Training. Four questions about the job of port pilot

The expertise of the maritime pilot: it is the knowledge of the relief and the underwater currents of such or such port, as well as the infrastructures of this one (width of the locks, depths of the basins, dimensions of the quays…). A well-paid job, of course, but which is only accessible after long years of navigation and training, and where stress is a daily occurrence.

What training should be taken?

The road is long and the access difficult to settle in a harbor pilot position. The pilots are recruited by competition organized by the local administration of Maritime Affairs, according to the needs of the pilot stations.

This competition is accessible between 24 and 35 years old, and possessing a command certificate of the highest level. 72 months of effective navigation (50,000 hours) as an officer are required, including at least 4 years in deck service on State vessels, commercial vessels or vessels armed for deep-sea fishing or offshore fishing. It is also necessary to have been recognized as physically fit by a doctor for seafarers.

The milestone of the competition crossed, the course is far from over! The new pilot completes several months of practical training by accompanying other pilots, and doubling these operations with simulator exercises. It takes about five years to train a pilot capable of handling all types of ships that come into port.

Young people motivated by the profession must therefore first aim for training as a 1st class merchant navy officer. It is accessed via Parcoursup with a general baccalaureate or an STI2D baccalaureate. The course lasts five and a half years. The first three years are spent on the Marseille site of the École nationale supérieure maritime (www.supmaritime.fr), the following ones at the ENSM in Le Havre.

You then have to do your 72 months of effective navigation, before you can take the port pilot competition, per se... Basically, you're ready to take it at 33, but you have to be under 35 to do it. present!, comments Julien Bourbon, one of the three pilots of Saint-Malo and president of the local station. ​There is therefore only a window of opportunity of about two years to pass the competition... And it depends on whether the positions become available in one or the other pilot station in France. In short, we will have understood: a long course to hold...

Cost of studies: €1,450 the 1st year (about €6,500 in total).

Are there many jobs?

They are few, if not rare. You have to wait for a place to become available in one of the stations to apply. France has 330 port pilots. The size of the stations varies a lot (Saint-Brieuc runs with two pilots, while that of Le Havre has more than forty). But the age pyramid means that many pilots will retire in the next five years. As many recruitments will therefore be expected.

What is the net salary?

From €3,000 to €7,000. The pilot's remuneration is made on the basis of his interventions (one entry, or one exit). There is no starting salary. Each pilot is paid for the intervention, whatever his age. Excluding a health crisis, the net monthly salary can exceed €7,000 net monthly. But beware: in 2020, activity may have fallen by almost 50% depending on the port!

What qualities are required?

It takes a lot, because it's a very demanding job. Excellent resistance to stress. Adaptability, flexibility. While being able to impose his authority. Sense of psychology. Know how to keep calm. Show composure. English proficiency. Good physical condition. Sometimes night work, and/or in difficult weather conditions. Finally: loving the sea, and not being prone to seasickness are imperatives!

The website of the French Federation of Maritime Pilots (FFPM) is worth a detour: a lot of additional information is gathered there.