Job on cruise ships regardless if you take it as a temporary or permanent employment, will bring you stable income. Therefore you should consider all the expenses associated to getting this job as your INVESTMENT that will pay back within several weeks and will also bring additional interest such as travel and career opportunities, international experience and valuable connections.
It is important to know that Ismira Agency does not charge any fees for employment.
There can not be any charge for job interview or job offer payable to us or to any third parties. Cruise companies outline their Fees Policy according to the International Maritime Conventions (MLC2006) stressing that there should be no fees charged to obtain a job. You can see a sample of such Policy issued by Royal Caribbean Group here.
Total program cost depends on the following factors:
- Cruise company – some employers provide joining ticket whereas others only paying for travel starting your first ticket home from the contract and onward. All employers cover joining visa fee, some may reimburse medical exam or even safety certificates, but you will get money back only after you arrive on board.
- Joining port (port where you start your contract) – this will define needed visas for joining and work on board the assigned ship. Also if the employer does not provide first joining ticket, airplane prices may range depending on the season and ticket availability. Cruise companies use marine fare tickets as they allow last minute changes may happen, thus changes and free re-routing/cancellations in case of emergency must be available.
- Your citizenship and residence place – will influence the cost as well since not all countries have approved medical centers or training centers, needed Embassies, or other institutions that issue documents required for joining.
That is why it is quite complicated to calculate fixed program price. We can say that the average amount is usually from 500 to 2000 EUR.
What is included in this amount ?
- Joining visa (you will receive reimbursement on board, but only for consular fee not including travel, and only if you present receipt). You may need to open several visas depending on your vessel itinerary during your contract.
- Medical examination (cost depends on the medical center and the amount of tests you need to take as specified by the employer).
- Airplane ticket (for those joining cruise companies that do not cover first joining ticket).
- Safety certificates – (if required) issued at certified training centers at your home country or in the neighboring countries, and these centers establish their own prices. Note that validity of safety certificates is usually 5 years, so you do not need to renew them often.
- Seaman’s Book – (if required) issued by your country maritime authorities or based on your vessel registry.
- Other costs – documents translation, trip to other cities where you get documents. etc.
- Additional services provided by Ismira only upon your choice and according to the price list.
Our managers will provide you with the details about program cost for the chosen cruise company & position.
Are there any expenses before the job interview with cruise company?
Sometimes we meet candidates with perfect knowledge, skills, personality, attitude, English level, and full package of documents ready. We call them super stars, and can count them on fingers of one hand 😊
If you are not a super star, you may need to spend money to get yourself ready for the job interview – for example take English classes to improve your spoken skills and professional terms in English. You will also have to collect necessary application documents, and some of them may be at additional cost to you.
Do not forget that we are bound by the contract with our cruise line employers and serve their needs first of all, but also, we are happy to help our candidates get ready for the job interview.
You may ask our managers or choose other options, for example use the online training platform TrainYourBrain to increase your chances of getting the desired job on board cruise ships.