SIKHULU MASUKU
Achiever of the week: Sikhulu Masuku
Oct 26, 2020 | By Nqobile Mdima
This week’s feature is Sikhulu Masuku. Sikhulu is from South Africa, KZN province. She has a Certificate of Competence (CoC) and EOOW Class III (Unlimited). She obtained her qualifications from Cape Peninsula Univ. Of Technology. Sikhulu is a Junior Marine Engineer and she is working for a Norwegian shipping company. She started her training in 2016 and got her license in 2019. Her industry is male dominated, but Sikhulu is determined to thrive and be the best Marine Engineer. She spends most of the time at sea but when the ship stops in a country to deliver goods she then gets the time to explore the different countries they deliver to. Sikhulu has been in more than 15 countries.
Sikhulu shares with us the requirements to enter her industry, where to find opportunities in her industry, her future goals and the pros and cons of working abroad.
Was it always your dream to become a Marine Engineer?
I wanted to be a mechanical engineer and work for a defense company, but when my friend told me about working on a ship I was intrigued, started to do more reasearch on it and later decided to pursue it.
What are the job requirements in your field?
- Age: 18 - 25.
- Studied Marine Engineering or Mechanical Engineering.
- Marine Engineers License - Certificate of Competency for EOOW Class III (Unlimited).
What are the visa requirements?
I am not sure about the VISA requirements because the manning/recruiting agency does all of that for you before you join a vessel. The important thing is to have a passport and no criminal record.
Which reliable resources do you recommend for accessing work opportunities ?
I was recruited by SAMTRA while I was studying in Cape Peninsula Univ. Of Technology. However, there are a few recruiting agencies in SA that recruit for various shipping/cruise/yacht companies:
- MCS - marine crewing services
- SAMTRA
- BlueEnsign
- Gourmet recruitment
- WRS -Worldwide recruitment services
By getting in touch with these recruiters you will find that there are various other jobs that people can apply for to work onboard a ship/yacht (i.e waiter, butler, hostess, mechanic, laundry attendent, masseuse, cleaner, fitter, lifeguard, training officer, IT technician, Electro-tech, nurse, chef etc.)
What are the advantages about working abroad?
- Experience in working in a plant environment so you are exposed to all kinds of system and engineering challenges.
- Travel the world.
- Working with different nationalities.
- Getting paid in foreign currency with no taxation clauses (T&Cs apply).
What are the disadvantages about working abroad?
- Sometimes you're away from home for 3 - 9 months.
- Communication challenges with colleagues.
- Loneliness.
How many countries have you been in so far?
I think I've been in more than 15 countries.
Will you be able to recommend job seekers to your company or agent?
It is always best that the job seeker apply via recruiting agencies, because the recruiters would already have a relationship with that particular company. So just contact the recruiters mentioned above.
What are your future goals?
My goal is to be the best where ever I am. I am not sure as to what path I will venture into deeply because the marine industry is vast and has a lot of opportunities.
