If you are looking for work and also want to do it in a large, multicultural company with many growth prospects, then doing it in a cruise company is your thing. The first thing you have to be clear about is that selection processes both to work on board, and to do it on land (either in the main offices or in the ports) they are not easy.
Following the Pullmantur page, which is the main shipping company that deals with the Spanish public, I will tell you some of the requirements to access a job.
Qualities that future workers should have
Some of the qualities you must have to work aboard a Pullmantur cruise are: flexibility, open mind, discipline, persistence and professional enthusiasm… And above all respect in relationships on board, since people from different cultures act differently. It is a unique opportunity to promote intercultural communication.
A person who works on a boat must be willing to always give 100%, and attentive to respond to the demands that any passenger makes, even if they do not fall within their powers. For example, it is very easy for tourists themselves to ask you about good restaurants to eat on their visits to the port, although this has nothing to do with your work as an entertainer.
Minimum conditions
- The minimum conditions that a future Pullmantur worker must meet are:
- Previous experience and level of languages according to the specifications of the position in which you want to work.
- Valid passport
- STCW-95 course certificate (Standards of Training, Certification & Watchkeeping).
- Possibility of obtaining the visa according to the port of embarkation.
- Pass the medical tests that Pullmantur performs.
- Criminal background check.
- And it is desirable that you have the Book of Marino.
- The type of contract they offer you is an international one, the duration of which varies depending on the job position. For official positions in the hotel area, it usually lasts 4 months and for the rest, between 6 and 8 months. After the contract, all crew members have about 2 months of vacation.
Working hours and wages
With regards to working day is long, very long. Keep in mind that on board a ship the operation works 24 hours a day, so it is very possible that your shift is 11 hours a day, the seven days a week. Think about it because free time is limited, even when you are in port.
Most of the crew on board are young people, one of the reasons is that the working seasons are long, sometimes nine months in a row.
The salaries are very well paid, if we take into account the origin of the people who usually work in shipping companies, in general, but not so much if we take into account the nationality of the company that hires. Now, in the case of Pullmantur, which despite being a multinational operates mainly in a Spanish market, the average salary for cabin crew (these are the ones who serve passengers) is 1.900 euros per month.
The average salary of a bar or table waiter on board a Pullmantur cruise is usually between 1.400 and 2.500 euros per month. The cleaning operators of these large ships come to charge between 1.200 and 1.900 euros.
As a children's entertainer, entertainer with languages, or animator for seniors, the salary is not bad at all, since large shipping companies offer between 2.400 and 3.000 euros per month for this task. One of the most sought-after positions on cruise ships is that of a lifeguard, whose salary is between 1.300 and 1.800 euros per month.
New ways of working
I do not want to close this article without telling you that the world of cruises is so multicultural, changing and innovativeThat also affects the way teams are organized and professional relationships.
What is clear is that working on a ship is doing it in such a complex structure that success is not in the individual's work, but in that of the equipmentThat is why it is very easy for you to have a functional position, but, nevertheless, to develop other positions in different teams. Concepts such as transversality, diversity or collaborative work It is what will result in maximum efficiency and quality in daily work.
As I told you at the beginning, working at Pullmantur is a good way to start a curriculum and “stick your head” in a sector with wide possibilities.
