Good day everyone!
Happy to know this platform which provides useful information about LLM in major universities especially for seafarers willing to have additional background for further future and I am one of them.

Back to the topic, I am a chief mate of merchant marine and now I want go back to my major when I was a uni. student (Marine insurance) and study more about it.
My ultimate goal is to work in major-related field such as P&I clubs, marine insurance companies and etc.

Since I graduated maritime university, I started my work as an officer and now I want to study more about marine insurance and maritime law.

It seems that the best option for me is going to Swansea Uni. or Soton or QMUL LLM.

But as you know, my information is very limited due to my working environment(no internet on the seas).

May I ask you to provide some useful advice for me?
Such as which Uni. is the most suitable for me and what kind of LLM is the most appropriate and what kind of qualification should I have to do that? Thanks in advance..

Brgds.

Hi there

I am a Swansea graduate working in the shipping sector having worked 2 years in a p @ I previously. My experience at Swansea was excellent. The department is very linked to the sector I.e. Bringing several guest lecturers , organising trips to p @i clubs and a career fair. It certainly presents a great opportunity to get into the sector. And of course teaching is very practical delivered by excellent teachers some of whom worked in practice. If you thinking p @ i You need to study admiralty law and also carriage of goods by sea land and air. I do not believe those options are available in London universities. In fact not many of them have a team of 10-12 like swansea does. I strongly recommend swansea.

Al the best

kosta

Hi Kosta,

Kindly share your thoughts regarding an LLM in Maritime law from NUS Singapore.
I am a Chief Engineer in Merchant Ships and have sufficient shore experience under various domains like ship construction/ ship management/ Maritime training etc. Apart from this i do have an LLB degree and has a license to practice in India.
My area of interest is Marine Insurance though not necessarily restricted to the same , which i intend to pursue in this part of the globe. My expectations are in being an In-house counsel for a shipping company / Marine arbitration / P&I Clubs etc.
Kindly advice my scope in the field and whether an LLM in maritime law from NUS will be of any help for the same. Since I would prefer to work in the Indian Sub Continent , dont you feel I would be better of doing the LLM at singapore.
Many thnx in advance.

Dear Kevin

I do not know much about NUS LLM but I also have not heard it being mentioned by employers and others in the sector. In my opinion, given that most of commercial maritime is based on English law, I do not see how studying in Singapore could provide any advantage even if you intend to work in the sub-continent.

I hope that helps.

Kosta

Dear Kosta,
I am going to Swansea for LLM. Could you please answer few doubts. since you are in the same field for some years, I guess your input would help me clearing my doubts.
Actually, I come from a non-EU member country. so is it possible for a non-EU member to get a job in European countries? I heard it's very tough these days, so by the time one completes LLM, it's difficult getting a job, as LLM doesn't serve as an entry ticket to jobs.
I don't mind working anywhere else other than Europe, but the point is, the scope for Maritime law is limited elsewhere compared to Europe.

In my experience in shipping world, the nationality does not matter! If you are the most appropriate candidate for the job you will get it in Europe or elsewhere. I am Greek and I have worked in Europe and also in Asia. So why now? Swansea enjoys a great reputation. You will enjoy it there.

Kosta

<blockquote>Dear Kosta,
I am going to Swansea for LLM. Could you please answer few doubts. since you are in the same field for some years, I guess your input would help me clearing my doubts.
Actually, I come from a non-EU member country. so is it possible for a non-EU member to get a job in European countries? I heard it's very tough these days, so by the time one completes LLM, it's difficult getting a job, as LLM doesn't serve as an entry ticket to jobs.
I don't mind working anywhere else other than Europe, but the point is, the scope for Maritime law is limited elsewhere compared to Europe.</blockquote>

You could always try Malta. EU member state, a big maritime and shipping industry, and LLMs (particularly UK ones) are very highly respected and will definitely help you get a job.

Dear friends,

I am from a non-EU, civil law country and want to get a job after LLM in UK.

Swansea has LLM in Maritime Law but Birmingham has LLM Marine Insurance. Can you compare these programs in terms of reputation and job opportunities after graduation? I know, becoming a solicitor is not so easy (QLTS etc.) so in case of not having qualification which one is more flexible to find a job at least as an officer or something like that?

All the best,

Hello Hakanb,
[quote]

Swansea has LLM in Maritime Law but Birmingham has LLM Marine Insurance. Can you compare these programs in terms of reputation and job opportunities after graduation?[/quote]

Does Birmingham really offer an "Marine Insurance"-LLM? I failed to find the respective course on the website of the law school
http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/schools/law/courses/llm/index.aspx

In the end, it seems that Birmingham offers an interesting LLM "Commercial Law". However, even if you include all modules with links to the maritime law market, the LLM program is no way comparable to a fully-fledged maritime law LLM. This is in no way a critique of the program offered by Birmingham - it just has a different focus.

Bye
flori

I agree with Flori, if you are looking for somewhere where the focus is maritime law/marine insurance law etc Birmingham is not the place I am afraid! No disrespect to Birmingham, but Swansea has a very extensive maritime offering and many famous professors. I have come across this recently on Swansea web-site:
http://www.swansea.ac.uk/law/istl/newsandevents/newscentre/professorsoyerinvitedtoaddressthejudiciaryontheinsuranceact2015.php

I hope it helps!

Kosta

Hello flori and kosta,
Thanks for your replies. My mistake, is not a separate LLM but a module in LMM Commercial Law. Sorry :)

Yes from all comments it seems Swansea is the right place to study maritime law. However as far as I see many foreign graduates cannot continue to work in UK. Is this a preference? or is getting a job in maritime related field very difficult for foreign educated graduates?

All the best
Hakan

[quote]However as far as I see many foreign graduates cannot continue to work in UK. Is this a preference? or is getting a job in maritime related field very difficult for foreign educated graduates?
[/quote]

Hello Hakan,
I think it is a mix of everything:
1. Some people do not plan to work in the UK. For them, the LLM and the respective stay in the UK is intended to be a one-year-episode. So it was for me and my friends - one year Swansea, Nottingham, Glasgow, London, Cambridge and then back to the home country...
2. Some people undertake the LLM as part of a plan to land a job in the legal field over there -> some find adequate jobs, some continue their education with the LPC/ GDL afterwards and some go back home, because their plans turned out to be unrealistic.

I would not say that getting a job in the maritime field would have been/ would be _very difficult_. However, the LLM is not a magical ticket to a perfect career... Looking back at my LLM class I get the impression, that those with an already strong CV had no problems/ would have had no problems, whilst many others without this did not get the massive boost that they expected...

Bye
flori

Thanks flori,

You are right, LLM is not a magical ticket. Also plannig everything is not possible. Let's live and see.

Flori is right Hakan LLM it is not magical ticket but you can improve your chances by going somewhere which offers specialist degrees and also yourself working hard!!! Swansea LLM provided my with perfect specialist education in maritime and trade law, opportunities that come with it and of course I did work hard and pursued the opportunities as well.
Kosta

Piggybacking this post since it has the highest chance of getting a response to my queries.

I am looking to do a distance learning LLM in Maritime law. While I know the benefits and reputation of Soton and Swansea; my commitments leave me no choice but to do a LLM on a distance learning basis as I am based in the Far East at the moment.

There are two options that I have found:

1. LLM by World Maritime University in co-operation with Lloyd's Maritime Academy. At 5k quid, it looks bang for buck but as the saying goes, if it's too good to be true... I've never heard of this uni and I can't find anything on the forum about this program as well.

2. London External LLM specialising in Maritime Law. This is the conventional distance learning route. It's more expensive at 8k quid, but it has the London colleges to back it up, The drawback is that its notoriously hard and according to some, support is minimal.

Now I am looking to give WMU a shot, but with no one in the industry knowing of it, and the lack of chatter on most forums of this program, I am having some serious doubts here. Given that the goal of doing this is to obtain a LLM as a career booster; which would be the better choice? Any thoughts from the rest?

Well, in my personal and humble opinion, the second one would be the better, but still not a good choice, when it comes to obtaining a career booster.
Bye
flori

[quote]Well, in my personal and humble opinion, the second one would be the better, but still not a good choice, when it comes to obtaining a career booster.
Bye
flori[/quote]

I feared as much.

Do you happen to have any suggestions when it comes to extra qualifications as career boosters? I am considering the Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers as an alternative.