To make it simple, these are the steps: submit your Resume, meet with your team (online) to check your knowledge and choose suitable position/company, prepare and collect necessary documents for interview, successfully pass job interview with the employer, wait for the ship assignment until you get the Employment Letter, then obtain joining documents, safety certificates and visas (whatever needed), pass medical exam, submit all the documents to the Hiring Agent and company system, get your contract and joining ticket, and finally fly to the port where the cruise ship is waiting for you! After the first contract you may need to repeat some steps from this process within your 2 months of vacation at home, and then join again as long as you wish to continue the exciting career at Sea 🙂
Depending on your position and cruise company these steps and the sequence may vary, so you just have to take one at a time and follow your Hiring Agent’s instructions to make it smooth and easy! Read more about the Employment Steps HERE
You have good chances to get a job on cruise ships if you are at least 21 years old (some companies accept from 18+), speak English, have relevant experience, are motivated, hard working and outgoing personality. However, these are general requirements as there are specific criteria set by each cruise company. See more about the requirements HERE
Cruise ships have multinational crew and everybody is treated equally, as there is strict anti-harassment policy on board. Cruise companies usually appoint their approved Hiring Agents in certain countries or regions. If there is no such Agent in your country, you should apply to the nearest one. Not every nationality though can get a job on board cruise ships due to visa or legal issues that are being regulated by local or international maritime laws.
ISMIRA Agency is authorized to recruit citizens of the following countries only: Europe – Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Poland + sometimes from other European countries, and also from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan.
First of all, there is no Employment or Placement fee. No one can charge you for getting a job! But yet there will be joining expenses, and you should be ready to invest approximately $500 to $2500 depending on your residence place and set of documents needed. This money will be spend on visas, medical examination, safety certificates and sometimes airline ticket (not all cruise lines cover initial joining ticket). You can get reimbursed for visa fee and sometimes for medical exam when you arrive on board. See more information on expenses HERE
You may have certain expenses getting ready for the job interview – to attend English teacher or to compose, collect and translate needed application documents – resume, recommendation letters etc. Once you pass job interview successfully, then you may start obtaining joining documents as it is your investment into your future success – safety certificates, necessary visas, medical exam etc. Some cruise company require to obtain all needed documents before providing ship assignment, whereas other cruise companies prefer that you start the process only after ship assignment received. Thus always follow instructions provided by our managers, as they may vary depending on your position and cruise line.
We always start with your CV (Resume) up-to-date, without gaps in experience, in Word format. Our HR system called Breezy will also send to you several automated messages with the link to the Pre-Screen Questionnaire, a consent to handle your personal data etc. After you speak with our recruiters and if found suitable, you will get an electronic version of ISMIRA Agency service agreement to be signed. In order to be presented for job interview, depending on cruise line you would need to fill the respectful company’s application form and present your travel passport copy along with the references / recommendation letters (those of you who have previous shipboard experience would also need to submit your end-of-contract evaluation/appraisal). In case you apply for technical or specialty positions, you may need to additionally present relevant diplomas/certificates. If you have previous ship experience, and still have valid C1D visa, Seaman’s Book or safety certificates, it makes sense to submit them as well so that we know you can join sooner. Remember, that all documents presented to cruise company must be in English or translated into English.
As a part of application process cruise companies or their Hiring Agents need to perform candidate’s background check, thus applicants must present recommendation letters and references before the job interview. Recommendation letter is usually issued by previous employer / supervisor confirming your employment at certain position within certain time frame, and also describes your professional and personal qualities. Reference is usually a contact information of someone that can provide professional or personal reference to you, that will be used by your Agent or cruise company to contact them and verify your experience, skills, or character traits.
Candidates with previous ship experience need to present end of contract evaluation (appraisal) from their previous cruise employers.
As a part of your background check cruise employer may require a Police Clearance Certificate from your current or past residence places. Usually it is needed for ocean going ships, and not needed for river ships in European Union. Police clearance has limited validity, and needs to be in English or translated into English (not necessary notary translation). In case you had convictions in the past, it does not necessary mean you are not legible for hire as each case is considered individually, however in such case it is better to present your Police Clearance at the initial stage of employment to avoid any issues on further steps.
Cruise companies usually prefer to conduct interviews face-to-face, but nowadays personal interviews are not so popular, and many employers especially when they need crew urgently, run online interviews using Teams, Zoom, Skype, or sometimes even Whatsapp. Some cruise companies use specialized interview software, and even recorded/automated interviews for entry positions. Our recruiters will inform you on the procedure once you choose the position and cruse line you will be applying to.
It depends on a cruise company’s operational needs, but usually waiting period is between 2 and 8 months. Sometimes it may take shorter or longer, but should not exceed 12 months. If for any reason you were not able to join within 12 months after successful job interview, you may need to pass interview again. Note that the waiting period often depends as well on your own availability, notice needed to your current employer, and the set of documents that you hold or can obtain them within certain time.
LOE stands for Letter of Employment, and this document is issued by the employer and handed to you by the Agent once you receive your ship assignment. You need LOE to apply for joining visa(s), and it must be presented to all authorities during your travel to the ship as a proof of your employment. LOE will usually have your name, surname, ID number, nationality, position, joining date & port, and name of the vessel. Nowadays LOEs are mostly issued and delivered to you in electronic version.
Cruise company may change your joining date (sing-on date) forwards or backwards at any time, and this may happen not once including last minute changes. It may seem very unprofessional, but you have to remember that you are entering the job industry where emergencies may happen quite often, thus you must be flexible and ready to adapt to this new environment.
Pre-employment Medical Exam (PEME) is usually conducted after ship assignment received. Only approved medical centers can be used, and each cruise company has a list of approved medical centers and approved PEME forms that you will be receiving from us or from the approved doctor. Unfortunately approved doctors/centers are not found in every country, thus you need to follow Agency instructions and solutions offered by us in order to comply with the requirements.
Vaccinations are very important especially for ocean liners, thus you have to retrieve and examine your vaccination history from your family doctor in advance to avoid last minute assignment cancellations due to not available vaccines.
River cruises do not require to pass an extensive medical examinations, as job in inner waters is similar to job on land, and so simple family doctor’s health record would be enough along with basic labs like drug and alcohol test before joining or even done on board.
Note that all medical records and tests will have to be in English or translated into English in order to submit them for approval.
BMI stands for Body Mass Index and it has to be normal or slightly overweight to be considered fit for duty.
You can check your BMI online for example here:
https://bmicalculator.mes.fm
In some cases cruise company medical department may allow joining with a higher BMI (but in any case never more than 30) if all other tests are normal. This is being decided individually when medical exam is submitted to the company.
Marine fare was created by airlines to serve the needs of traveling crew members. It may not be cheaper than some budget airlines, however it offers flexibility that is vital for crew members such as possibility to cancel flight without penalties and carry additional luggage. Most cruise companies provide joining ticket, but in case they don’t, they always insist to obtain fully refundable marine fare ticket, as Agency is fully responsible for your initial joining and needs to control your travel submitting flight details to company system, port authorities, consulates to organize your smooth joining process. In case of travel emergency we are able to control your ticket and re-route you if needed to reach the destination on time. Remember that in case cruise line does not pay initial joining ticket, they will always provide you with ticket upon contract completion.
It happens not so often, but you may get into situation when flights get delayed or cancelled. In any case you need to inform us and the cruise company immediately (emergency contact information will be provided to you with joining instructions).
If flight cancellation/delay happens at your departure airport, then usually new arrangements for the next flight come next day only or even several days which means delay in your departure.
If this happens when you miss your connecting flight, then airlines may offer alternative flight options, and since you will be in touch with us and the company crew assistance team, new arrival/accommodation/pickup arrangements will be made based on your new flight details.
When your luggage is lost, you have to fill in Luggage Claim Form at the airport. Indicate your vessel name and your employer information in that form, and do not lose the slip that will be given to you as well as the luggage receipt that is usually attached to your passport or boarding pass upon your check in. This receipt contains reference number that will help you to track your luggage either by contacting baggage services at the airport, the airline’s central department or by logging into an online baggage-tracing page.
Different cruise companies have different travel instructions and arrangements for joining crew. There can be Port Agent meeting you at the airport or there may be hotel shuttle buses taking you to the assigned hotel from the airport. In some cases, you would need to find your own way to the hotel or vessel yourself. Our best advise is to always have extra cash or money on your bank card for travel emergency and please strictly follow joining instructions that you will be receiving from the Agency before travel.
If you follow our joining instructions you should be OK, but of course, there may be emergency situations. In such case you have to contact company crew emergency phone number or email that will be indicated in the joining instructions. You can also contact us at the same time so we could possibly give you a good advise.
As per cruise company instructions crew must arrive strictly same or one day prior to joining date. It is impossible to travel earlier or later as all arrangements are being made in advance by cruise line according to the joining country regulations with port authorities.
Cruise companies hire individuals, not friends and family. Therefore new hires will be allowed to participate in any job interview only if they do not expect to join same vessel at once. You have to understand that crew movement is a very complex process, and anything that would add difficulties to that, would be not acceptable unless you already work on board and your couple is declared to the employer. Thus if you already work on board you may place such request to work together, but there is no guarantee though that your request will be approved immediately. Note that cruise companies may request a document proving your couple status in order to place you to the same ship.
Modern cruise vessels are more like a huge floating hotel and they are equipped with stabilizers that prevent ship from rocking when the sea is rough. It is very unlikely that you will feel waves even during the storm, but if you do feel sick, then ship’s doctor would give you pills helping you to overcome that.
Depending on cruise line there is requirement for crew to hold Travel Passport valid for at least 12 or even 18 months from joining day, and it must contain enough empty pages for the immigration stamps.
In case you have expiring passport with valid US visa, you may obtain new Travel Passport, and keep the old one with valid visa, so that you may travel with two passports until visa expires.
If you have more than one Travel Passports (same or different citizenship), we need to have a copy of each on file.
Yes, that’s true. Crew purser will keep your passport as well as your medical exam and other documents needed to serve on board. You will be given Crew ID card to serve as your personal document for the duration of whole period of your contract. The reason for keeping your passport is daily crew and passengers check by customs, border protection, public health or port authorities control. Every day cruise liner may enter a new country and both the vessel and every person on board must be cleared. That’s why all passports are kept in one place so you do not need to leave your work place every time. This is the official rule for all types of vessels, for crew and passengers on board, thus no one can refuse to submit their passport to the ship office.
Note that crew working on board river ships in Europe may carry their passport after initial check.
When off duty crew can go outside in the ports if there are no visa restrictions for any specific country. You can take organized tours or wonder around if you wish, but make sure you are back to the ship on time as missing the ship may cause a lot of expenses and even losing your job.
Ocean going vessels do not require work visa in order to serve on board, as the vessel is not a territory of any country except that the governing laws are based on the ship flag/registry. Thus sometimes when ships is registered in Italy for example, crew may need to obtain Italian D type visa to serve on board.
River ships depending on their itinerary would require work visa (usually D type German visa) from crew that are not local citizens.
C1 (Transit visa) and D (Crew Member’s visa) or a combination of these two visas C1D are usually needed in order to join or work on board the vessels that are calling U.S. ports. Cruise lines may have vessels that do not sail in U.S. waters, but even in such case it might be required for crew members to obtain C1D visa if company plans to transfer crew from one ship to another or send them home through US.
Schengen visa may also be needed if crew is not from EU, and need to join in any Schengen port. Single entry short validity visa is enough in such case, as once crew steps on board, they are no longer in Schengen area.
There may be more visas needed depending on your ship itinerary, for example Australian MCV and/or Transit visa, if your assigned ship sails to Australian ports.
Do not forget, that we are here to help you with any visa if needed, so please follow our instructions and timely apply for visa to avoid assignment cancellation.
Crew members of all ocean cruise ships unlike river ships are governed by International Maritime Organization (IMO) regulations, and so respective procedures are set and observed by cruise companies. Some of them arrange safety training on board whereas others require safety certificates to be obtained in the approved training centers ashore before joining. Seaman’s Book is mandatory for all deck and engine crew, whereas service personnel usually can serve on board without the Seaman’s Book. However some companies may still require to obtain Seaman’s book – national or by the vessel’s flag.
We as your Agents will provide you with the specific requirements based on cruise line rules, and if it is impossible to obtain safety certificates or Seaman’s Book in your country, we will guide you on the alternative options.
Everybody on board – passengers and crew members must participate in regular boat drills in order to demonstrate safety procedures in case of emergency situation.
Safety is the first rule on board any ship, and crew must be trained and ready to act and save lives at all times and in any situation !
You can usually check vessel itinerary online – there are many web resources, for example:
Cruise companies provide medical insurance to all crew members, therefore if you get sick or injured on board, you will receive all necessary assistance at no cost and if needed you will be sent ashore for hospital check, and/or to your home country at company expense for further treatment and rehabilitation until you are fully recovered or reach maximum medical improvement. There is doctor’s office / infirmary on each cruise ship, but their services are limited to minor problems like headache, flu, small cuts or similar. There is no equipment for diagnostics or surgery on board, but since cruise ships visit ports almost every day, they have agreements with hospitals in every port to take care of sick crew and passengers in case of serious illness.
Note however that dental works are not covered by insurance except extractions, thus make sure your teeth are healthy when joining!
All crew regardless vessel type or position on board have to work every day during their contract. So there are no days off or holidays, but only time off between your shifts. Working hours and schedule depends on your position, and may change from day to day and from cruise to cruise. Supervisors create and publish work schedule for each crew in advance, thus you can plan your time and rest accordingly. The hours or work and rest for seafarers are subject to International law, and your crew agreement will define them based on legal requirements set by respective trade union and international conventions requirements (ILO, IMO, ITF) where the maximum hours of work must not exceed 14 hours in any 24-hour period, and 72 hours in any seven-day period. The minimum hours of rest must not be less than 10 hours in any 24-hour period, and 77 hours in any seven-day period.
Depending on cruise company and your position on board, job contract on ocean liners can be between 6 to 8 months for entry level positions, and 4-5 months for management positions and officers. Vacation is usually from 6 to 8 weeks and it is usually not paid. If your job performance is up to company standards, your contract will be automatically re-newed on board, and you will travel home knowing your next sign on date and port. In case you do not re-join as scheduled and do not give proper notice and valid reason to the employer, you may have to wait months until you get back to crew rotation, and in many cases cruise company may accept no-show as a resignation.
You may place a request on board to extend or shorten your contract if you have valid reason, however you must do that well in advance. There is no guarantee that your request will be approved though.
Note that river ships have a different pattern of work and vacation schedule, and they offer seasonal contracts with vacation pay during the contract, and sometimes crew even have days off.
You must indicate your home airport once you fill in your application form, and you can change it only if you change your permanent residence place. You can indicate only international airport in your residence country and in some cases cruise companies have a list of approved gateway cities where they fly their crew, and this means that you can only pick an airport from that list. When certain country crew remembers are very few on board, cruise companies may not have these countries / airports listed, thus such crew would have to fly to the nearest country / airport that is currently on the approved airports list.
It solely depends on you. Remember that company provides free food and accommodation, and you will be spending only for personal needs. Also company gives everybody a chance to prove themselves and get a better position on board. So, maybe not always during the first contract, but starting from second one you should be saving money and it’s up to you to decide how much you spend or save to bring home.
Our crew witness that they manage to purchase new car or even an apartment while within 1-2 years of work on board. We have seen many success stories, and we share them in our social media as well to provide good example to follow 🙂
Every cruise company is interested in crew that has potential and there are always opportunities for crew members to get promoted on board. There may be certain rules in each company such as for example promotion not available during first contract, but actually everything depends on situation and most of all it depends on you. If you perform well and prove to be active, responsible, attentive to detail and interested in personal and professional growth, all the doors will be finally open for you.
Note that promotion is when you grow within the same department on board, whereas if you want to change the department (for example being a restaurant waiter to become a photographer), then this would be called departmental transfer and it may be more difficult and require certain procedures to be followed such as to resign or get released by your current department head and re-hired by another department or concession. Department transfers can only be done while you are on board via cross-training, and there is often and extensive waiting list to take the desired position.
In case you are already at home, and wish to return, especially after a break more than 6 -12 months (depending on cruise company), then new interview might be needed regardless if you wish to be re-hired at the same or different position.
NOTE that relevant to the desired position experience and skills are always required during re-hire process in addition to your positive status with the company (meaning that you had left the company with good evaluation and provided proper notice on your resignation or extended vacation).
You will be working on board the ship, so your taxation will be governed by the laws of the country of the vessel registry (flag of the ship). Ocean ships sail under convenient flags such as Panamanian, Bahamian, Marshall Islands etc. Thus no tax is deducted from your salary, therefore you are fully responsible to declare and pay yourself the income, social security pension fund, or other taxes as per your home country legislation.
There might be cases when taxes will be paid by the employer, and this is usually relevant to inner waters – river ships.
In any case it is your responsibility to check in advance your home country laws if you need to pay any taxes, and if you have to bring to the tax office any documents for income declaration, thus you need to collect all necessary proof such as pay slips during your contract You will hardly be able to retrieve or order them later once you return back home.