Santeri Reila’s internship at RABN was well-documented, as parts of it will be seen in the Amispäiväkirjat TV production. Working on board RABN’s MV Baltic Amelie for six weeks was a great way to get familiar with a career in the shipping industry.
If your friend decided to apply to maritime school, would you do it too? Sometimes, even the most surprising suggestions can lead to a great outcome. In Santeri’s case, his friend’s idea was the first step towards a career at sea.
“I hadn’t really considered this line of work, but during a break at school, my friend suggested that we should apply to vocational maritime studies. The idea sounded good to me, and that’s how it all started,” Santeri says.
Santeri is currently studying at Ekami in Kotka, Finland, for a degree. In the future, he will be able to work as an able seaman or a deckhand.
“I might also continue my studies later on, once I gain more experience at sea.”
Internship as part of a TV production
Santeri completed his six-week internship at RABN’s Baltic Amelie. He mainly worked on deck, assisting other crew members with their tasks. Baltic Amelie was the fourth ship where Santeri had worked, so many of the tasks were already familiar to him.
“Cargo loading and unloading were interesting, as it really requires you to think! Baltic Amelie has a wonderful and welcoming crew, and all operations on the vessel run smoothly,” Santeri says.
As part of the internship, Santeri’s experiences were filmed by a TV crew from Amispäiväkirjat, a series that documents the lives of Finnish vocational students. Santeri’s hard work at RABN will be seen on Nelonen Media’s channels and on the Ruutu streaming service.
“It was pretty exciting to be part of a TV production! Filming took place between February and June, and it was a really fun addition to my studies.”
A career at sea offers many opportunities
Before applying to his studies, Santeri had no prior experience at sea, but he can definitely recommend it to other young people.
“If you’ve ever even considered this line of work, I recommend applying. This line of work might not be the right fit for you if you feel that you can’t be away from home for long periods of time. But if you have any doubts, most of them will clear once you go on your first internship,” Santeri concludes.
