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    WMA 2nd Mates Course

    Warsash Maritime Academy
    (Southampton Solent University)

    Course Title:

    Officer of the Watch (OOW) ? Examination Route (earlier called as 2nd Mates course)

    Eligibility Requirements

    • Minimum of 36 months of sea service on merchant ships in an acceptable deck capacity for e.g. Trainee OS, OS, AB, Bosun, Deck Cadet, Junior Officer, etc. whilst holding a valid medical fitness certificate recognised by the MCA, UK.
    • You also should have 6 months of documented bridge watch-keeping duties.

    Trainee OS rank sea service is acceptable in the UK for giving your 2nd Mates exam.

    Prior academic qualification for e.g Class XII Science, Class X, etc., is NOT a requirement for giving the 2nd Mates exams in the UK if following the 36 months route. Documentary evidence of minimum 36 months of sea service is the only requirement if following this route towards MCA, UK OOW certification. However,a good knowledge of Maths and Science is considered essential to clearing the written examinations in the UK. There is NO requirement of any MNTB Training Record Book to be completed on board ship if following the 36 months route to OOW (2nd Mates) certification.

    Documentary Evidence of Sea Service

    The following documentary evidence would be required as proof of sea service:

    • Minimum of 36 months of sea service stamps on your CDC (even non Indian CDC for e.g. Panama, Liberia, Bahamas, Thai, etc. are acceptable).
    • You will also need company sea-time letter or Masters testimonials for a minimum 36 months of sea service. If you have done your sailing with different shipping companies, you will need to take sea-time letter from all those companies so that your total sea-time is atleast 36 months. If you have however taken 36 months of testimonials form your ships Captain, then a company sea-time letter is not compulsory. However, it is good to collect the company sea-time letter also.
    • The 6 months of bridge watch-keeping certificate from the Master (or the company) must mention that you have kept 8 hours of bridge watch-keeping duties every day as assistant to the main watch-keeper whilst the vessel was at sea.
    Format for Bridge Watch-keeping Certificate and Company Sea Service Letter are as given below:

    Please note that Diploma in Nautical Science (DNS) and BSc Nautical Science pre-sea courses from India are not approved by the MCA, UK. Hence, students who have done the DNS or BSc Nautical Science course also need to complete a minimum of 36 months of sea service on merchant ships before they can give the 2nd Mates exams in the UK.

    Deck Cadets from India (DNS / HND) can however give 2nd Mates exams from New Zealand after completing 12 months of sea service as a Deck Cadet whilst completing the Indian TRB or the ISF TRB. After completing the 2nd Mates from New Zealand, students can come to Warsash Maritime Academy, Southampton Solent University, UK for doing their Chief Mates and Masters CoC.

    Course starting date and duration

    There are 3 batches in a year.

    January ; April ; September (every year)

    The total course duration works out to be 7 months excluding holiday period like Christmas, Easter and Summer holidays. A student joining the January or September batch can come back with his CoC in about 8 months period if he clears all his exams in time. A student joining the April batch will come back with his CoC in about 9 months time because of the 2 months of summer holidays & 1 month of Christmas holidays within course duration which makes the duration longer.

    The visa that a student will get will be for approximately 10 – 11 months. The visa will end 2 months after the course completion date and can start a maximum of 2 weeks before the course commencement date.

    Some key advantages of studying at Warsash Maritime Academy, Southampton Solent University, UK are the following:

    • 70 years old dedicated maritime academy and having vast experience of conducting these courses.
    • Part of Southampton Solent University.
    • Indian faculty (Mr. Adesh Joshi, Mr. Kunal Anand and Mr. Munish Bharadwaj) who teach many of the subjects.
    • Out of a batch size of 30 students for the 2nd Mates course, majority (approx. 24) of the students are from India.
    • Over 200+ students join Warsash Maritime Academy, Southampton Solent University, UK from India every year for the various post-sea Deck and Engine competency courses.
    • Students accommodation are about 5 – 10 minutes walking distance from the University.
    • Good part-time work opportunities as students stay in the city. By working part-time during course period and full-time during holidays (Easter break, summer vacation and Christmas holidays), students can hope to earn ?2,000 – ?3,000 (approx. INR 2 ? 3 Lakhs) if they join the January or September session. Students who join the April session can hope to earn almost ?3,000 – ?5,000 (approx. INR 3 ? 5 Lakhs) because of the longer holiday duration during the April session. In other maritime colleges in the UK, students are not allowed to work as per the new UK visa rules effective 10 August 2015. Only students joining the 2nd Mates course in a University are allowed to work. Those joining a college for the same course are not allowed to work.
    • Many ship management companies are located in Southampton. A few students have been able to get jobs with these companies after getting their CoC’s to work on ferries, etc. However, it is very difficult to get such shipping jobs in UK.
    • Southampton is located in the south of the UK. Hence, the climate is warmer compared to other areas of UK. The average summer temperature is 16 degree Celsius whilst the average winter temperature is 5 degree Celsius.
    • Southampton is about 75 minutes by bus / train to London. Hence, many students do get to visit their relatives / friends staying in London or go for sightseeing to London on weekends. There are 96 train services between London to Southampton every day. There is a bus service every hour between London and Southampton. The bus fare varies from 10 – 25 Pounds for a one way ticket. You can view details on http://coach.nationalexpress.com
    • The area where students take up accommodation in Southampton has a large Indian population with 3 gurudwaras, 2 mosques and 1 temple in that area.

    Admission Procedure

    For booking a course, you will need to scan and email / Whatsapp the following documents to us:

    Email: kunal.anshuman@springdaleindia.com
    Whatsapp: +91 98927 25375

    Sample Filled Up Course Booking Form will help you in filling up the college admission form.

    We will send you the University bank details by email / Whatsapp whenever you wish to make the payment to the University.

    Seats get filled up about 3 months in advance and are alloted on a first come first served basis. Hence, it is always advisable to book early so that you are assured of seat in the college.

    It is not necessary to have completed your 36 months of sea service for booking a seat in the college. However, you should have completed your 36 months of sea service before you travel to the UK for joining the OOW course.

    Warsash Maritime Academy is a part of Southampton Solent University. All tuition fees payment are made to the University.

    Please note that the deposit payment of ? 1,000 is not refundable if you decide not to do the course. The deposit can be transferred only in your name for the same course within 24 months of the first course starting date subject to you having informed the college in writing / by email about your decision to postpone the course atleast 21 days in advance of the course starting date. For e.g., if you book a seat for January 2021, you can transfer upto January 2023. There are no charges applicable for transferring your course to a future date.

    Admission letter will be sent to your email address in about 3 weeks after receiving your documents by us in email / Whatsapp. Most students book their seats 9 months in advance i.e before joining ship for their last sailing contract prior to leaving for UK for their studies.

    If you happen to be on board a ship, you can email / Whatsapp the scanned copies of your documents and application form to us. The electronic wire transfer payment to the college can be done by your parents / relatives / friends on your behalf or by making a payment using your debit card on the University website. Hence, you can book a seat in the college even if you happen to be on the ship at that point of time.

    STCW advanced courses & GMDSS

    The following MCA, UK approved short courses need to be completed before you can be issued with a UK OOW CoC.
    These courses are however not required for applying for a Notice of Eligibility (NoE) with the MCA, UK.

    • Advanced Fire Fighting (AFF)
    • Medical First Aid (MFA)
    • Proficiency in Survival Craft and Rescue Craft (PSC&RB)
    • GMDSS (UK)
    • HELM (O)
    The MCA, UK approved STCW advanced courses (AFF+MFA+PSC&RB) and HELM are being done in Mumbai now. It is much cheaper to do the MCA UK courses in Mumbai rather than doing them in the UK.

    You can do the UK GMDSS at any of the following authorised centers

    The cost for UK GMDSS is in the range of 40,000 – 45,000 INR approximately.
    T S Rahman is the cheapest opton in Mumbai and you also get accommodation facilities at T S Rahman.
    AMET, Chennai is the cheapest option in all of India for GMDSS with cost inclusive of accommodation at 37,000 Rs/-.If for some reason, the student is not able to complete these STCW courses prior to going to the UK, he can come back from the UK, finish the short courses, send the certificates to MCA, UK and the MCA will post the CoC to the student in about 3 weeks time.

    The following two short courses have to be necessarily done in the UK as they are not accepted from India:

    • NAEST (O) ? also known as ROC ARPA in India
    • Efficient Deck Hand (EDH)

    UKVI IELTS English Language Test:

    An English language test is a requirement before you can apply for the UK student visa. The UKVI IELTS test is not required for booking a seat in the college but you will not be able to apply for a UK visa if you have not cleared this English language test.

    You may book the UKVI IELTS test online by visiting the website given below:

    www.ieltsidpindia.com
    Alternatively, you may visit one of the many offices given in the above website and book for the exam in person also. This test is held in most of the major cities in India about 2 times in a month and the fees is about 15,500 Rs/- approximately. You are likely to get a seat for the test about 2 weeks later and the results also take about 2 weeks time to come out. Hence, you should look to sign off from the ship about 2 – 3 months before your course commencement date so that you have time to sit for the English language test, get the results, send the results to the college and then only can you apply for the UK student visa.
    The UKVI IELTS test result has to be emailed to the college latest atleast 1 week prior to the course commencement date failing which you will not be issued with a CAS number which is required to apply for a UK visa.

    The UKVI IELTS test is of two kinds, UKVI IELTS General and UKVI IELTS Academic. Both the results are acceptable but as UKVI IELTS General is relatively easier compared to UKVI IELTS Academic, hence you should prefer to sit for the UKVI IELTS General exam.

    The UKVI IELTS test is a paper and pencil test in which you will have to score no less than 4 in all the individual sections of Reading, Writing, Spoken and Listening. If you score 3.5 or lower in any one section, you will need to resit the full exam again by paying the full fees for the test.

    Although, coaching for the test is not a requirement, if you feel that you need coaching for the test, you may take it and the cost normally in different cities in India is about 9,000 Rs/- for 1 month of coaching. When you book the UKVI IELTS test, you will be provided with the study material for the exam. You can also buy UKVI IELTS study material from book stores as these are available from 500 – 1,000 INR approximately. You can also go through UKVI IELTS preparatory videos on You Tube. You can also download free IELTS coaching apps on your smartphone instead of paying for IELTS coaching.

    Please note that the normal IELTS test (not UKVI IELTS) which costs 13,000 Rs/- is not accepted for UK visas application after 6 April 2015.

    Total expenses in the UK

    Your expected total expenses in the UK inclusive of Tuition Fees, Exam Fees, NoE, Short Courses, Food & Accommodation, Flight Tickets (to and fro), Visa Charges, health insurance, etc, will work out to about ? 13,000 (approx. 13.50 Lakhs INR assuming 1 ? = 105 INR). If the value of ? w.r.t INR goes up, your total expenses will go up as well and vice versa.

    The approximate living cost is as given below but it will vary from person to person:

    • Accommodation rent: ? 220 ? 260 / month / person in a non-sharing room
    • Accommodation rent: ? 180 ? 200 / month / person in a room shared by 2 students
    • Food (home cooked): ? 50 / month / person
    • Electricity and heating bills: ? 10 / month / person

    Funds to show for UK Visa

    Visa rules keep on changing pretty frequently and hence every student should be aware of what the present rules are.

    Keep yourself updated with the latest UK student visa rules by visiting the website:
    https://www.gov.uk/browse/visas-immigration/student-visas

    Please do not go blindly by what your seniors may have told you on ship because what they say may have been true during their trip to the UK but those visa rules may necessarily hold true now.

    From Nov 2015 onwards, the funds to be shown for the UK visas after booking your seat is as given below:

    • ? 14,250 in your bank account (approx. 15 Lakhs INR at ?= 105 INR) for the January and September session.
    • ? 15,326 in your bank account (approx. 16 Lakhs INR at ?= 105 INR) for the April session due to longer duration.
    • The above amount includes a 5% extra buffer in it to take into account currency fluctuations.
    • Visa Fees = ? 400 approximately. This is additional to the money being shown for your UK student visa.
    • Health Insurance = ? 500 approximately. This is additional to the money being shown for your UK student visa.
    The funds for the visa can be shown as cash in your bank account, fixed deposits, educational loan sanction letter or mix of the above. The cash in your bank account should be there for atleast 28 days before you apply for your UK student visa. The source of cash in your account is not questioned by the UK visa authorities but even after you have got your visa, the visa authorities may check to ensure that funds are still there after you have received your UK student visa. If you are showing part cash and the balance by educational loan letter, the cash component has to wait for 28 days (before you can apply for UK visa) but the educational loan letter need not be 28 days old as it can be used with immediate effect for the visa application process.
    Note: The actual expense of ? 13,000 is INCLUDED in the money that you are showing for the UK student visa. The actual expense is NOT ADDITIONAL to the money that you are showing for the UK student visa.

    UK Visa Application Procedure:

    We will assist you with the complete visa procedures. The x2 things that the student needs to complete from his end before his UK visa can be applied for are the following:

    • Clear UKVI IELTS English language test.
    • Arrange the funds for the UK student visa.

    90% of visa applications are processed within 3 weeks whilst in 10% cases, the visa processing time may be more than 3 weeks. The visa duration that you will get is for 10 – 11 months. The visa will normally start about 2 weeks before your course commencement date and will finish about 2 months after the course completion date.

    There is also a Fast Track Visa application system wherein by paying 230 GBP extra over and above the visa fees, students can receive their visas in 5 working days. This is helpful for students who are applying for their visas very late. The college will allow students to join the OOW course a maximum of 2 weeks after the course commencement date.

    Applying for a Notice of Eligibility (NoE)

    Students need to apply for a NoE to the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA), UK to be eligible to sit for the MCA oral examinations in the UK. You can apply for your NoE from India prior to going to the UK or you can apply for your NoE during your stay in the UK. It is not necessary to be in possession of NoE for booking the course. However, if you have doubts that some of your sea-time may not be counted by the MCA for whatsoever reasons (for e.g. missing documents, no stamps on the CDC, company did not give sea service letter, sailed on scrapped ships, etc.), it would be advisable to do your NoE before booking your course. The processing time for the NoE is normally 28 working days but it may extend upto 2 – 3 months also depending upon the work load at the MCA. If your documents are found to be forged, all your documents will be seized and you will not be allowed to sit for exams in the UK again.

    The following is the procedure to apply for a NOE:

    • Download the NoE Form MSF 4274 and fill up the NOE form by pen in CAPITAL LETTERS & BLACK INK only.
    • Enclose your NoE application form, Passport, CDC, STCW basic courses (PST, PSSR, FPFF, EFA), Sea Service Letters / Masters testimonials of 36 months, 6 months of Bridge Watch-keeping Certificate, valid Medical Fitness Certificate in Annexure IV Format, 2 passport size photographs (size 40mm x 50m with white background) and send by email to the MCA at deck@mcga.gov.uk
    • You will need to make a payment of GBP 220 towards NoE fees using your debit / credit card. The online payment link is given in Page 5 of the NoE form. The MCA does not accept cash or DD’s.
    • Due to Covid 19 pandemic, the MCA is not accepting hard copies of documents. All documents including payment are to be sent online online only. The MCA will issue the NoE also online. This will however change in future.
    • The NoE processing time is 28 days. It may however take longer depending upon the workload at the MCA and any external situation. If you have not received your NoE in about 40 days from date of NoE application, please drop an email to the MCA mentioning your name, passport number and DOB to enquiry about the status of your application.
    • A sample filled up NoE form is on the first page of the website www.springdaleindia.com to guide you with the process.

    The NoE is not required for booking a seat in the college or for applying for a UK visa application. It will be required before you can sit for the MCA orals or the SQA written examination.

    Please read the MCA, UK rules explaining eligibility conditions for Deck CoCs in MSN 1856

    Accommodation, Food and Flight Tickets

    Accommodation: College does not guarantee hostel accommodation for overseas students. Students stay in rented apartments as it works out to be much cheaper. A typical house would have 4 – 5 rooms which would be rented out to the students. Each room would be fully furnished i.e. the room would have a bed, mattress, wardrobe, study table, carpet, lights and heating system. The student would pay the room rent to the landlord every month. The kitchen and the washroom would be shared amenities. The kitchen would typically have a dining table, microwave, refrigerator and cooking system in place. On arrival in the city of Southampton, you can directly move into the rented accommodation or alternatively stay in a Bed & Breakfast (budget hotel) for one night, check out a few houses the next day and accordingly move into one of the many available rented accommodations. A single room would house one student, a couple or 2 students at the maximum. On signing the contract with the landlord, you will have to pay one month?s of rent as security deposit as well as the rent in advance for that month. Please ensure that you keep a copy of your contract safely with you and insist that the rent will be paid by cheques only. Ask the landlord for a copy of rent receipt as well for your safety. Most contract?s come with a one month notice period which means that you will have to give one month?s notice before vacating or else you may lose your deposit money. At the time of returning the deposit money, the landlord may make deductions for any damage that the tenant may have done to the property.

     

    Educational Loans

    Banks in India are usually reluctant to sanction loans for CoC courses and the typical reasons for refusing loans are as given below:

    • Seafarers are often not considered by banks as students and hence banks are reluctant to sanction loans to them.
    • Some bank managers do not understand what a CoC course is and hence their reluctance.
    • As CoC courses do not fall under the category of Degree / Diploma courses, hence the reluctance from banks.
    • CoC course duration is usually less than 1 year and banks are reluctant to give loans for courses less than 1 year.
    • Some banks insist on students getting a letter from DG Shipping, India stating that overseas CoC courses are approved. It is next to impossible for students to get such a letter from DG Shipping, India.

    If you know somebody in a bank, it gets much easier to get your loan sanctioned. If not, it is always advisable to approach atleast 5 different banks and hope that some of these banks may consider your loan application favourably. Do not chase only 1 bank as it is possible that the bank may refuse your application and you may not have enough time left to apply for educational loans to other banks.

    We have uploaded loan sanction letters of various banks on the first page of our website www.springdaleindia.com. It may be of help in convincing your bank manager to sanction your loan once he sees that his bank (but a different branch) have given loan to another student for the same course in the same college. We can also send your the educational loan sanction letters on Whatsapp to you.

    You may also try to take Loan Against Jewellery. This is the fastest means of getting a loan as the money is disbursed on the same day. Most banks for e.g. HDFC, ICICI, etc. give loans against jewellery.

    If you wish to apply for an educational loan, please let us know and we will ask the bank personnel to get in touch with you.

    How to reach Southampton

    There are direct / indirect flights from Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Calcutta, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Cohin to London. On arrival at the London Heathrow airport, you will have to go through immigration check up which may take about 1 ? 2 hours depending upon the rush at the airport. Joining the London Heathrow Airport is the National Express Coach station / bus stop. You can buy the bus ticket at the bus stop and the fare is approximately ?25 for a one way trip. The journey duration from London Heathrow airport to Southampton is about 90 minutes and there is a bus leaving every 45 minutes on an average. If you happen to arrive at London airport after 7 PM, it is advisable to stay back at the airport in the night and take the early morning bus to Southampton. You will find many tourists / students staying overnight at the London airport and taking the morning coach to their respective destination. You will not be charged for staying during the night at the airport but you will have to make do with a chair only or maybe sit on the floor with your luggage. On reaching Southampton bus stop, you will take a taxi to your landlord?s house or to a hotel. As the bus stop is located in the heart of the city of Southampton, your taxi fare will not be more than ?5.

    Carrying money to UK

    Students can carry money to the UK as currency notes, travelers cheques, demand drafts and international student debit cards. We advise the students to carry about ? 500 as cash (? 1,000 if they are carrying their family) and the remaining by loading their international student debit cards. International student?s debit cards are provided free or cost to the students and we will provide you with one prior to your going to the UK. The advantages of students debit card are given below:

    • For any purchase in the UK, you can swipe your student?s debit card without any additional charges instead of having to pay in cash.
    • If you lose the demand draft, it is a very tedious process to get your bank to cancel the draft as you will have to file an FIR in the police station and follow up the other procedural formalities. If you lose a debit card, you simply call the bank, they will cancel the debit card and post a new card to you for a small fee.
    • If you fall short of money in the UK, your parents / friends in India can contact the bank and pay the bank in Indian rupees to top up the card. You can withdraw the money from your card in the UK. It saves your parents the hassle of trying to figure out how to do the telegraphic transfer from India and the charges involved in the telegraphic transfer.
    • If you are carrying a demand draft in your personal name for your living expenses in the UK, you will have to wait till your bank account is opened in the UK. This process may take 2 ? 4 weeks and then only will you be able to deposit the demand draft. If you are carrying an international student?s debit card, you can withdraw cash from any ATM machine in the UK at any point of time. You must note that your bank will charge you for cash withdraw from the ATM using your international students debit card.
    • The best procedure is to load your card in India with ? 1,500 and carry about ? 500 as cash with yourself. This amount of money should be able to cover the cost of your food and accommodation during your stay in the UK.
    • The tuition fees would have been paid by electronic bank transfer to the college already prior to your departure to UK and hence it need not be loaded on the students travel card.

    Working in the UK – Part time / Full time

    If your course duration is less than 6 months, then you are not allowed to work part-time in the UK. For courses more than 6 months duration, students are allowed to work part-time in the UK if you are studying in a University. As 2nd Mates course at Warsash Maritime Academy, Southampton Solent University is of more than 6 months duration, hence you would be allowed to work in the UK during your studies and this would be mentioned on the visa stamped on your Passport. The initial visa stamp in India will be for 1 month and later this will be extended in the UK for another 9 – 10 months after you receive your biometric identity card.

    Please click here to see Work Allowance on Visa Stamping on your Passport.

    As per the present rules, you would be allowed to work 10 hours / week during your study period and full time during vacations (Christmas, Easter ad Summer holidays). By working within the above working hour limits, a student can hope to recover between 2 – 4 Lakhs Rs/- during his 10 – 11 months of stay in the UK. There is no compulsion for a student to work and it is entirely up to his own discretion, however the student should not work for more than 10 hours / week during his course study period. The minimum pay rate in the UK is about ? 8 per hour and you will not be paid less than this amount. However, if you are working in night shifts, week-ends or during holiday season, you may expect to get paid higher also.

    The following are the different kinds of jobs that students take up in Southampton during their stay in the UK

    • Working in fast food joints like Mc Donalds, KFC, Burger King, Subway, etc., as cashier, helper, delivery boy, salad cutter, cleaner, etc
    • Working in malls and departmental stores.
    • Working as security guards.
    • Working in Southampton port for loading and unloading of cars on car carriers if you know how to drive. Some students also do the lashing of cars on car carriers. Your Indian Driving License is valid for upto 12 months for driving in the UK. There is always shortage of drivers in Southampton port for loading / unloading of cars from car carriers. Hence, the wages go as high as 14 GBP per hour whilst in a Mc Donald, you may get only 8 GBP per hour.
    • Keeping gangway watches on cruise ships and unloading of passenger baggage during their port stay in Southampton.

    The following are the different ways of finding jobs during your stay in Southampton, UK

    • Get in touch with your senior batch students and find our where they are working. As they finish their studies and return back to India, you can ask them to refer you to their employers for taking up the job they are leaving.
    • Local newspapers in Southampton also advertise jobs that can be taken up by students.
    • Most of the fast food joints and departmental stores stick vacancy advertisements on their glass doors so that prospective employees can just walk in to apply for such jobs.
    • The most common method however is to register with job placement agencies which are present all over UK. You need to submit your visa copy and phone number to these placement agencies. The moment they have a job opening, the placement agencies will get in touch with you. Address of these job placement agencies can be got by doing a Google search for “Job placement agencies in Southampton”. There would be atleast 25 job placement agencies in Southampton within 1 km radius from the University campus. Please visit the link below for Placement Agencies in Southampton: http://www.southampton.co.uk/recruitment-agencies/

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