There is a huge amount of job opportunities to work on a cruise ship. This is due to the high turnover of staff on cruise ships and the nature of the contract work which is available to employees. Lots of people who seek employment on cruise ships use the opportunity as a working holiday, by getting offered a contract and travelling the world this is a great opportunity for many younger people. There are career opportunities available for cruise ship staff but in general most staff are only offered contracts. But whilst working on a cruise ship their are many enjoyable experiences for staff. You get to visit different countries whilst getting paid for and accommodation on the vessel and meals are all provided by the company.
Most cruise ships offer luxury accommodation to guests and they pay good money so any potential staff member must be friendly and outgoing with a very high commitment to customer service. If you have previous experience in the Hospitality industry then this will certainly help your employment opportunities. Being young and energetic will certainly help your pursuit of a job on a cruise liner also. If you do find employment on a cruise ship it is also possible to move to other vacancy's on the ship once you have some experience on the cruise liner. If you can speak more than 1 language this is also a plus as most cruise ships have patrons from all over the world on their ships and the ability to communicate in another language would certainly add merit to your application. Many patrons on the cruise expect excellence from the staff so you will certainly have to learn the job very quickly and be thorough in you work. Experience in the hospitality industry is a big advantage but for some other jobs on the cruise ship you will need higher education qualifications like ships officer, electrical etc.
There are two different types of employment found on a cruise ship, the people that are in charge of running the ship and the people in charge of catering to the passengers. Many of the permanent positions on the ship are taken by the people in charge of running the ship but there are some permanent staff in charge of different areas of hospitality.
As mentioned before the hospitality section of the ship is an integral part of the running of the ship. Catering to the passengers is all-important on a cruise ship so you must be motivated to provide an excellent service to the passengers. There are many sections of hospitality on a cruise ship that an employee can get into. You could find work in the bar, serving/preparing food, entertainment, casino or hotel worker. Some of the jobs available are barman, waiter, gym instructor, croupier and diving instructor. There are literally hundreds of different positions available to job seekers on a cruise ship and if you apply and have some hospitality experience behind you, the chances of gaining a job are quite good.
The running of the ship is equally important as the hospitality provided to the guests. Jobs you could aim for include ships captain, deckhand, engineer, motorman, electrician, medical staff, cruise directors. Of course you will need appropriate qualifications to find work in any of these fields, this could include university degrees or previous experience in those positions.
Pay scales can range greatly depending on the type of duties performed and experience.
If you are looking for a job on a cruise ship a lot of cruise liners advertise positions on their web sites or you could get them to send you out an application form and return it to them. There are other online agencies also that hire people for work on a cruise ship.