How do I get a job on a freight or cargo ship?

Question

Well, I'm still young, 24, and I've lost nearly everything I owned and everyone in my life. My parents are the only people I can really still talk to. I'm a writer and traveler and I think I am done with the states for a while.

What I want to do is get on a cargo or freight ship and wokr there for a while. A few years preferably. See a bit of the world, see the sea and get myself into better shape. I'm an adventurer at heart and I have spent the last seven years of my life traveling around. I really feel a calling to this and I want to dedicate myself to it.

So, where do I go from here? I live in Tallahassee, Florida. I have no previous ship experience but for a deckboy I wouldn't really need any. I would prefer a non US ship if possible, but I will take whatever I can get. Any help you good folk could give me would be appreciated.

Answer 1

Well it used to be that you turned up at the ship and asked to see the captain AND if the captain liked the look of you AND THEY were sailing SOON AND they were short of CREW they would employ YOU for that TRIP..you need YOUR PASSPORT current and see how you go from there..OOOH and be a GOOD HARD worker.. good luck,,OHH and watch YOUR BEHIND,,

Answer 2

these days are sort of gone, not as easy as it was forty or fifty years ago to get on a ship, now a days, you have a better chance of getting on one of these ships if you are a foreingn citizen, lpeople in other countries work for less, you have to join a union and to do that, you have to have experience, what is that term a catch 22 situation? anyway, i think you can join the union get a book, and go to the union hall, and like wait for shape up work, but when it comes down to it, you probably have to write a letter or two to your local congressman, yeah, that is right, things are not so easy now a days, but that should do it go pay him a visit and state what you want, and i am sure they will type up a letter for you, good luck, i was in the process of doing this in the seventies, all these shipping companies hire foreingers take singing and dancing lessons or develope a magic act and work on a cruise ship, but you did say you have experience as a deck hand, that counts, okay i told you alot of nothing, hope you can make heads or tails of it and good luck that is all i know about this and when you write your adventure stories, send me an autorgraph, take it easy

Answer 3

you can read "Looking for a Ship" by John McPhee and get an idea how hard it is today to do what you want...or drive over to Ft Lauderdale and get on a yacht and go to sea......100's of boats there looking for good hardworking kids........pay's terrible, adventure is great....show up, hang around the docks and boatyards, show youre willing to work and not too weird and something will turn up........once you have an experience to put on your resume, its pretty easy to bounce around the yacht/megayacht world........