Home » Working Women » Careers - Other Options » The Merchant Navy A job in Merchant Navy is indeed an alluring option for everyone. The principal functions of merchant ships include delivery of goods from one country to another country. The fleet of merchant ships includes cargo ships, carriers, passenger vessels, tankers and other special vehicles. Therefore this forms an entire range of responsibilities and thus creates a huge scope of job opportunities. Along with cargo ships, there are also passenger ships and luxurious cruise liners, which also come under the scope of the Merchant Navy.

So, it can be well observed that there are various employment opportunities in the various fields of work within the vast network of the merchant navy. This is an overview on finding the career prospect for women in Merchant Navy. During the early times, there were very less or almost no women who were willing to take up jobs in Merchant Navy. The hardships and the chances of going through circumstances that can be dangerous held the women back from seeking job in this field. Gradually, with changing course of time, lots of women are coming forth to take this lucrative platform as their professional field.

The main positions opening in merchant navy jobs are of navigating officers, radio officers, merchant navy captain and marine engineers. Women were not generally keen to take up merchant navy jobs but the past few years have seen a positive change with more and more women looking ahead for merchant navy careers as ship doctors, hostesses, nurse and radio officers in merchant navy.

A bulk of women are also taking the other way round and completing their marine engineering courses before joining as marine engineers in the Cargo and passenger ships. Passenger Ships and the various Cruise Liners are though good options for women to work than the Cargo fleets or the Oil Tankers, as the possibility of facing hazards are much more in these vessels.

Candidates wishing to enter the navigational and engineering fields of merchant navy need to complete their bachelor's degree in mechanical or marine engineering. In some cases, students who have finished their 10+2 with physics, chemistry, and mathematics are eligible to join as deck cadets. There are various merchant navy colleges offering merchant navy courses. As now most of these courses are open for women so they can very well opt for merchant navy as a career for women.

Merchant navy careers are one of the few careers where the salary is relatively high. It can range anywhere between Rs.12, 000 - Rs.8 lakhs per month though the pay structure differs from company to company, city to city, the export-import needs, seniority etc. All crew and officers are given free meals on board and senior officers are permitted to bring their spouses along for the voyages. Post-retirement, these officers are in demand for consulting and advising. Some even venture into allied fields like ship care and maintenance.

Life in the merchant navy can be adventurous for all those with wanderlust. The long periods of solitude notwithstanding, the opportunity to see the world and get paid for it just cannot be argued away. So if you are the one with the spirit within you, then go and grab the thrilling career.