It sounds like a very rewarding career to work on a cruise ship and earn money while seeing the world! Many people dream of working aboard cruise ships, but only a select handful can genuinely succeed in their maritime careers. From the requirements for eligibility to the application process, we’ll cover all the information you need to know about cruise ship jobs in this blog. Now let’s get started!
How to join a Cruise ship?
1. Choose a recruitment agency to apply for a position on a cruise ship
The most typical method of applying for cruise ship jobs is through this. Large cruise lines have authorised employment partners and recruiting agencies all around the world that are in charge of gathering and assessing job applications as well as planning individual and group job interviews. One recruitment agency may manage the entire region as well as the neighbouring nations because cruise companies do not have representatives in every country.
2. Send an application via a concessionaire business
Independent businesses known as concessionaires are in charge of employing people from all around the world to work on cruise ships. These businesses typically hire workers for particular onboard areas like spas, sales, and a few other divisions. It’s crucial to remember that these businesses exist independently of cruise ship corporations. Their primary responsibility is to train prospective cruise ship personnel, assist them with the entire hiring process, and get them ready for employment on a cruise ship.
3. Apply online for cruise ship jobs through the cruise line’s website
Direct online application is a different approach to apply for a job aboard a cruise ship. Every company’s official website has a career section (often towards the bottom of the home page) where you can email your resume and submit an application for a vacancy. Alternatively, you can simply enter the firm name and the term “careers” next to it, which will take you to their career section (ex. “princess cruises careers”).
4. Attend a cruise job fair to apply for cruise ship jobs
You can apply for various cruise ship jobs during cruise job fairs that are held in some regions. These employment fairs are typically held once a year (sometimes more frequently, sometimes fewer, depending on the business needs of the companies) in various cities throughout the world. This is a wonderful way for you to get to know people who share your goals and interests, as well as to speak with those who have prior cruise industry experience. You would personally meet the hiring partners and receive thorough information on all of the subjects you are interested in.
What are the work opportunities available for cruise liners?
You can only picture the variety of employment that awaits with the majority of cruise ships being like tiny cities (some ships may seat 2,000 guests or more), and with staff numbers exceeding 3,000.
On a cruise ship, there are specific areas where you can look for the position best suited to your qualifications and experience:
• Restaurants and bars (chef jobs, kitchen staff, waiters, barman, manager, etc.)
• Hotel Facilities (cabin crew, housekeeping, reception, manager, butlers, etc.)
• Recreational Area (instructors, lifeguards, activity leaders, etc.)
• Gym (personal trainers, staff, etc)
• Careers in salons and spas (massage therapist, hair stylist, etc.)
• Team for Land Excursion (tour guide, seaman, recreation staff, etc.)
• Deck Department (captain, mates, seaman, deckhands, etc.)
•Engine Department (chief, DDE, assistant engineer, oiler, wiper, etc.)
•Shops (cashiers, managers, bookkeepers, etc) (cashiers, managers, bookkeepers, etc.)
•The casinos (dealers, security, hospitality, etc.)
•Entertainment (production manager, director, actors, comedians, dancers, lighting, sound engineer, backstage crew etc.)
You can acquire a tonne of cruise ship jobs that interest you in each of these areas. Some entry-level positions are open to those without qualifications yet, like students or recent graduates looking for a little adventure while they earn some money. These positions are in the hospitality industry, retail sector, medical wing, or maritime. However, certain positions require some sort of qualification. You may need to have prior expertise in a similar field for some positions on cruise ships.
Who is eligible to apply for Cruise jobs?
There are several more fundamental qualifications that all employees must meet in order to work onboard a cruise ship, even though exact position requirements and experience vary depending on the job you are interested in.
• Have a minimum age of 21. For some positions, applicants older than 18 years old are occasionally accepted (e.g. childcare). This varies by cruise line, so check the job listings on All Cruise Jobs or the careers pages of each cruise line.
• Own a valid passport.
• Be medically fit to work at sea, as determined by the cruise company, or possess an ENG1 or ML5 seafarer medical fitness certificate.
• To work at sea, you must either pass a medical exam provided by the cruise line or possess an ML5 or ENG1 seafarer medical fitness certificate.
• Have the proper visa or work permit – depending on where you are from and which countries you will be travelling to.
• Meet the language proficiency standards necessary for your position. All cruise lines have a language requirement of English. On ships with international passengers, it may be necessary for employees in positions with direct contact with guests to speak well in other languages, such as German, French, Spanish, Japanese, Mandarin, Korean, etc.
• Hold a valid STCW Basic Safety Training (BST) certificate (this is required for most employees and crew working on-board cruise ships). In some cases, after you board your ship, you’ll have the chance to participate in the training. Candidates who already hold current STCW certificates, however, typically receive preference.
Salary Packages for Cruise jobs?
• Chef, kitchen staff, waiters, barman, kitchen manager earns from Rs. 75,000/- to Rs. 2.5 lakh per month.
• Cabin crew, housekeeping, reception, manager, butlers, etc. earns from Rs. 50,000/- to 1 Lakh per month.
• Instructors, lifeguards, activity leaders, earns from Rs. 1 Lakh to 1.5 Lakh per month.
• Gym/personal trainers – 75,000/- per month
• Massage therapist, hair stylist, etc. earns from 1 lakh to 2 lakh per month.
• Tour guide, seaman, recreation staff, earns upto 1 Lakh
• Captain, mates, seaman, deckhands, etc. Salary starts from Rs. 1 lakh to 5 lakh per month.
• Chief, DDE, assistant engineers earn from Rs. 2 lakh per month to 5 lakh per month.
• Shops (cashiers, managers, bookkeepers, etc) (cashiers, managers, bookkeepers, etc.) Depends on trips.
• The casinos (dealers, security, hospitality, etc.). No permanent jobs.
• Entertainment (production manager, director, actors, comedians, dancers, lighting, sound engineer, backstage crew etc.). No permanent job.