Trainee shipbrokers

I was recently asked how long does it take for a junior shipbroker to be trained properly.

Well there are two answers to this. Most companies will tell you that one must be a trainee for 2 to 3 years. The reasoning is that it will take this long to learn all the intricacies of international shipbroking. The average trainee will be able to start fixing ships (with the help of a mentor) after say 18 months on the job.

Ok so whats the real answer - I know I could train almost anyone to be a good shipbroker in about 3 months. That is from inception (not knowing anything about shipping) to being able to front the market predominantly on their own and then start fixing ships.

Why then do companies insist on this 2 or 3 years..?

Few reasons

- Some management genuinly believe it takes this long to train a broker. Most people/companies who believe this have no formal training methodology.

- It is difficult for many people in the industry to accept that shipbroking as a skill can be leanrt so quickly (90 percent of it anyway). if they admit that then they are admitting that what they do as a vocation isnt that difficult after all. What would their wives say?

- Companies dont want to have to pay trainees full shipbroker salaries until they have too. A trainee shipbroker fullfills many a meanial obligation from collating ships lists to attending functions that noone else wants to go to. Firms 'need' low paid juniors who fit into line. Eventually once you have 'done your time' then you will be allowed out of the crib.

Offcourse none of these reasons are 'valid', and infact many companies are doing themselves a huge disservice by buying into this scenario. They could be earning more money, at a quicker pace, and creating employee loyalty at the same time!

So senior managers - Do yourself a favour and hire a trainee, teach them well and quickly. Send any job descriptions here to Virtual Shipbroker and I will be sure to pass them on.