Deck cadet
| Highest | $4,000 / mo · Switzerland |
|---|---|
| Experience | 0–1 yrs |
| Degree | Required |
| First paycheck | 1–2 years (during the onboard sea phase) |
Pay in the destination countries
Monthly, in US dollars. Each country is an Imora admission package — open one for that route's fees, language requirement and deadline.
| Country | Monthly |
|---|---|
| SwitzerlandIELTS 6.5 · CHF 0.9–8k | $4,000max |
| Hong KongIELTS 6.0–6.5 · HK–200k | $3,600 |
| SingaporeIELTS 6.5 · SGD 18–35k | $3,600 |
| United KingdomIELTS 6.0–7.0 · £11–38k | $3,600 |
| NorwayIELTS 6.0–6.5 · NOK 130–260k | $3,550 |
| United StatesTOEFL 80–100 · $10–70k | $3,500 |
What does the day look like?
A Deck Cadet is a trainee officer learning ship operations under licensed officers. Working hours are legally bound by MLC 2006 and STCW: a maximum of 14 hours in any 24-hour period, a maximum of 72 hours in any 7-day period, and at least 10 hours of rest per day. At sea, you alternate between 4-hour navigational watches (such as 04:00 to 08:00 and 16:00 to 20:00) and day-work maintenance from 08:00 to 17:00. In port, 12-hour cargo watches are standard.
While many expect 80% of the day to involve navigating on the bridge, operational reality divides differently. Navigational bridge watchkeeping accounts for only 30% to 40% of working hours at sea, operating ECDIS, Radar, ARPA, GPS, AIS, and monitoring VHF Channel 16. In contrast, 50% to 60% of your working hours consists of manual deck maintenance: chipping rust off steel bulkheads, applying primer and paint, greasing winches, sounding ballast tanks, and handling mooring lines. The remaining 10% is spent inspecting safety equipment and completing tasks in the On Board Training Record Book (TRB).
Where does this lead?
Next step up
What do you make of this job?