Being a maritime instructor is a go to profession for some of our mates after or even during their sea career. It is in this field that they can share best the knowledge and experience they acquired. Hence, the transfer of knowledge will take place to a younger breed of maritime professionals.
In this blog, we’re going to lay out the qualifications and experience required on how to become a maritime instructor. We will look at specific requirements for instructors, assesors in MHEIs (Maritime Higher Education Institution) and MTIs (Maritime Training Institutions).
Professional Maritime Instructor
Assessor
As an additional bonus, we will also include requirements & qualifications for dean and department head in the College of Maritime Education.
Department Head
Dean
Who can qualify as a maritime instructor
Let us define what a maritime instructor is:
refers to any person accredited by the Administration to conduct in-service training of a seafarer, either on board or ashore in an MTl, which is intended to be used in qualifying for certification under STCW.
STCW Circular No. 2014-04
Due to the generalization of statement above, we will focus on the Professional courses category. As you may know, there are also maritime instructors who fall for the other category, which is the General Education courses.
To sum this up, all maritime professionals can apply for accreditation from MARINA and start teaching in either MHEI and MTI. It is as long as they meet the requirements laid out by the Administration.
Professional Instructor Qualifications
CHED Memorandum Order 67 s. 2017, Section 24 Under Faculty lays out the minimum professional qualifications and academic qualifications. This gives out guidelines to those who want to be a part of a faculty in College of Maritime Education.
Apparently, you can teach only after gaining 12 months as OIC NW or EW in certain tonnage and kW. In order for our mates to secure the accreditation from MARINA, they shall undergo IMO Model Course 6.09.
You can avail of the regular offers of this course from the National Maritime Polytechnic in Manila and Tacloban. There are a few training centers nationwide that offers this, just watch out for their promotions.
This is your ticket and will serve as your license to teach in any accredited maritime schools or training centers in the country.
RELATED: List of Maritime Schools Accredited by MARINA & CHED
Instructor that handles simulators
In addition to the requirements above, instructors who wish to handle simulators as part of classroom instruction shall have:
a.) Holder of IMO Model Course 6.10 “Train the Simulator Trainer and Assessor”
b.) Gained practical operational experience on the particular type of simulators used.
The second requirement can be acquired through maker demonstration of the simulator or maker instructions. Some training centers and maritime schools will send candidates directly to the maker itself.
This is to learn how to use, operate and maintain this multimillion hardware and software equipment. As a result, the school or training center can give efficient delivery and transfer of knowledge to their students.
Assessor Qualifications
In accordance to Section 25 of CMO 67 s. of 2017, MHEIs shall institute a system and structure of assessment. This includes appeals and remediation that will ensure the achievement outcomes to comply with STCW standards. Thus, removing faculty bias in the development of summative assessment (written, oral and demonstration of skills).
What are the jobs of an assessor?
In the CMO, the job of an assessor shall be:
a.) spearhead the design, development and enhancement of assessment tools;
b.) ensure reliability and validity of assessment tools; and
c.) monitor the administration of examination/assessment
What are the assessor’s qualifications?
Now let’s take a look on what should an assessor’s qualifications be:
RELATED: How to file for BS Degree in BSMT & BSMar’E
Department Head Qualifications
If the school offers both BSMT and BSMarE courses, then the College of Maritime Education shall have Marine Transportation & Marine Engineering Department. Each department shall be headed by a competent and qualified Department Head.
First, let’s have a look at the qualifications for the Marine Transportation Department:
If already a management level officer, then it is much easier to qualify for this post. It is because it doesn’t need anymore a year of supervisory capacity.
Next, let’s take a look at Marine Engineering Department:
It is almost as same qualification and experience requirements as in the Marine Transportation department.
Both of these department head manages each department and oversees compliance, education and development. They both are under the Dean of College of Maritime Education.
Qualifications of a Dean
The Dean of College of Maritime Education is the overall head of the entire Maritime Education department. He or she directly reports to the head of school management in regards to compliance, implementation and the overall status of the department.
He needs to make sure that the school is inline and in compliance with the guidelines set forth by the Convention (STCW), Administration (MARINA), CHED and other institution in regards to running a maritime education department.
As this is not an easy task to perform, he or she needs upgrading of his or her educational attainment and will require master’s degree preferably in maritime studies, training or management.
Additional Qualifications
MHEis and MTIs at times imposes additional qualifications to its applicants. This is their own discretion and intent.
They may look for a specific expertise like Assessor only in Medical First Aid or Medical Care or Instructor with experience in Tanker vessels, etc. There can be a lot of areas that some of our mates can fill and some don’t.
We can assume that the demand for a maritime instructor is high due to unfilled areas of training. Nevertheless, most of our mates are meeting the demand as training for IMO Model Courses 6.09, 6.10 & 3.12 are on a regular basis.
Are you planning to be a maritime instructor? I hope this blog post helps you in answering your question and steer a new direction in your career.