The best way of finding employment on a cruise ship is to contact a recruitment agent who works for the specific cruise line, if you have decided which cruise line you wish to work for. The personnel departments of the cruise lines would not be able to manage all the inquiries from particular applicants from over the world and that is why they use the service of the recruitment agents.
Recruitment agents are responsible for choosing suitable applicants. The agent presents the applicants to the interviewer from the cruise line. It is the agent's task to select from numerous applications only those who match the cruise line's requirements.
The recruitment agent checks the applicant's experience, references, criminal record and they will arrange the medical examinations so that the cruise line representative meets completely prepared people at the interview.
Most recruitment agents provide training for hired crew - starting from basic courses which have to prepare the new employee to the new circumstances ending with the special STCW courses which some cruise lines already require [STCW - International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers]. All the courses last a couple of days each.
Visa and Work Permits
Firstly, to be able to travel abroad, you will need a valid passport. Apart from the passport, it is recommended to have other ID documents with you all the time, such as a driving license. Once you get to the ship the purser will file your passport and other documents and keep them in a safe, since you won't need them during the cruise.
Most staff on cruise ships do not come from the same country from where the ship is registered. Therefore many of them need a valid visa and/or work permit to work on a cruise ship legally.
If your ship embarks from a port in the
If you choose to stay in the
If your cruise ship is registered in the UK, you will need to apply for the appropriate work permit at the British embassy in your country, unless you come from a country of the European Economic Area (EEA): Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom.
Nationals of 8 new member states of the European Union need to register with the Home Office (Workers Registration Scheme) if they haven't worked in the
If your ship cruises the waters under the Italian, Greek, Norwegian, German, or French flag, you need to apply for the appropriate work visa unless you are a national of one of the old EU countries. Read more about work permits and work visas in
Cruise ship companies are used to employing staff from all over the world. They know how to obtain necessary visas and work permits. They will assist you and guide you through the process of applying for all the work visas and permits once they give you a job offer and you accept it.
