One of the most common questions I get asked, when people know that I worked on cruise ships was;
“How do I get a job on a cruise ship?”
This was also the question that I had to ask myself back in 2000, when I first thought about this career path for myself. As I found out, by trial and error, it isn’t as simple as sending your resume to the cruise lines direct. In many cases, the cruise lines outsource recruitment to agencies around the world. Trying to navigate this maze of possibilities, can lead to people giving up, before they start.
There are four main factors to when beginning your search for a job at sea. They are:
- What position do you want?
- What you are qualified for?
- Which cruise line do you want to work on?
- What is your country of residence?
While the first three questions may be obvious, the last one, might seem irrelevant. Unfortunately, the last two, will have a lot to do with where you end up working; if at all. For example, on most ships, the majority of crew originate from the Philippines, or India. The reason for this, is because the entry level positions, and positions that require long hours, with small amounts of pay, are not attractive to people from other developed nations and hence why you rarely see Americans or Australian’s in these roles. The reason being, is that these positions require the crew member to work for up to nine months straight, for 12-14 hours per day, seven days per week. On top of this, the pay that is offered for these positions, if calculated at an hourly rate, would be well below minimum wages in most countries.
Having said that, if you don’t mind hard work and are prepared to deal with the conditions, you can set yourself up in a few short years. I have met many crew who have paid for their children’s schooling, paid off their houses or fixed their teeth, by making a few sacrifices.
There are many crew and officers that originate from countries such as the USA, UK, Australia, Canada, Italy and so on, but they are usually in higher ranking positions, such as bridge officers, engineers, entertainers, medical staff, salon staff, photographers, casino staff and guest relations. These positions, for the most part, require less hours, shorter contracts and better pay. They also come with added entitlements on board, of which other crew don’t receive. For example, officers eat in the officer’s mess, have their own bar, for officers only, they can mingle with guests in passenger areas and usually have more time off. Their cabins are more spacious and it is less likely that they will be required to share a cabin either.
Crew members, such as cabin stewards, galley cooks, waiters, deck hands and bar staff, will not only be required to work the beforementioned long hours, but they are not allowed to socialise anywhere, other than the crew bar, or crew mess. They will share a cabin with up to 3 other crew members and they also share a communal bathroom with several crew.
I know that I am painting what seems to be a sad story for crew, but this is not the case. Crew on board cruise ships, have a wonderful life and can create a great life for themselves and their families, with a few small sacrifices. I want to be clear though, for those contemplating a life at sea, that it is not all “smooth sailing” (pardon the pun), as it may be depicted in episodes of the TV shows, the “Love Boat”, or “The Cruise Ship”.
So back to my original topic.
In order to gain employment on a cruise ship, you must first work out what you would like to do and decide if you are qualified for the position.
Everyone wants to be in the Broadway shows on board, like I was, but unfortunately, not everyone is qualified. I don’t mean this disrespectfully, I adored the crew that I worked with at sea and as I discuss in my book “C.R.U.I.S.E – Can’t Rest Until I’ve Sailed Everywhere” even though I was in a very blessed position as the lead male vocalist, I never considered myself to be better than anyone on board. All crew and officers play an important roll in providing the passengers with an exceptional cruise experience. All I mean, is that everyone wants to work 1 hour a day, have full passenger privileges and get paid lots of money like the singers, but not everyone can.
If you want to be a waiter or cook etc, then you will need to hold qualifications and experience in this role, in order to be chosen. More so, given that if the cruise line, hires you and you don’t work out, they are stuck with you for an entire contract. Therefore, cruise lines, usually require a minimum of 3-5 years’ experience in a particular role, to be considered for the same position at sea.
To work at sea, you must also be fluent in English. Even if your position does not require you to interact with passengers, you must speak English. Crew are allowed to speak their native language when off duty, however, they are not permitted to speak anything other than English, in passenger areas, or while on duty.
Working at sea, is different to land. If you’re a waiter, or bartender, you need to be very good at your job, be great at serving passengers, but also be able to do these things when the ship is pitching or rolling in rough weather. This in itself, is a big challenge. You may be feeling sea-sick yourself, but if you’re rostered on, you still need to be able to perform your duties at a high standard. Sure, if you’re extremely sick, then there will be exceptions, but you won’t be able to call in sick, every time the ship moves a little.
Once you have worked out what position you want (and are qualified for), you will need to apply with a recruitment agency I, (Usually in your country). These agencies, will charge a fee, or percentage of your on-board wage, to place you in a job. They will screen you for job readiness and will assist you in completing the required “ENG1” medical and “STCW” sea-survival safety course that you will need, to work at sea, and they will also be able to guide you, to obtain your “C1/D” visa, which is required for crew entering the USA on a regular basis.
There are far too many recruitment agencies to list in this blog, but a good place to research these, is by visiting websites such as: www.cruiselinejobs.com or www.allcruisejobs.com
Please note, that while there are some great websites, that can help you, there are also some scams, that will take your money and not help you to get a job at all. Do your research and make sure they are a reputable agency, before handing over money, or signing any contracts.
For salon staff, such as hair dressers, fitness instructors and beauty therapists, there are only two companies in the world, that take care of these positions. Steiner in the UK and Harding Brothers. These two companies run almost all of the salons on cruise ships around the world, so they are where you need to apply for these roles. Harding Brothers, also has a retail department and along with Starboard Services, recruit for most of the boutiques and shops on board.
So far as getting a job as an entertainer on a cruise ship, this is even harder to explain, than the information, so far in this blog. I will endeavour to write a comprehensive blog about entertainment jobs at sea in the near future. In the meantime, for more information about entertainment positions, have a look at: http://jdmoorea.com/j-d-moorea-author/cruise_book/ where I go into more detail about how I managed to navigate the maze of entertainment companies, in order to land my first cruise ship gig as a singer. The book is available as an eBook or paperback, via the link.
I also discuss cruise ship life in detail, on the “My Cruise” podcast here.
If you have any questions, I am happy to answer them, via the contact page on my website at www.jdmoorea.com
If this sounds like your type of job and you could handle being paid to travel the world, have all your cooking and cleaning done for you, be flown to and from your home each contract, for free and be paid tax-free money, then what are you waiting for?
Click on my book below, to read about how much fun I had while travelling over 1 million miles working at sea.
