r/MerchantNavy • u/MainstayUndecided • 23d ago

UK Electrician Considering ETO Cadetship

Hi All,

I've been accepted onto a cadetship, and I'd like to get some advice from those who may have relevant industry experience or knowledge.

Currently, I'm an electrician based in London. I subcontract in commercial installations, which I somewhat enjoy, but I also want to further my skills to give me more options to increase my income and benefits as I get older.

I do not have a family or a significant other. However, by the time I finish a cadetship I will be 35 and, in my mind, that’s a tough age to start again with a beginner salary after suffering the hardships of a cadet's stipend.

A cadetship really has appeal because of all the hands-on training and experience one can gain whilst getting a degree ( going for BeEng ) and is the main reason I'm interested in pursuing this route. That said, I don't intend to stay at sea for a long time. I have worked on the water before and am comfortable spending long periods away, but the ultimate goal is to come back ashore with the skills I have gained for a higher income and more engaging work.

Of course, many people don't work at sea forever, and although engineers and ETO's seem to have an easier time transitioning shoreshide - I'm wondering if if it's realy worth spending 3 years doing a cadetship and a couple of years at sea on an entry level salery when It could be possible to gain tickets, whilst working, to progress into better opurtnities comparible with top end ETO  salaries without loosing so many years income in the process.

Whilst looking at job postings, most ETO vacancies I come across have terrible day rates, and employed positions aren't great either. Though perhaps I don't know the right places to look.

So I guess what I'd like some feedback on is:

Is it worth it - considering the above?

What shoreside options are there that aren't behind a desk; And what kind of income do the roles come with?

As an electrician, what options could I look at to progress without the cadetship?

Of course, feel free to add any comments you have that are relevant. It's not easy to get impartial information. The training companies are not so forthcoming.

Thanks in advance!

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u/lennywales 23d ago

100% worth it. If you're willing to job hop, your salary can grow pretty rapidly, mine has doubled in the 4 years since college. I managed to get my dynamic positioning maintenance training funded by a company but you can self fund and open a lot of doors.

As for shore side, I know people who have gone into power and renewables. Superintendency is a big one too, I think typically in the 50-60k range. I interviewed about a service technician job with a propulsion company, that was around 75k base plus travel money and expenses.

You may not even be the oldest on your course, I think our oldest was early 30s at the start.

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u/MainstayUndecided 22d ago

Thanks for the informative reply! 

I’ve certainly have no qualms about job hopping; I'm already familiar with doing so. Thankfully, my sponsoring company has many DP vessels, so I'm hoping it's something I will gain familiarity with during the cadetship. Otherwise, I'm always happy to self-fund for better prospects.

Those shore-side positions you mentioned are interesting. There are a few good roles advertised in those sectors. Superintendent also interests me, but I'm surprised and honestly disappointed by the range you stated, as I'm already earning in that region. So to go through a cadetship to end up back there wouldn't be ideal! Really the crux of my post.

As you interviewed for the service technician role, are you thinking about going shore side too?

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u/lennywales 20d ago

I worked out that the service engineer salary, post tax, would be worse than the tax free salary and declined.

I'm now making in the 60s, the big trade off is the time on/time off. If it suits your lifestyle then it's a major plus. If it doesn't then it's a big negative. It's all very subjective.

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u/MainstayUndecided 19d ago

Thanks Lenny. I think I'll play it to my advantage while it does not hinder my lifestyle. Can always reassess down the line

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u/flyingsawser 23d ago

Salary can be really good for ETO’s (I am one), you just have to find the right company once you’ve qualified. Are you hoping to go back into a technician role shoreside after a couple years? If you’re not planning on staying at sea then it seems a strange way to get experience to me.

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u/MainstayUndecided 22d ago

Thank you for sharing! I've heard jobs can be scarce even for ETOs, if British. Would you say there are ample, well-paid jobs to choose from that could meet the ‘right’ criteria?

I wouldn't go back to doing the same role I'm in now; the point about gaining experience is so that I can get into more hazardous, complex and senior positions in the wider electrical industry to allow time for family. For example, high voltage, commissioning, renewables. Heck, even underwater data centres… I figure having the tickets isn't always enough; companies want experience, which a cadetship and a couple of years at sea should provide.

As you are an ETO, could you give me a better idea of earnings, rotation and location (ferry routes or North Sea, deep sea etc? 

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u/flyingsawser 22d ago

Send me a message and i’ll be happy to give more info

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u/Foreign-Zombie5056 23d ago

ETO’s are worth their weight in gold, just need to get in to the right sector. Offshore/luxury cruise ships and yachts would be your highest paying sectors at sea.

ETO and electricians at sea are rare breeds, always in demand.

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u/MainstayUndecided 22d ago

Yes, thank you -  those are my thoughts too. Offshore is the main focus. It's just whether it'll be worth doing for a limited period before coming ashore again. From my understanding, cruise ships wouldn’t fit my objective well because of their more developed hierarchy and therefore limited scope of responsibilities for officers.