Careers

Floating careers

Careers that offer good remuneration and the opportunity to travel to foreign destinations have always had mass appeal, and with the rapid growth of the hospitality industry, an increasing number of students are considering jobs onboard cruise liners. Andrea Lopez outlines some of the options that they offer

With over 700 cruise liners navigating the seas, cruise shipping has thrown open a plethora of job opportunities for young people ranging from F&B services to direct customer relations. The job profile is similar to that demanded by a three-star or a five-star hotel, but it typically calls for long and strenuous working hours, stretching 12-18 hours a day. Employees fall into distinct categories - passenger accommodation, services, entertainment, ship management and safety. The entertainment section is one of the most sought-after.

Contracts can last from six to eight months, and promotions on cruise ships are faster than on regular hotel jobs. A large luxury cruise ship like Carnival Cruises could employ upto 2,000 employees and the areas of employment are diverse. However opportunities for Indians are most often restricted to the kitchen services and sales. Since cruise ships play host to people of diverse backgrounds, they look to recruit candidates from different parts of the world.

Entry point

Indus Cruising & Shipping has been in the business of recruiting for international cruise companies for more than 25 years. A representative of Purple Patch Hotel, the recruitment division of Indus Solutions that primarily recruits for Carnival Cruises says, "We primarily have cruise ships coming to us to recruit in the continental kitchen section, sales and security on board. On rare occasions we have cruise ships recruiting photographers as well, but by and large they look for individuals in the catering department. Most liners expect a minimum of two years of experience in the hospitality industry, because they prefer candidates who have interacted with international tourists." An assistant cook can expect a starting pay of US$ 500-600 after two years of experience. More than that could easily fetch a chef about US$ 600-800.

John Scaria, recruiting manager of Fleet Maritime Services, known for providing trained personnel to P&O and Princess Cruises, points out that higher rung positions like shore excursion managers' call for a minimum of four years of experience. Shore excursion managers are in charge of organising day trips for passengers once the ship has docked at a particular port. They market and promote destinations to passengers onboard as well as oversee travel arrangements prior to reaching the port.

Hospitality institutes like the Kuoni Academy of Travel (KAT) and IHM offer hospitality management courses which hone a student's communication and service-related skills. Cruise ships however do not directly recruit through hospitality institutes. Candidates are selected from maritime recruitment agencies. There has been no dearth of hospitality institutes looking to fill the growing industry needs. Smeeta Gulvady, principal of KAT Mumbai says, "The boom in the travel industry has attracted a large number of players .We forsee this trend to continue with greater momentum in the coming years. But how many of these can provide the relevant training remains to be seen. What is certain is that institutions that are backed by commercial houses who value education and whose main business is hospitality will be able to fight the current and provide quality education."

Skill sets

Like any career in hospitality, cruise shipping requires individuals to possess good communication skills, a positive attitude, the ability to work long hours and preferably the knowledge of multiple languages. Says Gulvady, "The basic skills would be front office skills and guest relations with a focus on F&B, the ability to relate to people over extended periods of time where the option of leaving the cruise (when asea) is limited and the overall ability to engage people in an environment that is both entertaining and warm.