Do not know hot to get cruise ship job? Here is your detailed recruitment process and we take full care of you and lead you through all the steps. Good luck in getting your dream job!
Your recruitment process starts with submitting your CV on our website. First, you go to CALENDAR page, choose the desired company/position and apply. Once we receive your CV, we will get back to you via e-mail or offer free consultation via Skype during 3 working days.
If your application fits basic requirements, we conduct our first short consultations (max. 10 min) where we answer all your questions. We also provide detailed information about documents needed for participation, company’s requirements, offered job positions and salaries.
If your CV fits requirements for the desired position, we send you the link to register for pre-screen interview with us. Please, carefully read the email and follow all instructions there.
Once we receive your CV and questionnaire, we conduct recorded consultation called pre-screen, during which we fully check your profile and make the decision if you are ready to participate in the job interview. Please, we advise you to take pre-screen seriously and get prepared for it.
First of all, we will determine your level of spoken English in order to make sure that you will be able to communicate with the native English-speaker. At the interview you should also make an impression of a confident job seeker with good communication and hospitality skills. If your English language knowledge is weak, do NOT get upset! At your request our agency can advise you English language courses. We also recommend professional courses for those who speak English well but need to improve their professional knowledge.
This consultation takes about 20 min. We guarantee that in the end of pre-screen you will get a clear answer if you are suitable for a cruise ship job or not.
In case you are suitable, we offer the most appropriate positions for you and make a plan on the next steps. In case you are not suitable, we give consultation how to improve your skills and get back to us.
In case you are almost suitable but need to improve some skills, we put you in the waiting list for the interview. Now everything depends on you if you will be chosen to participate or not. It depends on the level of your preparation. On this step applicants usually improve their English skills as well as get some professional knowledge on their position in case they are lack of experience. We may recommend you professional courses that will help you get fully prepared for passing the job interview.
We give you some time to prepare and then conduct the final consultation to check your preparation for the interview.
If we see that still your knowledge is not enough to participate, we discuss with you what else you need to improve.
Note that from 2018 year we have a new rule: if a candidate fails pre-screen, next time he is allowed to reapply only in 6 months. Therefore, pay attention on our advices and take pre interview preparation seriously.
If we see that you are fully prepared, we practice with you interview questions and consult on approve you to the list of applicants. In case you got accepted to participate in a job interview, straight after final approval you receive the e-mail with our agency agreement to sign.
Before the job interview with the cruise company representative you will also need to present to our agency the following documents:
- Passport copy
- 2 passport-size (5×5) photos (please smile! – it is indeed important how you look on the photo)
- Police clearance report in English or translated into English.
- Recommendations from the previous work places either in English or translated into English (if available)
- Copies of Diplomas or/and certificates related to the position applied with translations into English (if available)
- Respective Cruise Company application form (will be available in our agency right before interview)
- Mandatory tests results: cruise companies require to take some tests (English test, professional test, psychological test, etc.) and the amount depends on your position and cruise company. Your manager will lead you through the recruitment process and clarify for you all the details.
We assist you in preparing the document package. You can bring these documents directly to our office or send them to us via e-mail or by post.
Job interviews with the representatives of every cruise company are organized two-four times a year. The interviews are usually held in Vilnius, Klaipeda, Minsk, Kiev, Odessa or Sankt Petersburg. The location depends on the employer’s needs and the number of applicants generated in each region. After we find out about the exact time, date and place of the coming interview, we invite all applicants willing to participate by contacting them via e-mail or phone.
If you were successful at the interview with a cruise company’s representative, we send you confirmation letter in the next 5 working days. However, if you were unsuccessful and didn’t get a job this time, please don’t give up! You can participate in the next interview, and we can help you get ready for it!
If you successfully passed the job interview and got confirmation letter, first of all we congratulate you! It means you are motivated and did an outstanding job to achieve your first goal. We are really proud of you!
Next step of the recruitment process is to enter your data to the applicants pool. This is a gap period when you wait for your ship assignment. Usually it takes 2-8 months. During this time, you can live your normal live, continue working on your job, etc.
Once we receive your ship assignment from the employer, we send you assignment notifications and further instructions on how to prepare for joining a ship.
United States C1D (transit / crew member’s visa) is mandatory in most of the cases (with very few exceptions when vessels sail in Asia or Europe only), and you have to obtain it at the nearest U.S. Consulate in person before starting your contract. Note that this visa does not grant you a right to work, travel or study in USA, so you would break the law if you decide to use it for the purposes other than joining the ship.
Other visas might be needed to join the ship or serve on board depending on your nationality and ship itinerary, such as Shengen visas, Australian eVisitor or MCV visa, Brazil crew visa etc. Your Agency will provide you with the instructions on which visas you need to obtain in order to join and work on board. All joining visa consular fees are reimbursed on board if you provide ship’s office with valid cash receipt.
Some cruise companies even require their crew members to attend STCW safety training courses in their home countries before joining. These might be Basic Safety Training, Crowd and Crisis Management Training, Security Awareness Training. You may also need to hold Seaman’s Book in order to join. The agency will provide you with information on procedures of obtaining these documents.
On this step we help you prepare your document package for joining the ship. It includes checking your medical, visas, all signed documents (ship assignment, points of notice, signed policies, etc,). You might need a translation of some documents and we may help you.
First joining ticket is almost never covered by a cruise company (there might be exceptions depending on the cruise company and your position). Note however that all cruise companies usually pay all other repatriation and returning tickets. Therefore only your initial joining costs may get expensive as you need to fly overseas. The airline tickets at marine fare are booked by your Hiring Agent and entered to the employer’s system, so that all entry and travel arrangements are done by the cruise company and respective port agent in advance. Marine fare tickets may be not the cheapest option, but they allow last minute cancellations at no fee and in most cases include additional luggage items. Your Hiring Partner is fully responsible for your first joining to be timely and orderly, therefore taking risks is not acceptable.
The date when and where your first contract starts will be set by the employer, and you can not choose the ship and destination. During your job interview you must indicate your availability and notice needed very accurately, so that there would be no cancellations or delays from your side. You also have to remember that even when you already got your long-waited Letter of Employment (LOE), your joining date still may be altered any time as per company needs. Usually waiting period between successful job interview and joining the ship is somewhat from one to eight months. You need to keep in touch with your agent to make sure that your contact information and availability is constantly updated. Before joining the ship, you will get all joining instructions from us and we will be available for you even while you fly in case you need some help.