Selection of Institute for Training

     Till now, I have discussed the various ways through which one can become a Marine Engineer. In this post I am going to give a list of various colleges that give training for a person to become a Marine Engineering. One can join any of the following colleges by applying to the institute directly. But one must apply when the college declares the registration for course. For this you will have to constantly keep checking the websites of the college, or you can call directly to the college & ask them personally.

     Also, if you are already sponsored by a company, then the company itself will select an institute for your training & you will have to join the same institute. Some companies may give you options, but very few companies give such options. If the sponsoring company selects a institute for you, you have no option but to compulsorily join that institute.

    Moreover, you will have to pay the fees yourself for the course. The fees include everything, starting from your accommodation, food, etc., to your clothes, shoes, etc. If there is anything that you have to bring, the institute informs beforehand while taking admission, the things to be brought at the time of reporting.

     Now for candidates joining an institute without any sponsorship, you have options for institutes. You can join any of the college, depending upon your preferences. Following is a list of colleges that are presently good, & also provide good placements.

1. Tolani Maritime Institute, Pune
2. International Maritime Institute, Delhi
3. VELS University, Chennai
4. Institute of Maritime Studies, Goa
5. Samudra Institute of Maritime Studies, Mumbai
6. Great-Eastern Institute of Maritime Studies, Pune
7. M.E.T.I., Cochin
8. International Maritime Academy, Chennai
9. Chennai School of Ship Management, Chennai
10. Hindustan Institute of Maritime Training, Chennai

These are some of the good colleges in India that provide good placements for cadets.

     There are many other institutes all over India, you can select any one of them. But before taking any admission, please check the institute for its previous records of placement & training. Also check that the institute is DG Shipping approved. For a list of DG Shipping approved colleges you can visit the main site of DG Shipping.

Acquiring a Sponsorship

     This post is specially for people wanting to join as a Marine Engineer after completing their 4 years Mechanical Engineering Degree course. 

      Before I begin, let me clear one important thing - Sponsorship does not mean that the company will fund your course, it only means that the company is willing to give you on-board training after the completion of your course.

Acquiring a sponsorship

     There are thousands & thousands of shipping companies all over the world. But getting a sponsorship is a little difficult, but not impossible. Not all the companies offer give sponsorship, but if you are interested in a company then you can write a mail to the company to provide a sponsorship for you. 

     If you have already completed your course & the college hasn't provided any placement for you, then the best way to get on-board training is, use any contacts that you have in Merchant Navy. Mostly contact any Captains & Chief Engineers that are in your family or friends circle, they are your best help. If everything other fails, only contacts can help you to get a ship for training.

     For people entering Marine Engineering via PGDME/GME/TME course, first apply to various companies. The application for sponsorship varies from company to company. Some companies have a specific procedure for offering sponsorships, while some companies don't. 

Some of the companies that give sponsorships are mentioned below

1. Shipping Corporation of India
2. Great-Eastern Shipping
3. Anglo-Eastern Shipping
4. Wilhelmsen Ship Management
5. Essar Shipping
6. Mercator
7. Varun Shipping
8. V Ships
9. MISC Berhad
10. K Line
11. Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC)
12. Executive Ship Management (ESM)
13. Samudera Shipping Line Ltd
14. Maersk Line

These are some of the best companies that offer sponsorship.

     Nowadays, some companies have their own institute for PGDME/GME/TME course. For these companies, you have to follow a specific procedure to get the sponsorship. The main procedure is the same:

1. Register for Sponsorship
2. Appear for Written Exam
3. Appear for Interview
4. Appear for Medical
5. Qualify in all 3

     The procedure to crack all these 3 have already been discussed in my How To Crack The Entrance post of the blog.

     To apply, first you will have to keep an eye on the websites of these companies. Mostly after June-July, ads will start appearing for registration for sponsorship to B.E./B.Tech candidates. Once you register, you will be called for written test, & the procedure will continue. Some companies will go on eliminating candidates after written, interview & medical, while some companies will declare the results of chosen candidates directly.

     Each company has its exams at different time of the year, also the procedure is long, so make sure you apply for as many companies as possible, because the selection procedure may sometimes elongate as long as 4 months. During this if you ignore any other companies' exam, then you will repent for ignoring & not getting selected as well in the company you were trying & have to wait another year to try again. So best is to have 2-3 choices at hand as a safe side.

     You can also apply to different companies after the completion of your courses. For a list of companies click here You can write a mail to the company of your choice & wait for a reply & hope for the best.

     Also, there is a website which gives the vacancies & the mail addresses of all the shipping companies across the world. So please check it out if you are non-sponsored. To go to the site, click here

     If nothing works out, any contacts with Captain & Chief Engineers can get you on-board with your luck. They are your wild cards, use them carefully ;)



Also, one important thing about recruiting companies. If you have any doubts about the company that has approached you, you can click on the following link & download the DGS approved list of companies by clicking on "RPSL Licences Issued as n Date". This is a list of companies that are given the licences for hiring seafearers.

http://www.dgshipping.gov.in/Content/RPSAgencies.aspx

Selection as a Cadet

     As I have mentioned earlier, there are 3 ways in which you can become a Marine Engineer. But one cannot directly get selected as a candidate. He/She has to go through various tests & interviews to get selected in an institute.

     In order to get admission in any of the Marine Institute, a person has to be first qualified. There may be various criterias for different colleges. But the general criteria is:

1. Apply to the institute
2. Appear for the interview
3. Appear for Medical Tests
4. Pass in interview as well as medical.

     There is no problem in the interview, as no institute wants to deny a seat to the candidate, but passing medical tests totally depends upon the person's ailities. Medical tests majorly depend upon:

1. Vision Test
2. Ear Test
3. Chest X-ray

     Also other minor things like, blood pressure, height, weight, etc., will be checked. The interview part may not be for people applying after 10+2, i.e. for Marine Engineering Course (4 Years Degree), but it is mandatory for 1 year PGDME/GME/TME course.

     For persons applying after 10+2 (for 4 years Marine Engineering Degree Course & 3 years Polyvalent B.Sc Degree Course), the main criteria is their 10+2 marks & may have to give entrance of the institute if it has one. 

     For persons applying after their degree course (for 1 year PGDME/GME/TME course) the main criteria for selection is by 2 methods:

1. Sponsorship by a Shipping Company
2. Direct application in a Marine Institute

     If you have applied to a shipping company & if they sponsor you for training, then the company decides in which institute your training will be conducted, or sometimes even gives a choice of institute, but it totally depends upon the shipping company.

     But if you apply directly to an institute, then the above procedure has to be followed, i.e., interview & medical tests. But most of the times, candidates are selected & no problems arise unless there is any severe medical problems with the candidate.

     For more details about the medical tests conducted, search for MS Medical Rules 2000 for medical criteria for shipping.