Shipbroker trainee positions

Hi

Quite a few of you have asked about ship broker trainee positions. If you have done your research you will see that the pure shipbroking firms do on occassion offer cadetship type opportunities for aspiring shipbrokers. Most of these are offered out of London or greater Europe. If you come from these areas then this is all well and good but if you are from other parts of the world will you get a look in?

The answer is - it all depends. A shipbrokerage firm doesnt offer cadetships because of their naturally altruistic natures. In many cases they look at what candidates can offer them in terms of connections, background and the like. Having a good pedigree always helps. Then there is the academic record and more subjective concerns such as do you have the right personalty for the job etc.

Do you need a work visa? You will need to check this with your governments but I know of quite a few instances of shipbroking firms sponsoring cadets for a certain amount of time.

So if you are not from London or Norway or another major shipping area you need to have a think about what you can offer them.

Some key suggestions - Look for a cadetship, interniship, traineeship with a company that has a satelite office in your home country. That way the firm can see a long term plan for training you.

Many Greeks, Australian, Japanese and American nationals, for example, have trained as shipbrokers in London and then after a specific period are shunted back to the regional office.

This is a great outcome for both parties!

So the simple answer is YES you could land a cadetship in a large European shipbroking firm but you need to think carefully about what you can offer them in return and hence how you go about marketing yourself for that position.

relevant link
Yours
VS

(VS and Andy Jamison are the creation, and pen names, of ex Shipbroker Nick van der Hoeven)