Captain's Welcome

Lots of young people dream about working at sea and especially on cruise ships, but few can imagine what cruise jobs are really like. The reality is that candidates for cruise ship employment have to realize that they are applying for a job, not a holiday!

If they are accepted at their interview with a representative of a particular cruise line they cannot choose the cruise ship or the trading area but must strictly comply with the requirements of the Cruise Line which hired them.

New crew members on a cruise ship have to undergo some degree of training after joining the ship, and must accept discipline and various restrictions (e.g. not to enter the passenger area when not on duty). Their supervisors will expect them to work hard with a permanent smile on their face. On the other hand, cruise ship work gives young people a good income and the chance to visit a variety of beautiful and exotic places.

If you wish to know the sea, its beauty, colours and aromas, and to get a job on a cruise liner, all you have to do is to contact your nearest crewing (recruitment) agent and they will inform you about the opportunities, requirements and your chances of getting a cruise job.

After a phone call, if the agent thinks your chances are really good, they will invite you to a personal pre-interview at the recruitment agency. If you meet all the criteria and speak good English, you will be offered a registration and later you will be invited to specific interviews with representatives of the cruise lines.

At the end of the whole process is your embarkation on the designated cruise ship. You will work at sea with a good (but hard!) job on board the cruise liner. Of course, the sea is not always smooth and beautiful, it can be also dangerous and tough. You will have to deal with your ship rolling and pitching on the ocean waves, and with passengers who will be seasick and whom you will have to look after (or clean up after).

Employees

Cruise lines usually hire people with relevant professional background and good command of English language. Those who have previous experience in working on cruise ships are often preferred by employers...Employees on cruise ships come from all parts of the World.

People who apply for a position on a cruise liner want to travel. However, that is not enough. Certain onshore experience from a related job and working with the public is always required. The most common background experience is in the hospitality industry. Restaurants and hotels are perfect places for learning customer service and guest experience. The hotel and culinary schools and academies provide the best background. Graduates from these establishments are very often hired by the cruise lines.Cruise ships are like hotels floating on water, you just can't go home at the end of the day, you live in the hotel. Cruise lines also hire people with experience in tourism, entertainment, teaching, childcare, health and beauty, sales, customer relations, fitness, medicine and accounting. All cruise staff must be able to communicate in English and knowledge of other Western languages is always a plus.

Cruise companies usually employ career-changers, occasionally students and retirees. The cruise lines staff must be experienced, dependable people with an outgoing character and excellent customer service skills. Employers look for people who have met these kind of challenges before. Independent individuals with an ability to work in a team are welcome. Good employees do their job quickly and efficiently whilst also preserving high quality standards.

Those who have previously been employed on a cruise ship have an advantage as cruise lines prefer them. Some popular jobs (such as bartender, purser, tour staff, etc.) are often available only for experienced candidates but new people can sometimes get a position as a bartender if they show their qualities during the interview.

Jobs on deck or in the engine room are usually difficult to get, unless your nationality is the same as the nationality of the officers. Most of the officers are Greek, Norwegian, Italian, British or American, but there are also Polish and Croatian officers on some ships. Many Filipinos are employed on deck and in the engine rooms.

Job Descriptions

Description of cruise ship jobs in the following sectors: Office, Entertainment, Service and Hospitality, Personal Care, Deck and Engine Room...

Wages

The cruise ship staff is divided into two main groups - tipping personnel and non-tipping personnel...

Tipping personnel

Tipping personnel are the staff with direct contact with the guests who pay them "tips". There are specified amounts of tips per particular positions which are advised to guests prior to embarkation and which vary from one cruise line to another. Such personnel are waiters, busboys /assistant waiters, bar waiters/waitresses, bartenders, cocktail waitresses, etc. Tipping personnel have a small base salary. Most of their earnings are tips. Approximate sample earnings in this group are (in U.S. Dollars per month):

Applicants must have a good command of English, good work experience and appropriate education to qualify for this group (the latter is not obligatory if the applicant has enough experience).

Non-tipping personnel

Applicants who do not have enough experience or do not have a very good command of English tend to be hired as non-tipping staff. They have a good chance of being promoted to tipping personnel later.

The non-tipping personnel on cruise ships are those who serve the crew, i.e. the lower positions in the passenger area - Staff Waiter/Waitress, Snack Steward, etc. They have fixed salaries without tips and their earnings are from USD 350 to USD 500 per week.

Recruitment Process

Before you apply for a cruise line job, you need to think about what kind of job you would like to have and what the real chances of getting it are...The chances of getting hired depend a lot upon when you apply, your qualifications and current openings.Apply for specific jobs. Don't just send an application for "any position available". 

Do your research and try to find out as much information about the cruise lines as possible. Search the Internet and have a look in the library. Perhaps you will be asked about the cruise company at the interview.

Life on Board

Working on a cruise ship is an experience that you never forget. However, before you apply, you must realise that most jobs on cruise liners are very difficult and demanding...A good Resume should include previous work experience, duties, responsibilities, awards, education achievements, degrees and certificates. When you list your academic background, begin with the highest education that you've achieved. Also, your employment history should be listed in reverse chronological order – beginning with your latest position. List the languages you speak and indicate the level (fluent, intermediate, basic).

A short description of the companies you have worked for is also helpful, since the hiring person may not be familiar with local companies in your country. When applicable, write for example how many seats the restaurant you've worked for has, how many beds are in the hotel, the hotel category, what kind of service was offered in the restaurant (plate or silver service), what kind of cocktails where offered in the bar, etc.Some recruiters request candidates' photos with applications. If you include a picture in your Resume, it should be a professional photograph, not one where you are seen table dancing at a party.

Include 2 or 3 business references. The referring persons will be contacted and the references will be checked.

 Briefly highlight your skills and education that are relevant to the position you are applying for. Address the letter to the recruitment agent or the personnel manager of the cruise company. Don't forget to sign the letter. If you're submitting your Resumeelectronically, include the cover letter in the body of the email or in the specific field for covering letter if you're using an online form provided by the recruiter. 

Be persistent when you apply for a job but do not be annoying. Do not call the recruitment agents and personnel managers too often. Keep sending them Resume updates.

Visa 

All employees must be eligible to work in the country where the cruise ship is registered. Cruise ships sail to many countries and all personnel who want to visit those countries must obtain valid visas...Firstly, to be able to travel abroad, you will need a valid passport. Apart from the passport, it is recommended to have other ID documents with you all the time, such as a driving license. Once you get to the ship the purser will file your passport and other documents and keep them in a safe, since you won't need them during the cruise.

Most staff on cruise ships do not come from the same country from where the ship is registered. Therefore many of them need a valid visa and/or work permit to work on a cruise ship legally.

Using Recruitment Agents

Almost all major cruise lines have their own recruitment agents established in particular regions of the world...The cruise line companies would not answer your inquiries at all - or they would send your inquiry to one of their agents.The best way of finding employment on a cruise ship is to contact a recruitment agent who works for the specific cruise line, if you have decided which cruise line you wish to work for. The personnel departments of the cruise lines would not be able to manage all the inquiries from particular applicants from over the world and that is why they use the service of the recruitment agents.

Recruitment agents are responsible for choosing suitable applicants. The agent presents the applicants to the interviewer from the cruise line. It is the agent's task to select from numerous applications only those who match the cruise line's requirements.

The recruitment agent checks the applicant's experience, references, criminal record and they will arrange the medical examinations so that the cruise line representative meets completely prepared people at the interview.

Most recruitment agents provide training for hired crew - starting from basic courses which have to prepare the new employee to the new circumstances ending with the special which some cruise lines already require (STCW - International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers). All the courses last a couple of days each.