Thea Bergien

Master mariner

Age

27 years old

Location

1º17'22"N

103º51'00"E

Singapore

The day begins

08:00

"I like that I regularly get the opportunity to test the theory in practice, when I'm out doing an internship."

Classroom theory is continuously tested at sea

When I completed secondary school, I got the opportunity to sail with the training ship Georg Stage. It was really exciting to see the world this way and this experience made me apply for the master mariner programme at SIMAC. I’m currently on my 5th semester and plan to graduate in November 2017.

The master mariner programme is really exciting. And I like that I regularly get the opportunity to test the theory in practice, when I'm out doing an internship.

“I actually like that when I'm at work, I work. And when I off, I’m off.”

Exciting internships

When I'm out as a cadet on a ship, I usually work with an officer and follow him on his shifts. A typical duty can be from 8am to noon and from 8pm to midnight. I also help perform security checks, which usually takes place after the first shift.

There are quite a bit of travel associated with sailing. However, I already knew that from the beginning. It's part of the job.

My best advice

If you’re just slightly interested in the maritime industry, you should definitely try it out. In this programme you get the opportunity to test whether sailing is for you from a very early stage.