Q: I am in Class XII (science) and I am very keen to join the merchant navy. Kindly tell me about the procedure for direct admission in the merchant navy.

Snehashish Banerjee

A: Shipping companies recruit fresh candidates directly for marine engineering as well as navigation. Be on the lookout for their ads in leading national dailies and apply to them. I just spotted a recruitment advertisement of Mediterranean Shipping Co., S.A. for deck cadets. Log onto their website: www.mscgva.com for more information. Since you are based in Calcutta, you can e-mail your biodata to Kolkata@inccu.mscshipmgt.com.

Eligibility: 60-65 per cent in Class XII (physics, chemistry and math) and medical fitness are the basic requirements. For the navigation branch (as a deck cadet), you need 6/6 vision in both eyes without glasses; for marine engineering, however, glasses up to plus or minus 2.5 are permitted.

Now here is a word of caution. Beware of the fact that direct by no means spells ?easy?. Many aspiring candidates think so and don?t know how wrong they are. You will slog hard on board before you can start taking the competency exams that qualify you for working at sea.

You will have to study hard to ace these exams. In fact, to move up in your career ? both in marine engineering and navigation ? you have to keep clearing one level of examination after another. So by no means must you look upon this route as an easy way out or as a soft option.

It may be a good idea to subscribe to a shipping journal like the Marex Bulletin, a shipping industry weekly magazine published from Mumbai and priced at Rs 10. Marex regularly carries recruitment ads of several shipping companies as well as course notifications and other industry news that you may find useful. Log on to the website: www.marexbulletin.com for more details.

Working your way to B-school

Q: I have secured 63 per cent marks in hotel management from NCHMT and 44 per cent in BA. Am I eligible to take the MBA entrance exams of good B-schools?

Anahita Sarkar

A: You have scored below 50 per cent marks which may prove to be a slight deterrent. But if you can pack in a year or two of work-experience before applying for an MBA then your academic performance will not be a problem ? particularly since you have a dual qualification. NCHMCT also offers a masters in hotel administration. A few other institutes also offer similar courses. This can be another viable alternative to doing an MBA. The MTPs (Management Training Programmes) offered by five-star hotel chains like the Indian Hotels (Taj Group), Oberois (East India Hotels), WelcomeGroup (ITC), etc. is another excellent way of acquiring a management-level qualification if you wish to upgrade your qualifications in the hospitality sector.

Options galore for aircraft engineers

Q: I would like to take up aircraft maintenance engineering. Please tell me something about the job prospects in this field.

Arunav Chatterjee

A: Before the pilot enters the cockpit, each plane is meticulously tested for airworthiness by a team of qualified aircraft maintenance engineers and certified by the aviation engineer as ready for take off. Safety being of paramount consideration, the highest safety standards must be followed throughout.

Courses in aircraft maintenance engineering are offered at a large number of institutes recognised by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation which also approves the syllabus. But ensure that the institution you select is properly equipped.

Eligibility: Ten Plus Two (physics, chemistry and math). Age: 16-23 years (at times, the upper age limit is relaxed for engineering diploma-holders and science graduates). You can also opt for a BE/ BTech in aeronautical engineering. While these courses include instruction on maintenance of the aircraft and its components, the emphasis is more on the design, etc. of commercial and military aircrafts.

The Aeronautical Society of India (ASI) conducts an associate membership exam. Clearing both Sections A and B of this exam has been recognised by the ministry of education, at par with a bachelors degree in aeronautical engineering from an Indian university. Hence you can pursue the distance learning programme in aeronautical engineering from ASI. The minimum educational qualification for taking the exam is a pass in Class X. Students who have cleared Ten Plus Two with science subjects are eligible for Section A. For more information contact: ASI, 13-B, Indraprastha Estate, New Delhi 110002 . Website: www.aesi.org.

On clearing the internal exams, your forms will be forwarded to the DGCA, which will then issue you an AME license. AMEs (licence), AMEs (avionics) and trainee AMEs are recruited through Air India Charters Ltd., its wholly owned subsidiary. For details visit: www. airindia. com. With all the major airlines augmenting their fleet of sophisticated aircraft, the prospects for well-trained and highly qualified engineers are bright. They can expect an estimated 400 - 500 jobs per annum for the next few years. Indian Airlines, Air India, and many other private airlines pay a gross salary of Rs 40,000-1.25 lakh per month to qualified ground engineers.