Copyright 2006 Neil Maxwell Keys

Forget you've ever watched a single episode of "The Love Boat". Block out those fond memories of Gopher, Isaac, Julie and even that kid that was on for a while. Erase all mental images of Captain Stubing's socks. Don't even THINK about playing the Love Boat theme song in your head.

As engaging as the seagoing sitcom might have been, it should not be used as a point of reference for anyone considering a cruise ship job. Our happy-go-lucky heroes might have been world class party animals but there was one important element missing: work. Most crew members work seven days per week. Contracts usually last at least six months. You don't get to go home on the weekends. You have to work the holidays.

Are there really opportunities? You bet! Compared to other industries, cruise lines have a high employee turnover rate. Many people work on ships as a means to see the world, save money and have some fun. They don't do it with the intention of developing a lifelong career (although it can be addictive!) The cruise industry is booming away at an all time high with over 190 ships and 17 new ship buildings scheduled over the next two years. That's about 130,000 jobs.

Most cruise ships employ a multi-national crew. Sometimes there are as many as 80 different nationalities on one ship. In many cases nationality influences job opportunities. It is not uncommon to find each department on one ship is comprised of the same nationality unique to the other departments. That helps prevent culture clashes where they live, work and play together.

Crew for many of the behind the scenes jobs are recruited from the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia and Caribbean islands. Even though these jobs might pay less than U.S. hourly minimum wage, the salary represents a substantial income in these countries where the U.S. dollar is strong and the exchange rate is great.

Since the cruise lines do not have offices in these countries, they enlist the assistance of local crewing agencies who mainly place crew on cargo ships and offshore oil rigs.

If you are American, Canadian or European and you are interested in a hotel department or entertainment department job, your best plan of action would be to apply directly to the cruise line or concessionaire.

The beauty salon, gift shop, photography service and casino are almost always concessionaires. These companies set up and maintain facilities onboard and share the profits with the cruise line. They hire their own employees.

To apply, send a cover letter, resume and photograph. The cruise line will use your photo to get a sense of how well you present yourself. A personal interview is not always required. It is very important that the materials you submit look as professional as humanly possible. The cruise lines receive gazillions of submissions. In order to reduce them to a manageable amount, the first step in the hiring process is the elimination process. If your materials are sloppy, incomplete or sent to the wrong department they will be trashed immediately.

Watch out for rip-offs. Never pay a fee up front unless you are given a signed contract for a job. There is no such thing as an "official" application form that all of the cruise lines use. Never pay a security deposit. There are no centralized hiring facilities for all the lines. Posting your resume online is a waste of time. If you plan on buying a "How to Get a Job on a Cruise Ship" book, then make sure that you check out the authors credentials. Have they even worked on cruise ship before? Is their information up-to-date and accurate?

Some of these expensive "books" are actually a handful of photocopies stapled together, produced by an enterprising cruise passenger who's objective is to con you and a hundred other unsuspecting souls into paying for their next cruise. The real problem is not the money it cost you to buy the book - it's the time and effort that you wasted by following their incorrect instructions and out-dated information.

There is no quick and easy way. As with any job search, you have to have to correct information to hand, work hard at it, do it right the first time and compete. Try to make it as easy as possible for the person on the other end. Who would YOU hire; someone that made your job difficult or someone that made it easy?

Hopefully this information will give you the "big picture" and get you pointed in the right direction. On my first attempt at cruise ship employment, I was misguided by one of those expensive handfuls of photocopies and I applied for a job that did not exist. The result was a frustrating waste of time effort and money.

Now that you have an idea what that "something for everyone" is that the Love Boat theme song promises, go ahead and play it in your head.