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So you want to be an Officer Cadet? Good on you. There are a few things you'll need to know first, though. First of all, it's no use applying to a college for a place; that's not how it works. Instead, what you do is find yourself a sponsor company, and they will decide which college you go to. You can of course tell them you have a preference, but ultimately they're paying the fees and so they get to say where you go.

Secondly, competition is fierce, extremely fierce. As an example, Oxbridge have about 5 applicants per place, my current university has about 8-10 applicants per place and is considered one of the hardest institutions to get into. The companies and training organisations that I applied to, have between 25 and 30 applicants per place! This is quite understandable when you consider that the course is fully sponsored, meaning you don't have to rack up a student debt paying 9k/year for tuition. However, as nice as this is, it does make your task a little harder. You need to stick out from the crowd, show that you're different from the other 29 people going for your place.

To stick out from the crowd, you can't just rely on decent grades. Of course they help, but you're not going to be the only one with good grades. What you really need to do is show that you know what you're letting yourself in for, that you really want to do it, and you're not going to drop out the first time you have to clean a rubbish room (yep, room full of rubbish). The sponsor companies are going to be spending a lot of money on training you, so they want to make sure you're going to stick it out.

If you were in Sea Cadets, Scouts or anything of that nature, then this is your moment to shine. Life at sea is difficult and challenging. Clubs like Sea Cadets and Scouts will be excellent preparation for this, as they will give you opportunities to overcome challenges and obstacles, develop teamwork and leadership skills, and show determination and tenacity. If you were in the Sea Cadets for 6 or 7 years, they'll have more confidence that you'll complete an entire cadetship than someone who did it for a year and then gave up. Dedicated participation in a sport or sports will also help for the same reasons. Becoming competitive and skilled at a sport requires years of dedication and determination, and will be sure to help you on your way. Be sure to have evidence of achievements: team photos and records of competitions, or photos from Scout expeditions or trips on a tall ship with Sea Cadets. Without evidence it's just words.

You also need to do some research. The easiest way to start this is by asking any family or friends you may have that are or were in the Merchant Navy. They are best placed to be able to give you personal and honest advice. They'll also be guaranteed to have some great stories! If like me you don't have any family in the MN (and didn't know about friends in the MN before applying), then you're going to have to look elsewhere. A good place to start looking is the Merchant Navy Training Board website, and the Careers at Sea website. This is full of useful information about the Merchant Navy and the career you could be about to embark upon. Read up on the different roles (deck, engine, or electro technical), courses (HNC/HND or Foundation Degree), and the many different areas you could end up working in (cruise, bulk cargo, container, tankers, offshore, and the rest). You should then watch the videos (this is my favourite because the music is hilarious, although this one is probably more informative...), read the 'life at sea' stories from cadets and officers, and even play the games! I don't think there's anything on that site that I didn't read.

Open Days are a great way of getting to know a bit more about the industry. Plus, you'll find a lot of sponsor companies will have representatives there, and so you can get some inside info on what they're looking for, or why you might not have received a reply to an application etc. Open days are also good fun, as the colleges often put on a events like fire-fighting demonstrations and sometimes the local coastguard does an exercise demonstration as well! The main colleges are Warsash Maritime Academy (Southampton area), Fleetwood Nautical Campus (Blackpool area), South Shields Marine School (Newcastle area), and City of Glasgow College (Take-a-guess area). Between these four, there should be an Open Day near you in the not too distant future.

I found reading blogs from current cadets and officers really helped me grasp what it was that I was thinking of doing. One of my particular favourites is The Mariner. He has a shiny brand-new website with handily organised posts, including a whole section dedicated to training and what to expect. I highly recommend you read it, not least because it's a lot more interesting than mine! He also has some really fantastic pictures and videos, especially from his time in the Antarctic. This is my favourite. Another good blog to read, especially for the girls looking for a role model is Salt and Cider. Some cracking stories and pictures again.

Perhaps the greatest research tool of all though, is the forum Officercadet.com. It's full of really great questions, answers and advice from aspiring cadets, current cadets, serving and retired officers. You can ask questions and get answers with relative anonymity as long as you don't use your name as a username. Without the help I had from some of the members, I seriously doubt that I would be as fortunate as I am in having a place from Maersk - my first choice of sponsor company. A word of advice though, use the search function before you dive straight in and ask a question that's already been answered. Feel free to say hello though, and if you do have a question that you can't find the answer to, post away and there will be someone along very quickly to answer it.

All this research now starts to become useful. The whole point of it is to gain an idea of what life at sea is really like. This is exactly what a sponsor company is looking for: someone who knows what they're letting themselves in for. Now we can use your newly acquired knowledge to tailor your CV.

You'll have to wait for CV tips as this post is already way too long. Ta ta for now!