"Welcome on Board!!!"
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, colors 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 on cruise ships
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, and 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 kinds 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.
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, colors 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 on cruise ships
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, and 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 kinds 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.
