Waterway Maritime Staff is a cruise ship job agency offering a link between established and reputable cruise lines and qualified applicants in search of cruise ship employment opportunities.

How to apply for Cruise ship jobs?: Career options & eligibility criteria

Working on a cruise ship and getting paid while traveling across the globe definitely sounds like a lucrative career option! Grabbing a cruise ship job is the dream of many but only a few can actually make a successful career on the sea. In this blog – we’ll let you know everything about Cruise ship jobs – from the eligibility criteria to the process of application – every detail you need to know will be covered below.

How to join a Cruise ship?

Apply for a Cruise Ship Job through a Recruitment Agency

This is the most common way of applying for Cruise Ship Jobs. Major cruise lines have officially licensed recruiting agencies and hiring partners all around the world that handle acquiring and evaluating job applications as well as scheduling individual and group job interviews.

Because cruise lines do not have representatives in every nation, one recruitment firm may handle the whole region as well as the surrounding countries.

Apply through a Concessionaire Company

Concessionaire companies are independent companies in charge of hiring employees worldwide to work onboard cruise ships. These companies normally recruit people for specific onboard departments, such as Spa, Sales, and a few other departments.

It’s important to note that these companies are independent, separate from cruise ship companies. Their main task is to provide training for future cruise ship employees, guide them through the complete hiring process, and prepare them for work on a cruise ship.

Apply for a Cruise Ship Job on a Cruise Job Fair

In some countries, there are cruise job fairs that you can attend and apply for various cruise ship job positions. These job fairs are normally organized once in a year (sometimes more often, sometimes less, based on companies’ business needs) in different cities worldwide. 

This is a great opportunity to meet and interact with other people who have the same ambitions as you, and a chance to speak to those people who already have experience in working in the cruise industry. You would meet hiring partners in person and get detailed information on every topic you’re interested in.

What are the career options in Cruise liners?

With most cruise liners being like mini cities (some ships can hold 2,000 guests or more), with staff reaching over 3,000, you can just imagine the multitude of jobs that await. There are certain sections on board a cruise ship where you can find the job that is most appropriate to you and your relevant skills or qualifications:

• Restaurants (chef jobs, kitchen staff, waiters, barman, manager, etc.)
• Hotel Facilities (cabin crew, housekeeping, reception, manager, butlers, etc.)
• Leisure Center (instructors, lifeguards, activity leaders, etc.)
• Gym (personal trainers, workers, etc.)
• Salon and Spa Jobs (massage therapist, hair stylist, etc.)
• Land Excursion Team (tour guide, seaman, recreation staff, etc.)
• Deck Department (captain, mates, able seaman, deckhands, etc.)
• Engine Department (chief, DDE, assistant engineer, oiler, wiper, etc.)
• Shops (cashiers, managers, bookkeepers, etc.)
• Casinos (dealers, security, hospitality, etc.)
• Entertainment (production manager, director, actors, comedians, dancers, lighting, sound engineer, backstage crew, etc.)

In each of these areas, you can find tons of cruise liner jobs that will appeal to you. Certain positions require some form of qualification whether it is in the hospitality industry, retail sector, medical wing, or maritime, but some of the entry-level positions are open for those that have no qualifications as yet, like students or high school graduates looking for a bit of adventure while they make some money. Some jobs on cruise ships will require you to have some experience in a related field.

Who can apply for Cruise jobs?

While specific position requirements and experience depend on the job you are interested in, there are some other essential requirements that all employees must meet to be able to work onboard a cruise ship.

• Be at least 21 years old. Sometimes candidates aged over 18 years are accepted for certain positions (e.g. childcare). This varies by cruise line so check on each cruise line’s careers website or job adverts here on All Cruise Jobs.
• Hold a valid passport.
• Pass a medical examination by the cruise line or have an ENG1 or an ML5 seafarer medical fitness certificate to work at sea. Know more about medical and physical requirements
• Have the relevant visa or work permit – depending on where you are from and which countries you will be traveling to.
• Meet the language requirements relevant to your position. English is a mandatory requirement in all cruise lines. Employees in passenger-facing positions on-board ships with international passengers may be required to be fluent in other languages, e.g. German, French, Spanish, Japanese, Mandarin, Korean, etc. 
• Have a valid STCW Basic Safety Training (BST) certificate (this is required for most employees and crew working on-board cruise ships). In some instances, you will get an opportunity to take the training after you join your ship. However, candidates who already have valid STCW certificates are usually prioritized.

What are the eligibility criteria for getting a job on a Cruise ship?

Expertise will be a key to success on a cruise ship but a good qualification will help you to get a good profile. You should be a graduate with relevant work experience to get a better career option on a cruise ship at the beginning.

If you want to work on a Cruise Ship, then you should hold a minimum of 1 to 2 years of relevant experience. In some cases, someone with one year of experience can apply if the hiring agency has mentioned it in the criteria.

There are hundreds of positions available on a cruise ship, each demanding a different skill set, qualification, and work experience. To have a look at all the designations in detail and learn about their eligibility criteria.

How to apply for Cruise ship jobs without any kind of qualification or degree?

Do not be discouraged by the job descriptions published by cruise ships looking for new staff with lots of experience. Instead of worrying about work experience that you don’t have, emphasize your transferable skills and then sell them to the cruise company you want to work for.

You have transferable skills if you have worked hard as a student or in an office, factory, or manufacturing plant. You have already developed many transferable skills, which are very useful to cruise ships.

Draw the connections between your past work and the work required on the ship, and you will get the job. But you need to articulate your transferable skills very well and connect them to the cruise job you are applying for.

How to get a job on a cruise ship with no experience? The best way to get a job on a cruise ship with no experience is to emphasize your transferable skills in your resume. When you get the interview, focus on how you can transfer your present skills to the job’s requirements.

Here are some of the jobs that you can get on a cruise ship that does not require experience:

• Galley Cleaner
• Pot Washer
• Ordinary Seaman
• Cabin Steward
• Assistant Cabin Steward
• Bar Utility
• Deckhand
• Bell Staff
• Cleaner
• Laundryman
• Engine Room Wiper