Normally when a person hears the term "stewardess", they usually think of a waitress, the staff of an airplane ... but the truth is that being a flight attendant is an excellent profession when it is done by vocation, especially if we are talking about work on a cruise ship as a ship stewardess. But of course, we are not only talking about female hostesses, there are also hostesses and another great variety of very important personnel on cruises to be able to make it work and be an unforgettable experience for all clients who want to enjoy their vacations aboard a boat.
It happens that the staff engaged in work on a cruise ship They are the ones in charge of perfectly attending to each and every one of the passengers, and also to many crew members, with a position within the ships that is quite important, as well as their function.
The same being ship stewardess It has its pros and cons, since although the salaries for this work are very high, and as payments are normally made in international waters, taxes are not applied to the salary, the work of a hostess is long working hours, arriving to be somewhat tired. Likewise, getting the position of hostess on a tourist cruise is not an easy thing, since normally a highly trained and bilingual staff is sought, since speaking English is one of the most important conditions in the contracts of cruise personnel, without import your particular function.
How to work on a cruise ship
Working on a cruise ship can be an excellent idea and a very viable option for those who think that working aboard a ship for several months can be great. To achieve this you will have to look for cruise companies and look for the personnel selection part (Normally they all have a website). Once you have seen it, read the requirements that are needed to know if you meet all of them and thus be able to send them your application.
I advise you to look for companies that have a good reputation and are known worldwide, in this way you will make sure you do not hope for false offers and you will avoid working in low-quality companies that do not take care of their workers or that exploit them with long hours of work and little pay.
To work on a cruise ship you must have an open mind since your coworkers may have nationalities and cultures very different from yours, something that will undoubtedly be very enriching for you.
What to study happens to be a ship stewardess
What to study to be a stewardess? If you like to travel, but not stay too long in one place, meet people, practice languages and pack your bags ... then your profession is that of a stewardess or stewardess, which in technical jargon is called a Passenger Cabin Crew (TCP) or Flight Attendant.
To obtain the title that accredits you as such and to be able to work in any airline, either on the ground or on a plane, you have to take a course and obtain the approved TCP titleFor that, you do have to be over 18 years old, but you can do the course at 17 and then take the exam, since the necessary academic training is the ESO certificate or equivalent (BUP or FP). Obviously, everything adds up, and if you have a higher education or related to tourism and languages, the course will be more affordable, but this training to enroll is not essential.
And now a question you've always heard: you have to be pretty or handsome and tall. Well, there is something of a myth about it, you don't have to be pretty, you have to be as each one is. What is certain is that companies like to maintain a correct physical presence and this happens because you do not wear visible tattoos or piercing with the uniform, since you are the image of the company. As for the height, it depends a bit on the requirements of each company and its country of origin, but if we have to talk about a minimum measurement it would be 157 centimeters for women and 168 for men.
And let's continue with another of the great questions, how many languages are required to be a stewardess? The easy answer is the more the merrier, because you will be continuously treating people of different nationalities. It is clear that You have to speak correct Spanish and have an average level of English. Later in the course you will advance to a specialization in Aeronautical English. From here on, any other language will be a factor that will benefit you, both when recruiting personnel and in the performance of your duties. By the way, and by way of advice, any customer service experience you have, even by phone, will also help you.
And let's continue with the requirements to be able to obtain the title. The EU requests a Aeronautical medical examination in which it is demonstrated that you have an adequate physical and mental state of health. In this examination, the cardiorespiratory function, of the nervous system, that you have adequate hearing acuity and normal function of the throat, nose and ears is assessed. If you need glasses or glasses, you cannot exceed 5 diopters. It is essential to know how to swim and pass the practical exam where you will have to do 100 meters crawl in 2 minutes and 30 seconds maximum.
You see that I am always talking about course, and that is there is no career or a FP that offers you the title of TCP or stewardessIn fact, some companies force you to do it in order to get on board their planes, and while they have you serving the public on the ground. In this sense, I will tell you that to take the CV it is not necessary that you have taken the hostess / hostess course because once selected we can take the course with the same company, the bad thing is that the certificate they give you is only valid for that company. In the case of having previously the TCP, many companies demand to take their own course again. The advantage of having the course done is obvious when it comes to recruiting, and also most schools have their own job boards.
We hope that this explanation has made it clearer for you what to study to be a stewardess on a boat or other means of transport.
Professionals from all countries
On a cruise they are not interested in having workers of only one nationality, because diversity is what really makes the difference on cruise ships. That is why they will want to have people from many countries among their workers. They usually select qualified crews so that they know how to do what they are tasked with. When a person submits their application, it will be sent to the cruise agency (of the place where they have sent the application) that is closest to their residence and then they can be processed based on the places that are available to work that match their profile. labor.
But I reiterate that you must be careful with fraudulent employment opportunities since they can be all over the world. There may be companies posing as big-name cruise companies and trying to recruit people when it's not really for the job.
You only need to discuss job opportunities with reputable organizations and companies. If you ever suspect that your ad is unprofessional or that the website does not fit with the company or that they try to hire you with the name of a prestigious cruise company (and in many cases they promise you a previous paid job on your part and only is a scam), you should quickly contact that company to acknowledge the fraudulent ad and its possible negative intentions.
Life aboard the cruise ship as a worker
There are people who when they first start working on a cruise ship are not sure what to expect. But a career aboard a cruise ship, in addition to being a well-paid job (because in international waters, the country's taxes are not normally paid and there are usually good tips) will offer you many unique opportunities like traveling to exotic places, have new friends all over the world, obtain work experience in this very valuable work sector to be able to have another similar job in the future.
People who go to work on a cruise ship have different working conditions than people who work on land. They will not be able to return to their homes unless the cruise season ends (whatever the contract indicates), they will not be able to disconnect from work because the ship will be their work and their home during that period of time ... But normally in prestigious companies in Cruise ships usually treat their workers very well so that they can give the best of themselves. If in a job offer or contract that they want to make you, you realize that the working conditions are abusive or inappropriate, do not take that job because they would want to take advantage of you.
Cruise companies typically strive to make the life of the workers on board as easy as possible so that they can be the best hosts for their clients. In case that is not the case, do not accept a job that does not respect you not only as a worker, but also as a person.
If one of your dreams is work on cruise ships And if you do it is by vocation, then do not hesitate and take a little step forward, because then you will realize that it is the right way. Start by finding out about the companies closest to you, and remember that they will require you to know several languages! On the cruises there are people of all nationalities and it is very important to know languages to be able to communicate with all the people: colleagues and clients.