Merchant Marine Steward and Cook Job Description, Career as a Merchant Marine Steward and Cook, Salary, Employment

Definition and Nature of the Work, Education and Training Requirements, Getting the Job

Education and Training Varies—see profile
Salary Varies—see profile
Employment Outlook Poor

Definition and Nature of the Work

Stewards and cooks see to the day by day needs of passengers and crew aboard transport. They prepare and serve meals and maintain live quarters. All freighters, tankers, and passenger ships employ stewards .
foreman stewards supervise the training of food. They are besides responsible for the maintenance of ships ‘ survive quarters and mess halls, keeping careful records of the use of food, linens, and furniture. On passenger ships chief stewards are in charge of the comfort of the passengers .
head cooks supervise the other kitchen employees. They plan menus in cooperation with head stewards, issue supplies, and butcher and cut meat. They often cook the most demand meals on the menu, and delegate early responsibilities to second base cooks and bakers. In addition, they supervise the scavenge and sustenance of kitchens .
moment cooks support headman cooks in the cooking of food and sustenance of kitchen safety and cleanliness. third cooks by and large assist their superiors. Bakers are in appoint of making desserts. Utility hands carry supplies, prepare vegetables, and wash and scour utensils. mess attendants set tables, serve food, clean and jerk tables, and wash dishes. They besides maintain the surviving quarters aboard ship .

Education and Training Requirements

The job has no formal educational requirements, although workers must have seaman ‘s papers, which are issued by the U.S. Coast Guard. To receive these papers, workers must either participate in training programs or have promises of jobs from companies or unions. however, both companies and unions immediately promise jobs entirely in especial cases .
several unlike kinds of schools provide education. Both the Seafarers International Union and the National Maritime Union sponsor schools for qualify candidates. The New York City educate system offers nautical training at the Food and Maritime Trade High School. Some states have their own nautical academies. Workers are besides trained at the U.S. Naval Academy, the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, and the U.S. Coast Guard Academy .
Besides classroom train, any experience in the U.S. Coast Guard or U.S. Navy is utilitarian, as is experience as a fudge .

Getting the Job

Job seekers must inaugural obtain seaman ‘s papers from the Coast Guard and health certificates from the U.S. Public Health Service. Because very few companies or unions promise jobs, most new workers get their first jobs by registering at union or government hiring halls. The government hiring halls are run by the U.S. Navy ‘s military Sealift Command. These halls are located in major ports throughout the country.

Job openings go inaugural to register workers who have the most longevity and who have been out of work the longest. To get jobs workers must be award at the rent halls when the openings occur .
Because mariner ‘s papers do not guarantee continuing use, all workers go to hiring halls between jobs. The waiting period may be only one week for those with longevity ; newly workers normally have to wait much longer .

Advancement Possibilities and Employment Outlook

Workers advance only on the recommendation of headman stewards to ship captains. New workers by and large start as mess attendants or utility hands. With potent recommendations, mess attendants or utility hands can go on to such jobs as third base cook, cook/baker, chief cook, and finally head steward. The U.S. Coast Guard issues documents for each absolute. The alone requirement is senesce : third base cooks must be at least nineteen years old ; foreman cooks and head stewards must be at least twenty-one years old .
Job prospects are unfavorable. Most new ships are built to replace older ships, and the new vessels require fewer workers. Openings occur as workers retire or leave the field. however, there will be cadaver contest for those jobs. Most openings will be filled by have workers who are unemployed .

Working Conditions

Living quarters on ships are cleanse and adequate. Like all merchant marine workers, cooks and stewards are aside from home for long periods. Work aboard ships can be hazardous because of the constant risk of fire, falls, collisions, and sinking. Workers may be exposed to harsh upwind while at sea .
The monthly pay of stewards and cooks is based on a forty-hour workweek. however, overtime exercise and early variations in hours occur regularly. Workers receive extra give for this ferment .

Earnings and Benefits

Because of federal laws and the efforts of a potent union, employees of the U.S. merchant marine are among the highest-paid seamen in the worldly concern. In 2004 the median wage of head stewards was $ 14.86 per hour ; of headman cooks, $ 4,618 per calendar month, including overtime pay ; and of mess attendants and utility hands, $ 3,199 per calendar month, including overtime. Over-time solve increases most salaries by fifty percentage. however, because employees of the merchant marine must often wait between jobs, their annually income tends to be lower than the monthly figures would indicate.

Where to Go for More Information

Maritime Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation
400 Seventh St. SW
Washington, DC 20509
( 800 ) 996-2723
hypertext transfer protocol : //www.marad.dot.gov
Seafarers International Union of North America
5201 Auth Way
Camp Springs, MD 20746-4275
( 301 ) 899-0675
hypertext transfer protocol : //www.seafarers.org
Benefits include board and display panel, medical care, hospitalization indemnity, pensions, and five to fifteen hours of give vacation for each thirty days of employment .