Have you ever dreamed of working while traveling in multiple destinations? Working on a Cruise Ship can be a possibility to fulfill this dream. It is also an amazing way to save money in short term. Getting a job in a Cruise Ship is not that hard. The industry is growing and the positions are multiples. Since there is a high level of employees turnover there will be always an open position available. Keep in mind that most of the positions you work everyday during the week (no days off) and long hours (from 10 to 13 a day). This means is a hard job and you don’t have that much free time to explore the cities.
1. Register your CV
The first thing you must do is to register your CV and personal details. There are three main ways: directly in the cruise ship company websites, in recruiter websites and in job consolidator websites. I registered my CV directly in some cruise companies websites such as MSC and Royal Caribbean. They have very large forms to fill and sometimes online videos to upload.
Since I was in Brazil I registered my details in two famous local recruiters website: Infinity and Rosa dos Ventos. Last but not least I also uploaded my CV in a job consolidator website Allcruisejobs in the 10 of December. Only two days later I got a job offer from a recruiter that saw my CV uploaded in this website.
2. Proceed to interviews
If you didn’t filled your CV directly in the company website you will probably have the first interview with a recruiter. This interview is to test your level of english and other languages. The recruiter also give you tips about the job and how to behave in the final interview. The recruiter will be sure you have the skills for the position. If you are a good candidate you will be approved to talk to the company. If you get a position, he gets money.
The second interview is directly with the company. I was interviewed by the recruitment manager of the Cruise company. Since I was applying for Bar Steward position, I was specifically asked for drink names and got my German well tested. It was a 15 minute interview and I had the final result straight away. The interview was on the 31 of December 2018. On the 2nd of January I’ve got a call from the recruiter asking if I could be available for the 9th to board!
4. Pre-boarding
This process is the most complicated because you need to provide a full medical certificate and fill up many forms. In 3 days I filled up all forms such as uniform measures, bank details, personal details, did online trainings, did few blood exams and visited doctors to get my Medical certificate filled. By this time I had interviews for MSC and Norwegian Cruises already booked for the following week and canceled them.
I send all documents on a Saturday and on Monday I had my contract and a letter of guarantee including the flight details for the following day (8th of January).
5. Boarding
With your letter of guarantee, you can withdrawal your flight ticket in the counter of the airport. Packing light is important since you don’t have much space in the cabin and you won’t need much, considering you will be working with uniforms provided by the company most of the time.
On your arrival a port agent will be waiting for you and after filling up a few forms he will provide you transport to the ship. The embarkation day for a first timer is always overwhelming. The ship is like a small village with their own restaurants, bars, hospital, fitness center and a ton of rooms to host guests and crew. Look for experienced people that can show you around and guide where to get everything.
Conclusion
Working on a cruise ship can be an excellent way to save money since you have your salary without tax return and you don’t have expenses with accommodation or food. With salaries ranging from 1000 to 2000 USD a month it is a great way to save money short term. In general contracts are from 4 to 9 months according to the position. Keep in mind that it isn’t a great way to explore since you have very restricted and limited time in the ports. In general you will have 2 to 4 hours free a day that could allow you to go quickly out and see the surroundings.