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The GP Rating is a six-month program you can join after finishing Class 10th or 12th in any stream. It’s one of the basic ways to enter the merchant navy among the three options. After passing out from college students will be placed on board for training. In this post, we will look at the GP Rating course in depth, including course information, scope, employment options after finishing the program, income, eligibility, and medical standards.
GP Rating or general purpose rating is the department onboard that is generally responsible for the maintenance of the ship and equipment onboard. It is one of the most crucial ranks onboard as it keeps the ship in a better condition so that everyone can do their work with full dedication.Â
| Course Level | Diploma Level Programme |
|---|---|
| Accommodation | Residential |
| Course Fees | ₹1,50,000 – ₹4,50,000 (vary college to college) |
| GP Rating Entrance Exam | Every college has its entrance test. |
| Duration | GP Rating Course is of 6 months. |
| Gender Restrictions | N/A |
| GP Rating Colleges |
|
People with this rating learn to do various tasks on the ship, like helping on the deck or engine room. They make sure the ship runs well and do different jobs as needed. If you want to join a Career as soon as possible then GP Rating is the key. After GP Rating you can even sail as an Officer or Engineer after giving the function exams and orals.Â
GP Rating is one of those courses about which people don’t know where to prepare and how. So, our GP Rating Guidance series will help you to prepare for the college of your dreams.Â
| Criteria | Eligibility |
|---|---|
| GP Rating Eligibility | 1.A candidate should have scored a minimum of 40% in 10th with more than 40% in English.Â
OR 2. A candidate should have scored a minimum of 40% in 12th in any stream with more than 40% in English.ÂOR 3. Pass in 2-year ITI Course approved by DVET, NCVT with a minimum of 40% aggregate marks in the final year of ITI. |
| Gender Restriction | Anyone can join. |
| Medical Eligibility |
|
GP Rating is a 6-month residential course and the age limit varies from college to college, so, here we have given the age limit of the colleges that we recommend.Â
NUSI GOA:- Minimum age is 18 and Maximum age is 25 for GP Rating in NUSI Goa
TS RAHAMAN:- For TS RAHAMAN your age should be between 17.5 to 25 years on the commencement date of the course.Â
GREAT EASTERN:- 17.5 to 25 is the eligible age for GP Rating in Great Eastern.Â
SEVEN ISLANDS:- 17.5 to 25 is the eligible age for Seven Islands
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Regarding the fees of GP Rating courses in different colleges, we will only talk about the above four recommended colleges.Â
|
Great Eastern Institute of Maritime Studies |
₹ 4,50,000 (Loan can be granted for this college) |
|
Seven Islands Maritime Training Institute |
₹ 4,50,000 (loan can be granted by the bank.) |
|
T.S. Rahaman |
₹2,39,000/- |
|
NUSI Goa |
₹1,63,000/- |
Confused about which college to join for GP Rating? Use our Eligibility Calculator to discover GP Rating colleges you are qualified for. It will help you with the following;
College Recommendation:- You will get colleges completely based on your profile and past results.
BMI Analysis:- It helps you to calculate your BMI and gives recommendations on health and educational grounds.
Complete College Details:- You can check the complete details of the colleges you are eligible for.
The process to join the GP Rating is more or less the same i.e. you apply to colleges after your 10th, 12th Commerce or ITI. After clearing the CET of the respective college you need to clear the medical criteria of DG Shipping after which you will be eligible for the 6-month GP Rating Course. Let’s look at these steps one by one.
To join GP Rating, you need to clear eligibility criteria to get into top GP Rating colleges. Every college has its own eligibility criteria that you can check from our college portal.
The second step is to aim for a good college that will give you the placement. There are a lot of DG Shipping Colleges that only conduct the GP Rating Course and do not give any placement to students. So, you need to go to the colleges recommended by us.
The next step is preparation for the GP Rating Entrance Exam which is one of the most important steps and many make the mistake of taking the entrance exam lightly. So, to clear the entrance test on the first attempt you need to prepare the topics that come most of the time in the exam. You can check out our GP Rating Course and Telegram Channel for better preparation for the GP Rating Entrance Exam and Interview.
The final step before going to college is the Medical Exam that you need to take if you get shortlisted for the college or company. You need to take the medical exam from a DG Certified Doctor as only DG Certified Medical Certificates are acceptable in the Merchant Navy.Â
Many colleges conduct GP Rating Courses but there are only a few of them that provide a good placement for GP Rating Cadet. Let’s look at these colleges one by one.
Great Eastern Institute of Maritime Studies is one of the best colleges you can get into for the GP rating as this is the only college that will give you the sponsorship letter that will help to get an educational loan for the GP rating course. This is the college that guarantees placement as it has its own company Great Eastern Shipping.Â
Eligibility Criteria for GEIMS
|
Educational Qualifications |
2-year ITI Course or a 3-year Diploma Course in fields like an automobile or as a fitter etc. from Govt. approved Technical institutes with minimum 50% aggregate marks in final year and 40% marks in English subjects in 10th and 12th board. (Candidates having only 10th and 12th qualifications are not allowed). |
|
Age Limit |
The age limit for GEIMS is between 17.5 to 25. |
|
Medical Criteria |
6/12 in each eye; 6/9 in the better eye and 6/18 in the other eye with no color blindness.  |
| Educational Qualification | The candidate must have passed with an aggregate of 40% marks in 10th standard with Science, and Mathematics as subjects with a minimum of 40% marks in English either in 10th or 12th. [AND] The candidate must have passed in 2-year ITI course (Fitter / Machinist / Mechanic / Welder / Turner) from Govt. Approved Institute with Minimum 50% Aggregate marks in the final year. [OR] The candidate must be a Diploma or Degree holder with at least 40% in English either in 10th or 12th. |
| Age | The eligible age for GP Rating in Seven Islands is 17.5 to 25 years. |
| Medical Criteria | The Candidate should be medically fit with no color blindness. |
| Educational Qualification | Minimum 40% aggregate marks in final year and minimum 40% in English subject in 10th or 12th.Â
[OR] Pass in 2 year ITI course approved by DVET; with a minimum of 40% aggregate marks in the final year of ITI & minimum of 40% in English in 10th / 12th. |
| Age | 17.5 years and not over 25 years on the date of commencement of training. |
| Medical Criteria | The Candidate should be medically fit with distance vision 6/6 in the better eye and 6/9 in the other eye and no color blindness. |
| Educational Qualifications | Someone who has passed their class 10th with subjects Science, Mathematics, and English with an aggregate of 40% along with 40% in English, may apply for admission.
[OR] Class 12th pass-out from any stream can also apply for admission, but he has to fulfill the above-mentioned point.[OR] An aspirant from the 2-year ITI course (Fitter/ Machinist/ Mechanic/ Welder/ Turner/ Mechanic Diesel/ Mechanic Motor Vehicle/ Electrical Electronics/ Automobile / Instrumentation) approved by DVET with 40 % in the final year who must satisfy the first point can also apply for the admission. |
| Age | The age limit to apply is a minimum of 18 years and a maximum of 25 years on the 1st of January or July. |
| Medical Criteria | The Aspirant should have 6/6 vision in the better eye and 6/9 in the other eye and normal color vision is tested. |
| RANK | Duties on-board | SALARY |
| Ordinary Seaman | Ordinary Seaman remain on watchkeeping duty with Deck Officer for look-out and watchkeeping. | ₹60,000 to ₹75,000 |
| Able-Bodied Seaman | An Able-Bodied Seaman’s tasks include watchkeeping on the Bridge along with the Duty Officer and also steering the ship manually according to the orders. | ₹1,00,000 to ₹1,24,000 |
| Deck Fitter | Deck fitters are available so that general welding and fitting work on the Deck does not suffer when the Engine fitter is busy. | ₹1,00,000 to ₹ 1,60,000 |
| Pumpman (Tankers) | Pumpman is responsible for fitting, welding, and other jobs on Deck, along with taking care of the Pump room. | ₹1,00,000 to ₹ 1,60,000 |
| Bosun | A bosun is responsible for knots, hitches, bends, whips, and splices for anchoring the vessel, among other things. | ₹1,00,000 to ₹ 1,60,000 |
| RANK | Duties on-board | SALARY |
| Trainee Wiper/Fitter | A trainee Wiper aboard a ship is majorly responsible for the upkeep of the vessel. | ₹30,000 to ₹40,000 |
| Wiper | Wiper is responsible for the maintenance of the engine room and works as a member of the watch team in the Engine room. | ₹60,000 to ₹75,000 |
| Motorman | He is responsible for the maintenance and repair of the engine room, machine room, and engine room equipment. | ₹1,00,000 to ₹1,24,000 |
| Fitter | Fitter is one that is responsible for Welding, fabrication of spares, and all the restoration work on engine parts. | ₹1,00,000 to ₹1,60,000 |
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The GP Rating Course fees are a concern for middle-class families as this course is not a degree course hence there is no specific education loan provided for the GP Rating course but there are two institutes for which you a get educational loan.Â
These are the only two colleges for which you will be given an educational loan as you will be given a sponsorship letter which will act as a guarantee letter for the placement in the company. Â
To get all the information about the loan CLICK HERE
After GP Rating, if you want to become an Officer or Engineer now, you need to clear the sea time and then appear for the MEO Class IV or 2nd Mate CoC Exam.Â
The first step towards the rank of engineer or officer is to complete your sea time of 36 months. This is the minimum sea time that you need to have to appear for the exam.Â
To appear for the foundation courses, you need to have a certificate of proficiency that you will get after completing the sea time and watchkeeping, without CoP you can’t go for the foundation course.
When the documents are complete you need to appear for the foundation courses for engineer or officer.Â
After completing the function course you need to clear the function exam and orals. When you clear the written exam and orals then you will get the CoC, Certificate of Competency with which you can sail as a third officer or 4th Engineer.Â
Not one or two but three examples I can provide you of those people who were in GP Rating with a good salary but dared to get out of their comfort zone and now are sailing as an Officer or Engineer.Â
You can learn about the process and how they cleared the CoC from the free GP Rating Course from Merchant Navy Decoded.
Eligibility criteria are different for different colleges but the basic requirement is that a candidate should be a 10th pass out with an aggregate of 40% marks and a minimum of 40% marks in English either in 10th or 12th. Some colleges even demand ITI as an eligibility when filling out the form. You can get all the information about top colleges and their eligibility criteria just by CLICKING HERE.
1. Written Exam (English, Science, and Math).
2. Personal Interview (To check communication skills)
3. Medical Examination from DG Certified Doctors
No, a Medical Fitness Certificate is not necessary for GP Rating College Exams, however, it is required for admission to a training institute.
You can obtain a medical certificate from a DGS-approved doctor or follow the institute’s instructions.
The salary after the GP Rating Course depends on various factors such as rank, experience, and shipping company. It can vary anywhere from 300$ per month as a trainee to 2000$ after becoming a Bosun or Fitter onboard.Â
It’s a bit tricky to get an educational loan for GP Rating as it is a Diploma course not a degree course. However, some colleges provide sponsorship letters to candidates with the help of which you can apply for educational loans.
To know about the complete procedure, CLICK HERE.Â
In GP Rating it’s all about colleges if you get into a good college with good placement then with a little bit of hard work you can get into a good Shipping company. Some colleges have their own shipping company so if you get into such colleges then your job is secured.Â
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