# Salaries of merchant mariners **URL:** \ **Category:** Professional Mariner Forum\ **Created:** [July 30, 2015, 10:42pm UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/salaries-of-merchant-mariners/15101 "2015-07-30T22:42:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![AggieFish7281](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e47c2d/32.png) [@AggieFish7281](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/AggieFish7281)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2015, 10:42pm UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/salaries-of-merchant-mariners/15101/1 "2015-07-30T22:42:17Z")
im an first year cadet going for my unlimited 3rd mates license and i was just wondering what i could expect the salary to be. is there much of a difference in wages between msc and maersk? what sort of wages do 2nd mates 1st mates and captains make? ---
**Author:** ![cmakin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/48db29/32.png) [@cmakin](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/cmakin)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2015, 7:01am UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/salaries-of-merchant-mariners/15101/2 "2015-07-31T07:01:40Z")
[QUOTE=AggieFish7281;166371]im an first year cadet going for my unlimited 3rd mates license and i was just wondering what i could expect the salary to be. is there much of a difference in wages between msc and maersk? what sort of wages do 2nd mates 1st mates and captains make?[/QUOTE] Complicated subject and hard to answer now. I can pretty much guarantee that whatever you are told NOW will be quite different from what it will be four years from now (when you are in the job market). It all depends on job availability, vessel, owner, union or not, etc. . . . don’t base your entry into the maritime industry based SOLELY on wages. You won’t even make it through the first hitch, if you even ever get a license and job. . . . ---
**Author:** ![LI\_Domer](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.gcaptain.com/li_domer/32/768_2.png) [@LI\_Domer](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/LI_Domer)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2015, 9:12am UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/salaries-of-merchant-mariners/15101/3 "2015-07-31T09:12:42Z")
If you graduate you will probably live pretty comfortably. But this is a big if. Your career is entirely dependent on you. If it’s what you want to do then focus more on passing your classes and eventually license, the rest will fall into place. As an estimate though, most 3/m make more then 60-70k starting, and work roughly 180 days a year. ---
**Author:** ![PaddyWest2012](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.gcaptain.com/paddywest2012/32/2405_2.png) [@PaddyWest2012](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/PaddyWest2012)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2015, 10:44am UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/salaries-of-merchant-mariners/15101/4 "2015-07-31T10:44:40Z")
It’s easy to make it all about the money but I’ve been down that road and it holds nothing but misery and darkness. You have to find something else to work for or you’ll hate yourself for it. No salary is worth the time and effort if you spend half the year or more hating yourself while you earn it. You have to find a job you can be satisfied in, the money is an after-thought. ---
**Author:** ![Capt\_Phoenix](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.gcaptain.com/capt_phoenix/32/281_2.png) [@Capt\_Phoenix](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/Capt_Phoenix)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2015, 1:08pm UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/salaries-of-merchant-mariners/15101/5 "2015-07-31T13:08:49Z")
[QUOTE=cmakin;166376]don’t base your entry into the maritime industry based SOLELY on wages. You won’t even make it through the first hitch, if you even ever get a license and job. . . .[/QUOTE] ^^^ This! Yes, the money is good for the ones that have jobs right now. Two years ago the money was spectacular! But if you don’t want to do this job without considering the money then no amount of money will keep you out here. ---
**Author:** ![Ea\_y\_Money](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e47c2d/32.png) [@Ea\_y\_Money](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/Ea_y_Money)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2015, 5:20pm UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/salaries-of-merchant-mariners/15101/6 "2015-07-31T17:20:09Z")
[QUOTE=Capt. Phoenix;166395]^^^ This! Yes, the money is good for the ones that have jobs right now. Two years ago the money was spectacular! But if you don’t want to do this job without considering the money then no amount of money will keep you out here.[/QUOTE] Heard $15/hr minimum wage on the SS Golden Arches… Not everyone gets to be an astronaut when they grow up. ---
**Author:** ![AggieFish7281](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e47c2d/32.png) [@AggieFish7281](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/AggieFish7281)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2015, 8:15pm UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/salaries-of-merchant-mariners/15101/7 "2015-07-31T20:15:16Z")
[QUOTE=PaddyWest2012;166383]It’s easy to make it all about the money but I’ve been down that road and it holds nothing but misery and darkness. You have to find something else to work for or you’ll hate yourself for it. No salary is worth the time and effort if you spend half the year or more hating yourself while you earn it. You have to find a job you can be satisfied in, the money is an after-thought.[/QUOTE] i actually am very excited about the job itself I was just making sure its a career i could live comfortably on. ---
**Author:** ![blaineatk](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.gcaptain.com/blaineatk/32/243_2.png) [@blaineatk](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/blaineatk)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2015, 6:30am UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/salaries-of-merchant-mariners/15101/8 "2015-08-03T06:30:05Z")
You wanna know where the real money is… classes. Go teach classes or prep schools for tests. It’s robbery I tell ya! ---
**Author:** ![josh.reid24](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/da6949/32.png) [@josh.reid24](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/josh.reid24)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2015, 10:14pm UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/salaries-of-merchant-mariners/15101/9 "2015-08-03T22:14:42Z")
> [@"blaineatk"](#): > > You wanna know where the real money is… classes. Go teach classes or prep schools for tests. It’s robbery I tell ya! That’s what I’m screaming!! Fuckin classes!