There's more to getting a job on a cruise ship than you might think. The cruise line industry has become more complex over the years, and so have the ways you can find employment. If your ultimate goal is to work on a cruise ship, not to work for a specific cruise line, then don't limit your job search to the major luxury cruise lines. Over the years, concessionaires have become an important part of the cruise industry, and concessionaires also hire onboard staff members for their stores and services.
Concessionaires are businesses that contract with cruise lines to access retail space, sell art, take passenger vacation photos, or provide other specific services. For example, some cruise ships develop agreements with outside vendors to provide onboard spa services. The concessionaire essentially pays the cruise line rent for the spa space on ships, hires the personnel to staff the spas, and then receives the revenue from their sales. For some jobs, concessionaires are looking for employees who can not only provide a service, but also bring in customers and/or sales. Don't confuse concessionaires for cruise line staffing agencies, which are different!
Each concessionaire is different, but one benefit of working for one is it gives you a chance to try out a cruise line job without making a significant commitment, since many of the jobs end in six months. Working for a concessionaire is a great way to get cruise ship experience and receive all the perks of working on a cruise ship. Since a lot of people don't know about concessionaires, you may also be competing against a much smaller pool of people for the job.
Now that you're interested in getting a job with a concessionaire, you probably have even more questions, like:
As a CruiseJobFinder member, we provide the answers to these questions, plus many more. In addition, you'll find a wealth of helpful information. The cruise line recruitment and hiring process is complex and very different from what you may be used to. As a CruiseJobFinder member we provide you with an up-to-date list of cruise lines that use concessionaires. Plus, in our members section, you'll find exclusive interviews with representatives from leading concessionaires who explain their hiring and training processes.
CruiseJobFinder's JobCenter also provides you with profiles of every major concessionaire worldwide (hiring for major luxury cruise lines!), saving you hours of research time and putting all the information you need at your fingertips.
When it comes to making your dream of working on a cruise ship come true, you should use every tool available to you, and becoming a CruiseJobFinder member is a great start to launching your cruise ship career.