Don’t be intimidated by job descriptions posted by cruise lines looking for new employees with a lot of experience. Instead of stressing about your lack of job experience, focus on your transferrable skills and pitch them to the cruise line you want to work for.
If you worked hard as a student or in an office, factory, or manufacturing plant, you have transferrable skills. You’ve already gained a number of transferrable skills that will come in handy on cruise ships.
Make the connections between your previous work and the duties necessary aboard the ship, and you’ll be hired. However, you must clearly define your transferable skills and link them to the cruise position you are applying for.
So, how to get a job on a cruise ship with no experience? The best strategy to secure a job on a cruise ship if you don’t have any prior experience is to highlight your transferrable skills in your resume. Focus on how you can apply your current skills to the job’s requirements when you get the interview.
Of course, you shouldn’t claim to have worked on a cruise ship if you haven’t. If the company learns about it, you will be dismissed.
Read on to know more additional information on how to get a job on a cruise ship with no experience, as well as some useful hints for landing your dream job.
Jobs on a Cruise Ship That Don’t Require Experience
Here are some cruise ship jobs that don’t require prior experience:
- Pot Washer
- Galley Cleaner
- Cabin Steward
- Assistant Cabin Steward
- Ordinary Seaman
- Bar Utility
- Bell Staff
- Deckhand
- Laundryman
- Cleaner
- Engine Room Wiper
Any of these positions will serve as a good stepping stone to a higher-ranking and higher-paying position on the cruise ship.
1. Pot Washer
Washing a pot is something that even children ten years or older can do. So, even if you’ve never worked as a pot cleaner before, you can apply. You should, however, demonstrate that you have the necessary transferrable skills for the position. You can get the job if you can show your future employer that you’ve worked in a fast-food kitchen.
In this job, you will be expected to clean the dishes, pots, and pans, including other galley equipment and utensils. This position pays between $900 and $1,200 per month on average.
2. Galley Cleaner
A galley cleaner cleans and keeps a ship’s galley or kitchen in good order. You don’t need any prior experience cleaning galleys to apply for this position. However, you must demonstrate to your future employer that you possess the necessary skills to perform the job.
Your chances of securing the job will improve if you have previously worked as a utility man in a restaurant or factory. This job pays between $900 and $1,200 per month on average.
3. Cabin Steward
Another entry-level position that doesn’t require a cruise ship background is cabin steward. If hired, you’ll be responsible for cleaning and tidying the passenger cabins on a daily basis. Your chances of getting hired will improve if you have previously worked in a hotel as a utility man or in housekeeping. This position pays between $1,700 and $2,500 per month.
4. Assistant Cabin Steward
The assistant cabin steward is one level below the cabin steward. This suggests that if you’re hired for the position, your responsibilities will be lighter. But prepare yourself to perform the dirty work. It’s just how the world of work works. The monthly salary for this job ranges from $1,100 to $1,900.
5. Ordinary Seaman
An ordinary seaman is similar to a factory or office building’s utility man. If you have past experience in these fields, you can apply to work as an ordinary seaman aboard a cruise ship. And if hired, your job will entail general cleaning of the ship, as well as maintenance and cleaning of the deck areas. If you’re hired for this position, you can make between $1,300 and $2,200 each month.
6. Bar Utility
A bar utility is in charge of cleaning and maintaining the ship’s bar areas and bar equipment in general. It’s an entry-level position that doesn’t require any prior experience. However, if you can show your prospective employer that you have worked in a restaurant or a hotel, you will be able to get the position faster. The compensation for this work ranges from $900 to $1,200 per month.
7. Bell Staff
Another entry-level position that doesn’t require experience is bell staff on a cruise ship. If employed, you’ll be responsible for offering special services to passengers in their cabins, such as delivering breakfast, lunch, and dinner meals, as well as beverages, gifts, and other goods requested by the passengers. If hired, you can expect to earn between $1,100 and $1,900 each month.
8. Deckhand
Being a deckhand on a cruise ship is also an entry-level position; thus, no prior experience is required. If you are hired, you may be expected to do a variety of tasks. You’ll be running errands for passengers, providing directions to different areas of the ship, cleaning deck areas, and maintaining deckchairs and other related equipment. If employed, you can make anywhere from $1,200 to $2,000 per month.
9. Laundryman
Laundry workers are desperately needed on cruise liners. So even if you’ve never worked on a cruise ship but have worked in laundry services, your chances of earning a laundryman position will be high.
If employed, you will be responsible for washing and ironing all of the ship’s crew, officers, and passengers’ clothing. If you get the position, your monthly salary could vary from $1,200 to $1,800.
10. Cleaner
A cruise ship cleaner is responsible for the overall cleaning of the ship’s public areas. This work, in some ways, coincides with that of an ordinary seaman.
Because this is an entry-level position, no prior experience is required. However, if you can demonstrate that you have worked as a general cleaner at a hotel, restaurant, or factory, you will have a decent chance of being hired. This job pays between $900 and $1,500 per month.
11. Engine Room Wiper
Engine room wipers are also required on a cruise ship. The engine rooms of cruise ships are usually filled with filthy smoke, with particulates settling in every nook and cranny.
If hired, your job will generally entail cleaning all engine room machinery, equipment, instruments, and tools. This position pays between $1,200 to $2,200 each month.
Applying for a Cruise Ship Job: General Requirements
If you want to be considered by the HR department for any job aboard a cruise ship, there are some general qualifications that you must meet. The following are some of the basic requirements:
1. Background and Criminal Records
A cruise ship offers special services to thousands of passengers. The safety and security of passengers are a top priority for shipowners. Therefore, they will make sure that all of the ship’s deckhands and crew members are properly authorized, if not thoroughly checked, to guarantee that they have no criminal background or record before they are employed.
2. Health Records: Medical Certificate and Medical Records
All crew members, officers, and employees must submit a medical record or history proving that they are free from any communicable disease. The ship serves thousands of passengers. A crew member with a communicable illness poses a risk to everyone on board.
3. Passport
Different international ports are visited by cruise ships. Crew members, officers, and personnel must show their valid passports to enter any international port of call.
4. Piercings and Tattoos
Most cruise ships need their crew members, staff, and officers to be clean, with no visible tattoos or piercings. Tattoos may be permitted aboard some cruise ships as long as they are covered. Others will dismiss them completely.
Jobs on a Cruise Ship: Two Basic Classifications
On a cruise ship, workers are divided into two general classifications: crew members and staff. What are the differences between the two?
1. Staff and Crew Members
Crew members on a cruise ship include maintenance, housekeeping, busboys, cooks, waiters, and bartenders. To do their work, they exclusively go to passenger areas. Crew-only decks are where they dine, sleep, and live.
The staff members are in a higher echelon. The captain and officers, as well as the hotel department and entertainment staff, are among them. Staff members interact with passengers on a regular basis. These employees are often seen in the ship’s sports and fitness section, as well as theater personnel, computer technicians, and videographers.
2. Staff
The members of this group aren’t the same as the cruise ship’s staff members. They’re employed by outside concessionaires and aren’t directly employed by the cruise liner.
Casinos, photography services, medical personnel, and entertainment are some of the common concessionaires serving the ship’s passengers. They have different access levels to the ship’s facilities. For example, they’re permitted to dine at buffets but aren’t allowed to enter nightclubs.
How to Apply for Jobs on Cruise Ships That Don’t Require Experience
How to get a job on a cruise ship with no experience? If you have no prior experience but desire to work on a cruise ship, follow the steps below to apply for a position:
1. Choose the Cruise Ship You’d Want to Work For
Check all cruise ships that are hiring for workers. Get a sense of the working conditions on these ships, including how much they pay for entry-level roles. Choose cruise liners with a high reputation among passengers and employees.
2. Study the Job Descriptions and Job Requirements
Check the job requirements listed on the cruise lines’ websites or in their actual offices. Review and study their job descriptions to see which ones you can handle based on your current skills and level of experience.
3. Ready Your Resume
Before even applying, prepare your resume. It should include all of your personal information, educational attainment, current activities, and previous work experience (if you have any).
Revise your resume according to the cruise ship’s specific employment criteria and job descriptions. Having a resume tailored to the position will prove to their HR department that your application is specific to them and not to anyone else.
4. Write a Cover Letter
Make a cover letter that is concise but thorough. It must not be excessively lengthy or short. It should emphasize your qualifications and transferrable skills that are a good fit for the job.
5. Choose the Right Photo
If you’re asked to submit a recent photo, choose one that accurately reflects who you are. In that photo, you should ideally be smiling. It will make a positive impression on your potential employer.
6. Submit Your Application According to the Employer’s Instructions
You can submit your job application in many ways. What matters is that you follow the employer’s instructions. If he requests it, give it to him personally. However, if he wants you to submit your application online, follow his instructions.
7. Make Sure to Follow Up Your Application
By following up on your application, you can show that you are interested in the position. They may believe you are not truly interested in the job if you do not follow up on your application. But don’t go overboard, or they may become annoyed by your overzealousness. However, if they fail to follow through on their commitment to call you, give them a call.
Conclusion – How to Get a Job on a Cruise Ship with No Experience? [Plus Cruise Ship Jobs]
So, back to our initial question: “How to get a job on a cruise ship with no experience?” If you have no experience, highlighting your transferrable skills in your resume is the best way to get a job on a cruise liner. If you get to be interviewed, talk about how you’ll be able to apply your current skills and experience to the job opening.
Many jobs on a cruise ship don’t require any previous experience, and they include:
- Pot Washer
- Galley Cleaner
- Cabin Steward
- Assistant Cabin Steward
- Ordinary Seaman
- Bar Utility
- Bell Staff
- Deckhand
- Laundryman
- Cleaner
- Engine Room Wiper
Even if you don’t like these jobs, you could start with one of them and subsequently request a transfer to a different one. As more ships are built and more passengers wish to travel, the cruise ship business continues to expand. So, even if you have no past work experience, there’s still an opportunity for you.
