monthly basis.
Trip lengths will vary depending which company sponsors your training. With a ferry company a trip could be 3 or 4 weeks, with a North Sea supply company a trip could be 6 or 8 weeks and with a deep sea company you may be away from home for over 4 months at a time.
Yes, subsistence payments are made for every week of your training programme.
Yes, for the duration of your sea phase you are paid your subsistence payments, whilst at sea and on leave.
The duration of your training depends on your chosen discipline. Deck Trainees will take between 3 and 3½ years to complete training; Engineer and ETO Trainees will take about 3 years to complete.
Whilst at college you will get normal college holidays although occasionally short courses may take place at this time to accommodate all training required. On a sea phase you can expect to earn one week of leave for every month you are away from home. With a deep sea company you may get all your leave prior to returning to college, with other companies you will get leave between trips.
We use all the main nautical colleges in the UK and your place of study will be dependent on course suitability for you as an individual:
- Fleetwood Nautical Campus
- Glasgow College of Nautical Studies
- Shetland School of Nautical Studies
- South Tyneside College
- Warsash Maritime Academy
Yes, these requirements are set by the colleges and are a requirement for you to be enrolled onto the course. The courses all have a high maths and science based content so knowledge of these subjects is essential.
If successful at interview Trainees are sent further information on each sponsoring company and asked to pick their top three companies from a list provided. They are also asked a series of questions to find out what vessel type they are most suited to. We will then endeavour to allocate each Trainee with a suitable company using the information you have given us. It is not always possible to place the Trainee with one of their choices as the sponsoring companies also have requirements to be taken into consideration, however we aim to match Trainees to suitable placements.
When Trainees are allocated to their sponsoring company they MUST remain with them for the duration of their training.
All practical experience at sea is good experience for Trainees and once you have qualified as an Officer and served any commitments to your sponsoring company you will be able to apply for positions with any company.
Throughout your training you are a sponsored Trainee. You will have the benefits of a student at college and do not pay tax and National Insurance on any subsistence payments.
Expenses can only be claimed back for Trainees travelling to and from the college on the first and last day of each phase and for college holidays. You must send all receipts in with your expense claim.
When travelling to and from vessels your travel will normally be organised for you but there will be cases when you will need to get your own taxi, train or bus. In these cases you must obtain a receipt and then you can claim the expense.
At college all Trainees are expected to wear black trousers, white shirt/blouse, black or Clyde Marine Training tie and a blazer. You will be provided with a Clyde Marine blazer badge and in some cases, a tie from your own sponsoring company.
You will be provided with safety gear for workshops and onboard the vessel. A sea going uniform will also be required.
As a sponsored Trainee you are expected to put the most into your training in order to be successful and attend college when you are timetabled to be there. If you are absent through sickness or have a doctor or dentist appointment, then you must call this office before 0930 in the morning to obtain an authorised absence number. Failure to do this leads to fines of £15 for half a day and £30 for a full day. You will then have to let the college know what you have missed so you can organise what you need to catch up on.
Some sponsoring companies ask their Trainees to sign a tie in with them once qualified. This allows newly qualified Officers to gain experience on vessels that are familiar to them. If a Trainee is unhappy to enter into this agreement we will place them with an alternative company, but it may not be one of their choice.
In many cases sponsoring companies will interview newly qualified Officers for junior positions or alternatively your Training Officer will be able to pass your details to Clyde Marine Recruitment.
When companies are looking to take on ex-Clyde Marine Trainees as junior Officers they will always want to know what you were like as a Trainee with regards to academics, attendance, attitude, general conduct and if you received any warnings.
Many colleges try to include a ship visit or trip on an Ocean Youth Trust vessel (www.oytscotland.org.uk) before you go onboard the vessels your company has assigned to you. This can be a great opportunity to find out what seagoing is like before emabrking on the main practical part of your training.
