Employment on Cruise Ships:
Not Your Everyday Job

One of the more offbeat and unusual seasonal jobs overseas is employment on cruise ships, many of which hire staff on a short-term basis (3-4 months is the usual minimum).

You can usually find cruise ship employment in two ways - either apply to cruise lines directly, or use a specialized recruitment agency.

The pros and cons of working on cruise ships

Those who have done this say there are plenty of paths to finding a cruise ship job. A cousin of mine worked as a croupier on a ship for years and only gave up her shipboard lifestyle when she started a family.

So yes, this is for the single woman with no family ties. After all, four months at sea, even with good pay, is no fun when your family or partner is waiting back home.

One of the main benefits is the travel - you'll get to see the world as you work! I'm told the hours are long, but when you're off duty you get to use the spas and pools and gyms and go ashore...

And then there's the salary - not bad by any stretch. Compare what you'd earn on a ship (and what you'd spend) with the same on land and you might be in for a surprise. Add to that room and board, medical coverage, on-board discounts and a round-trip plane ticket and it's difficult to beat that kind of savings power.

You can be from virtually anywhere - you'll meet women and men from around the world. A large cruise ship can easily have staff from more than 80 countries!

That's all the good stuff - but there are downsides to employment on cruise ships too.

Conditions are cramped and you'll usually be sharing a room.

There's also stiff discipline on a ship - not quite like being in the military but there is a clear hierarchy and rules (and uniforms!) And cruise ships are vacation ships - possibly the best vacation in someone's life - so you have to be bright and cheerful 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, even if you feel like a lawnmower just crawled across your back.

Finding employment on cruise ships is competitive. While there are plenty of jobs out there, there are also plenty of potential cruise employees waiting to fill them. A ship is like a city except that it floats - if you don't qualify for the job on land, you won't qualify for it on the water.

Cruise ships operate all year round so you can apply for a job anytime. That said, you might have better luck during the traditional cruise ship 'vacation' periods - when cruise ship staff head home.

The best time to apply for employment on cruise ships is in the lead-up to Christmas, when many staff head home for the holidays. Start applying right after your summer vacation. The other good time is just before the northern summer, which is also high season.

I'll be honest - this is a job I could never do. Not because of any of the reasons above, but for one only: I get terribly seasick. I just need to look at a ship and my heart turns left while my brain goes right. Still, you can treat motion sickness so don't let that be an obstacle unless it's severe.

But if you're a born sailor (or at least comfortable on the water) and if you're a woman on the road thinking of easing into solo travel, this might not be a bad way of stepping out safely and making money along the way.

What jobs on a cruise ship can I hope to find?

Employment on cruise ships can be in almost any area - here are just a few typical examples of cruiseship jobs available on a large liner:

• Cruise Director
• Fitness Instructor
• Hair and Nail Technician
• Store Manager
• Engineer
• Golf Instructor
• Jewelry Store Manager
• Safety Officer
• Shore Excursion Staff
• Reception Manager
• International Purser
• Housekeeping Staff
• Food and Beverage Manager
• Maitre D'
• Sous Chef
• Massage Therapist
• Entertainer
• Casino Croupier
• ...and everything in-between.

If you're just starting out...

Not much experience?

No problem!

Many cruise lines prefer to hire entry level staff and then promote them from within. So if you want the larger paychecks, you'll have to stick around longer.

And employment on cruise ships pays well!

You could make a monthly salary of $1300 in the laundry or $2000 as a cabin stewardess, not to mention tips.

If you have experience in the hospitality industry, the pay can be extremely good - and remember, room, board and insurance are included. Some typical salaries might be $2000 plus commissions for a photographer or $5000 for an executive chef...

A word of caution

A lot of people are looking for employment on cruise ships, and there are some unscrupulous operators out there who will take advantage of this. So beware of the following:

• Agencies that guarantee you'll get a job: unless they hire you themselves, there is no guarantee
• Agencies that require you to pay large sums of money so they can work on your behalf
• Paying to post your CV on a site - cruise lines have far better things to do than trawl the web looking for potential candidates when they have so many to choose from already
• Being asked to provide money 'up front' for uniforms, trips and so on - if you're hired, these things will be provided by the cruise line

So stay clear of the scams - and hop aboard the Love Boat!

Still want to go to sea?

I've just read Neil Maxwell-Keys' Get a Cruise Ship Job, a really good overview of cruise ship work from someone who has experienced it first-hand. Find out what a typical day or week on board looks like, how much you'll make, and how to angle your job application so you stand out above the crowd.

Not only is Neil helpful, but his up-to-date list of cruise job agencies alone is priceless.

And if you want to go to sea and NOT get paid for it, there's always crewing on a yacht...