Deck Officer cadet Thomas Rapley follows in his grandfather's footsteps

Going to sea allows the young person with the right mentality to gain huge experience and will give them a lifetime of memories, reckons deck Officer cadet Thomas Rapley

What is a typical day in your job?

As a deck officer cadet, most of my time is spent at college/working from home, however whilst at sea I shadowed the chief officer, during his shift.

Why did you choose a career at sea?

I chose this career as after deciding university wasn't for me, and having grown up with stories from my grandfather who was in the Merchant Navy in the 1950s early 1960s decided that I would like to follow in his footsteps, and have adventures I could tell future generations to inspire them like he did for me.

Tell us some of your career highlights – and challenges – so far

The highlights for me so far was to visit some of the places my grandfather had been to and talked about such as Panama and Suez. The challenges I have faced was being away from home with the wrong mobile network, and recently trying to get the correct guidance on college work whilst having to work at home due to Covid 19.

What are the best things about your job?

The best things so far are being able to see the world, being able to work with modern technology on a modern ship and seeing my career progress the way I hoped it would.

Would you recommend seafaring as a career?

I would recommend seafaring as a career, as it is an alternative to going to university and allows the young person with the right mentality to gain huge experience and will give them a lifetime of memories.

Tell us one thing people may not know about your job?

People from my local area do not realise that the merchant navy is not part of the military.