Whatever your age we always like to hear from anyone who is considering a career as a Liverpool Pilot. We can arrange an informal meeting to discuss in depth what life as a pilot is like and give advice on how best to prepare in order to increase your chances of being selected for an interview. Contact us via our email address on our home page and we will endeavour to respond as soon as possible.
However, a career in Liverpool Pilots starts for everyone with a career at sea, so if you are just leaving school or college and contemplating a life as a River Pilot on the Mersey then it is recommended that you also read the following web articles by clicking on the links below which should give you all the necessary information to get started with your first application and that is in becoming a Merchant Navy trainee deck officer:
Careers At Sea – Merchant Navy Career Opportunities – www.careersatsea.org
In addition the following links below give you a good oversight of what a career as a pilot involves,
A short article on the work of Pilots by the – International Maritime Pilots' Association
So how do I get to a position where I can make a formal application to Liverpool Pilots?
Firstly you are probably in your late twenties or early thirties and have established a career in the Merchant Navy either as a senior deck officer undertaking ship handling duties on a regular basis or preferably with your own command as the master of a vessel. You will hold a Class 1 Certificate of Competency as a deck officer (Master Mariner), a valid ENG 1 medical certificate, be fluent in the English language, hold a driving licence and have the right to permanent residency in the United Kingdom and lastly agree explicitly to make your main residence within one hour’s drive of our Pilot Offices on Merseyside.
If you haven’t quite met all the qualification criteria but are working towards achieving them we would also be interested to receive a C.V. from you expressing your interest. It’s always better to let us know from an early a date as you feel that is right for you.
Additionally we accept applications from First Class Authorised Pilots working in other major tidal Ports with suitable experience.
What next?
If you apply to us formally you will receive an acknowledgment of your application letting you know we have received your details. Your application will then be considered and if we are in the process of recruiting we will either invite you to be interviewed or let you know that you have been unsuccessful. If we are not actively recruiting we will also write to you asking for your permission to retain your details for future opportunities.
What are my chances?
If you never try you will never know, is the short answer. However it is not easy, as a number of factors come in to play as to whether or not you will be successful, which include competition from other candidates, our requirement to recruit, your performance at interview and your professional track record.
If you are successful then our commitment to you will be whole. If we haven’t got any current vacancies then we place all successful candidates at interview on our prospective trainee pilot list and when a position becomes available then the candidate at the top of the list will be invited to commence training with Liverpool Pilots. It is not uncommon for some prospective trainees to wait up to three years before being invited, but one thing is for sure and that is the only person who can take you off the waiting list is yourself.
So what is the interview like?
It comprises of a Panel made up of the four elected member representatives of Liverpool Pilots, the Company secretary (also a pilot) and a representative of the Harbour Authority namely the Harbour Master himself or his deputy. The interview lasts approximately two hours in total and if successful at this stage you will be invited back to undertake a day on the river with one of the Liverpool Pilots to see if the job is right for you and for the interview panel to receive an informal report back from the accompanying pilot on how he thought your day went. This River day is an opportunity for you to ask as many questions as you can think of, so you get as good an insight in to what being a pilot is all about. Following the day on the River we will then contact you formally in writing, letting you know the outcome of your interview.
I’ve been successful what next?
Firstly your interview result will remain confidential as far as Liverpool Pilots are concerned, though you are at liberty to let anyone know that you want to know. As indicated before you may be one of the lucky ones and be invited to start training with us right away or like most of us, sit on the list awaiting a vacancy. Whichever we will always allow you to give the required notice to your employee at that time before requiring you to start training on the River Mersey.
Its day one I’ve left my last employer to commence as a Trainee Pilot, what’s in store next?
Firstly, a big congratulations is in order you're 95% there in becoming a member of Liverpool Pilots, a Service established in 1766 by Act of Parliament and one of the oldest in the North West Region.
Secondly, some more hard work, the training you will embark on will consist in total of another 7 ½ years, the first six months in which you attain your first authorisation in the direct employ of Liverpool Pilotage Services Limited which will lead to you becoming a Class 4 authorised pilot and on attaining such authorisation be able to apply formally to Liverpool Pilots via its Chairman to be entered as a member of Liverpool Pilots and as such leaving the employ of the Pilotage Service Company to becoming an Independent Self Employed Equal Shareholder of Liverpool Pilots and contractor of Liverpool Pilotage Services Limited.
You will then progress through the structured training programme agreed between the Liverpool Pilot Service Company and the Harbour Authority over the next five years by examination until you become a Class 1 pilot, authorised to pilot any size of vessel in the River Mersey, after two years experience as a Class 1 Pilot you will be assigned to work with specific types of vessels to allow further specialisation by way of a relationship with a Shipping Agency in Liverpool designating you as an Appropriated Pilot.
If you think your training is all finished there you will be wrong as we collectively engage in continual professional development meeting the International requirements for Harbour pilots as set out by the International Maritime Organisation on a continuous five year rolling basis.
Hard work yes, but if you ask any one of our Pilots they’ll all tell you it’s the best job in the world. So if you think life as a Pilot is for you let us know and e mail us your C.V.
We look forward to hearing from you.
