Land a Cruise Ship Job Through an Official Concessionaire

By Jeff Craft

Cruise lines are staffed with people that possess all sorts of expertise in their field. Every time a new ship is added to the fleet, a new staff needs to be hired. What most people don't know is that not all cruise ship jobs are staffed by the cruise line. Many are filled by concessionaire companies.

Cruise lines use placement companies to staff their ships. The job of a placement company is to review applications, interview, and hire for the various positions that are needed on a cruise ship. An applicant will initially deal with the placement company, but once they are hired, they become employees of the cruise line and report to them.

Cruise lines also deal with concessionaire companies. These companies have entered into contracts with the cruise lines to provide services on the ship. It is like paying rent for a store in the mall. You work in the mall but your boss is the owner of the store.

This is how concessionaires work for cruise lines. Depending on what service they have contracted to offer, it is their responsibility to hire their own staff and provide the goods to perform the service. Concessionaires staff for shipboard jobs as well as onshore positions. Once you are hired by a concessionaire company, you work for them and not the cruise line.

Because most people don't know that the cruise ship jobs they may seek are hired for by concessionaire companies, the pool of applicants is small. This is great for the person who is aware that concessionaire companies exist. Getting the job that you want is that much easier.

You could find yourself spending a year on a cruise ship working in a gift shop or as a beautician. As a concessionaire employee, you have the added perk of living aboard a cruise ship and visiting exotic ports of call. Concessionaires also hire for stadiums and other venues. The work there may be good but it doesn't beat living on the high seas for six months or more.

Because concessionaires may contract with a cruise line or more than one, their staff comes from various parts of the world. You may work in a salon with people from two or three different countries. You could be an American hired by a British concessionaire company to staff a ship of Dutch registry.

When working as a concessionaire employee you get the chance to meet people from all walks of life. Seeing so many cultures at work in one place can be overwhelming at first but the more you get to know your fellow world travelers, the more you will come to cherish the mix of cultures. Meeting so many different people all in one place is the chance of a lifetime. As you move from ship to ship within the fleet, you will eventually run into someone you have worked with previously.

Just like cruise line placement companies, concessionaire companies are looking for a certain caliber of worker to staff their operations. Try to find a larger company that hires hundreds for on board cruise ship jobs as opposed to ten or twenty. Your chances of finding employment are better.

Once you get that first contract and perform well, they are more likely to ask you back again for the next cruise. The trick is to get that coveted first contract. Bring as much experience as you can to your application so that you stand apart from the rest. It is important to have passport in hand and other needed documents in case the company needs you to fill a spot at a moment's notice. Being prepared works in your favor. Sometimes it is a matter of being in the right position at the right time.

Many people don't know that cruise lines don't do all of the hiring for their ships. Many cruise ship jobs are contracted out to concessionaire companies much like the stores in a mall. Because of the little known fact, applying for and getting your top-choice position could be easier than you think. Cruise ship concessionaires are located all over the world, with some of the largest and most well known being in Florida and the U.K. Learn about working on a cruise ship from Jeff Craft, a career writer for CruiseShipJobsNetwork.

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