How to get a job on a cruise ship?

How to get a job on a cruise ship?

While you can find a lot of valid advise online from companies hiring for cruise lines or travel blogs, showing you the step-by-step process of applying and interviewing for variety of jobs onboard any cruise ship, I believe the first thing anyone who is interested in this kind of venture is to ask him(her)self the following questions:

– Why do I want to work on a ship- Is it the travel that attracts me; the monetary compensation or I want to get away from my current life style and start a new career? Or simply I have a friend or a partner onboard and want to stay close? You would like to work in a multi-national environment with other similar minded people and have a good time? All these are great reasons to motivate you to choose this lifestyle (yes, it is much more than just a job) and decide to make the first step towards changing your career.

– Will I manage to be away for several months? While the various positions have different length of contracts, it is very important to decide if you are a person who can stay away from his/her family for an extended period of time without causing major disruptions and if working every day for long hours is something you have the stamina for to begin with. While there are policies in place that monitor and control the work and rest hours on cruise ships, it is not a secret that for many of the positions onboard there will be no day off for the entire tenure with the company and the work hours can be flexible, sometimes with no firm schedule, especially when there is an emergency or out of the ordinary situations.

– Do I qualify for any position onboard? While many of us may have a degree in a particular field, a lot of the positions do not require a college or university degree, however prior knowledge or experience in that area will be a plus. Nowadays, being fluent in more than one language (except for English and your mother tongue) is much appreciated and computer basic knowledge is also becoming more and more important. Many times the position that you are looking for is not be available and as an alternative the hiring agencies offer you to get a different position (lower rank, pay, etc), as long as you get hired onboard and once there, wait for an opening for the position you desire. This may be a a good idea if you are ready to do something you are not 100% interested in and be patient, as an opening may not become available for months or even years. While onboard, to qualify for a transfer from one position to another, you must have a good rapport and clean record on the current position and you have to be prepared to go through a series of interviews to be able to prove that you qualify for a job you were not originally hired for. There is no point of misrepresenting a CV, adding skills you don’t have, as sooner or later it will become evident that you do not qualify and you would have simply wasted your own time and possibly of your managers and HR department.

One of the best online sites that can assist you with finding a  job onboard a cruise ship in my opinion is (please note, I am not affiliated in any way with this company, nor I am paid for this recommendation):  http://www.allcruisejobs.com/