So You Want to Work On a Cruise Ship!

If you want a job on a cruise ship, you have some choices. From hospitality to administration, the options are plentiful!

There are a lot of job options on a cruise ship. From highly skilled positions that require a lot of experience to jobs where training is available, just look at some of the cruise ship positions you can consider:

All Hands on Deck-These jobs require experience and skill and you really can't apply unless you have an impressive resume. Ship Captain, Staff Captain, First Officer and Safety Officer pay well, but you have to be licensed or certified and have a minimum of 5-10 years of experience in applicable positions. Many of these jobs also require a diploma from a maritime school and training on navigational devices and equipment.

Engineers -From the Chief Engineer and Electrician to the Chief Radio Office, Ship Service Manager, Motorman and Plumber, each of these positions requires maritime training, and at least two to five years of job experience on a ship. Specific ship positions require everything from training and certification in maritime communication, to air conditioning and plumbing repair certification and may require a Marine Engineering degree.

Administration-These jobs range from Hotel Manager, with 8-10 years of ship and management experience, to Shore Excursions Manager with experience required in the tourism business and in a lower level cruise position. Purser and Computer Systems positions require computer literacy and experience in standard software packages and may also include a requirement for previous experience working on board a ship. If you have experience as a computer technician, repairing and maintaining networks and/or hardware and software, you may find a good job on a cruise ship. Additional cruise ship administrative jobs include secretarial positions, a journalist or PR position to create newsletters and announcements, an accountant, a receptionist, a gift shop manager and retail sales help for the gift shop, and a printer for printed materials.

Dining Room-These cruise ship positions include jobs for waiters and waitresses, bartenders, head waiters, buffet servers and dining room managers. While you don't necessarily have to have experience working on board a ship, it certainly doesn't hurt to have that experience!

Housekeeping-These positions include the Chief Steward in charge of baggage handling and cabin services, the Cabin Steward, in charge of housekeeping staff that cleans passenger cabins, and Bell positions.

Other Jobs-There are numerous cruise ship jobs like the social hostess, dance instructors, activities coordinators for children and adults, dive instructors, photographer, sound and lighting technicians for onboard shows, TV and video managers to coordinate satellite feeds and programming, singers, dancers, production managers, and DJs for cruise entertainment.

For ships with onboard casinos, there are jobs for casino managers, slot technicians, dealers, croupiers, and cashiers.

Onboard spas and salons require hairdressers, massage therapists, manicurists, fitness instructors, salon managers and salon attendants.

No matter what your skill level, there are plenty of job opportunities on a cruise ship. If you want to get more information on specific job openings, call the employment office for the cruise line, or look online for Cruise Ship Job Agencies.