The Very Best Time to get a Job on a Cruise Ship!
Copyright 2006 Neil Maxwell Keys
You're probably already aware of the fabulous benefits of
working onboard a luxury cruise ship. After all thousands of
people have already discovered that it's a great way to get paid
to travel the world for several months at a time - without the
hassle, expense and danger of doing it alone. Not only that,
you'll get to meet new people and make amazing friends of all
nationalities while enjoy possibly the most highly satisfying
and life-changing experience you'll ever have!
But did you know that there are actually certain times of the
year when you have a better chance of getting a cruise ship job?
Before I tell you when they are, let me let you into another,
perhaps more important secret:
There is NEVER a 'perfect' time to apply for a cruise ship job!
What?! Am I contradicting myself?
Not really. You see, cruise liners operate all year round.
That's 365 days a year and 24 hours a day. And they recruit
staff all year round too. So for this reason you can see that
ANY time of the year is a good time to apply. The most important
thing is to JUST GET STARTED!
You see if you wait around for the 'perfect time' it will never
arrive. This is called procrastination and is the death of dream
jobs! So do it now - even if you're not quite ready to go right
this moment, you can at least begin the simple application
process, while getting a good 'feel' for the industry. When you
are ready to 'up and go' you'll have done all the hard work so
that getting a cruise ship job at the right time will be a snap!
Just please don't make any excuses about the time 'not being
quite right'. I've heard it all before from friends and
colleagues who wanted to do it...but always had a *better*
excuse for NOT doing it!
Right let's get back to our discussion. The best times to apply
for such a job are the months leading up to Christmas. Why?
For three main reasons:
1. It's an extremely busy time of year. Most ships are fully
booked during the winter months and they have to ensure that
they are fully staffed in all departments.
2. A lot of experienced crew sign-off to be home with their
family for Christmas. In fact many of them actually time their
contracts to end just before Christmas!
3. The 'world cruises' begin in January through to the end of
March, so it's important for the ships to be fully staffed and
prepared. And of course, this also gives you a good chance of
getting on a world cruise for your first ship!
For these three reasons alone, a great time to start applying is
from September onwards. But keep in mind my previous comments.
If you're reading this in January then don't sit around waiting
for Christmas to come! Start applying right now.
The second best time to apply are the months before the peak
summer season (May to July). Not quite as many crew sign-off for
the summer as they do for Christmas but the ships are often
fully booked. And once you've worked on a cruise ship
experiencing glorious weather most of the time, you tend to get
a bit of a phobia for the cold and dread going home in the
winter months.
It's much better to arrive home during the mid-summer months
when you can show off your nice golden suntan! And this is what
many crew members do.
The most important thing for you to learn from this article is
that cruise line companies operate ALL YEAR ROUND from January
to December. Sure, there are certain periods of the year when
they tend to hire MORE people MORE often - (e.g. Christmas and
summer, as mentioned) - but in general, it's always a constant
steady stream of new people being hired: week in, week out.
So if you're the type of person that aspires to a bit more in
life...if you want travel, adventure and romance! And you want
to meet people and make friends from all around the world...if
you want to visit unique, exotic islands that few people ever
get to see and enjoy amazing life experiences...but most
importantly you're someone who is prepared to work hard and play
hard - then get started right NOW - you won't regret it!