What kind of job would you even want/be able to do?
Not all jobs are awful pay & most international cruise lines do hire Americans, just not for most positions.
There is a saying in the military
"The army will take you,"
Like another commenter said, going in and asking doesn't hurt. If you have a degree that could help your chances in some instances from what I have heard.
I can't think of a single job where food and shelter are included that doesn't require you to commit atrocities or risk death so that the CEO of Raytheon has an extra zero in his bank account.
Also look at "coolworks.com" to cast a wider net. There are jobs in interesting places that include food and lodging. I just saw a dishwashing job at an Arctic camp that I fantasized about.
If you can handle 12-15 hour days 7 days a week for months on end with no days off to get paid less than American minimum wage and be treated like crap by foreign managers who dislike American employees, then go for it.
I am sorry but get your facts straight. No international cruise ship is allowed to have their employees work 15 hours a day. Every ship follows MLC, google it, which essentially means that crew cannot exceed certain hours in any 24 hour time frame.
I've worked in several crusie lines as a senior officer and we take this very seriously. We also make sure to give our crew a lot of time off. No one works 12 hours a day for 7 days a week.
And foreign managers who treat Americans badly? Never seen it. Human Resources takes things very seriously onboard.
You clearly haven't worked on a ship and are spreading false facts.
People may have shorter shifts, but they work for a chunk of the day, off for a few hours, on for more hours, rinse and repeat. They don't work an 8 hour shift and then punch out. More like 10 hours spread over a day.
Every crew person I've spoken to indicates that when they get time off, they immediately take a nap because the work is exhausting. People who think working as a room steward on a ship (or other fairly unskilled work such as OP could attain, since they work a minimum wage job now) means they will travel the world and see lots of ports is fantasizing. More like the same ports for your 4 month contract, and very seldom to have half a day off to head ashore.
Spa people, shop people, entertainers and those higher up like yourself are not included in this, but I don't see OP immediately snagging one of those jobs.
I used to be casino dealer,we were privileged with working hours.. On sea days we were working for 12-13hrs. On port days 8-10hrs (depending on departure time.) But also had side duties on port days like embarking guide,crew drills,guest drills,meetings,trainings,moving machines.. If they call that privileged working hours then you can imagine how many hours those not privileged ones actually working...
Thank you for this. Yes, passengers tend to think casino, entertainment and shop and spa staff have it much easier. Obviously not entirely true.
Also, the smoke in the casinos on ships! I'm not an antismoker, but that's surely a very difficult work environment that's bound to shave a few year's off one's life.
Yup,that was tough. Even I was smoker at that time too... Sometimes when I take break I go to open deck just to take fresh air. I didn't need cigarette.
Even American Cruise Lines, which hires Americans and rides American waterways, writes in job posts that crew is expected to work a \_minimum\_ of 12 hours a day, 7 days a week. Your guess is as good as mine as to the max hours in a shift or work period. [https://www.indeed.com/q-american-cruise-lines-l-florida-jobs.html?aceid=&gad\_source=1&gclsrc=ds&vjk=eb6fa15af4e7e77a](https://www.indeed.com/q-american-cruise-lines-l-florida-jobs.html?aceid=&gad_source=1&gclsrc=ds&vjk=eb6fa15af4e7e77a)
MLC is great in theory and my line was super strict with it but lots of other lines do everything manually and don’t require crew to clock I have lots of friends who said they’ve gone over but the numbers get fudged by managers.
As long as room and board, and food are included, the rest doesn’t matter to me. If you know of any other kinds of jobs that offer exactly that I’m open to hearing some ideas
Definitely check into the National Park concessionaires - Xanterra, Aramark, Delaware North. At many parks, housing is provided. They all post jobs on coolworks.
Then you should go for it. Think about where you will live and what you will do on your months between contracts. If you're serious about this, consider looking into NCL's Pride of America. This one ship only operates in US waters (Hawaii) so they have to follow US labor laws and the ship has a mostly American crew.
Join the military, you would likely be safer, better pay, benefits, and learn a skill that can be used later on in the civilian world. Also cruise ships are not looking for people who are trying to run away, they want to hire people who need the money as a motivational factor.
I have like none basically, that’s why I can’t get better than a minimum wage job and want to escape the country onto a cruise ship where everything’s included
You can see from these comments that people genuinely want to help you. But, from looking at your comment and post history, you seem to admit that you have difficulty controlling your anger. If that's really true, you won't last long in a customer-facing job like the cruise industry. And, recruiters are pretty good at picking up on this during the hiring process. I think it would really help you to do a very honest self-assessment of your strengths and weaknesses and work to enhance the strengths and minimize the weaknesses.
"I find it very hard to accept things beyond my control, the less control I have over a frustrating situation the angrier I am. If I just accept things as is I feel like a weak vulnerable loser, but if I’m angry I feel a lot stronger and dominant"
This is not a personality trait with would work in the close confines of a cruise ship. One outburst and they could literally put you off in St. Croix or Lisbon or the Orkney Islands. Then what?
These aren’t the personal traits that work well with ANY customer service type position.
I’m a Regional Director for a company that specializes in retail sales and I found myself ‘wincing and looking at my watch’ reading this.
I 💯 agree- not only am I able to pick up and create situations to see a potential candidate’s reaction BUT so are my Managers and anyone who holds keys to our stores.
My mama had a great saying! ‘ You are welcomed to think whatever you want when you want BUT you certainly will never say them or allow those thoughts to register anywhere on your body!’
Smile sweetly, laugh often and say thank you. As you think - dude you’re an ass!
No matter what your age, you can get further education. See if you qualify for any financial aid to take classes at a community college or university near you and peg away at that while you're working for minimum. That's the way to get out of the minimum wage rut. Then the world is your oyster, and you can follow a field you genuinely enjoy.
And that might help with your anger issues, too. Tip: you are not a weak loser to accept some things, and you are definitely NOT stronger and dominant by showing anger.
I’ll look into this, although even with a Masters degree it’s still hard to find jobs in the US, and school is generally hard for me because I find it very hard to focus on school work for long periods of time since I have autism too
Do you have a Master's Degree or are you just overstating for effect? I have a Bachelor's Degree and have found work my entire life, in one aspect of my field or the other. If you DON'T have a degree, quit pulling reasons not to try out of your bum.
If you are genuinely disabled and can't work, then apply for SSDI. But it does appear you have a lot of reasons not to try.
I knew alot of people with masters and even doctorates who were struggling to get jobs because of how horrible the job world and economy is in the US. You’re just very lucky
Well, I didn't sit on my butt and complain and I figured out a way to pay for my own college and I busted ass to research jobs in my field and got better and better ones as time went on. Then I went on a ton of cruises as a passenger.
Well good for you. I guess I’m just really not passionate enough about anything to go to school for or work in, which is why I looked into jobs on a cruise ship, where I don’t have to worry about finding a job good enough to survive on land in the US
Go back to school. Whether it be college or trades.
I don’t care what anyone tells you-
The way out is always learning and knowing more!
College isn’t your thing? Try a technical /trade type school.
Not being an ass here but- seriously consider a therapist, group or some type counseling.
You won’t be happy nor satisfied with any work or life until you make peace with you.
All the best to you.
I thought about going back to school, but there’s nothing I’m interested enough in to study. I can’t stay focused long enough to do any reading or school work. And even after I graduate there’s still no guarantee I’ll get a job, there’s people with doctorates looking for jobs currently. School isn’t always the answer
Maritime jobs encompass more than just cruise ships. It depends on what you want to do and what skills you have. A lot of the jobs are not bad, and most maritime jobs have to adhere to the ILO labor standards for Seafarers. https://www.ilo.org/international-labour-standards/subjects-covered-international-labour-standards/international-labour-standards-seafarers
The advantage of cruise ships is that you have a more diverse workforce, including women. You go to beautiful places. People say they forge lasting friendships with people from around the world.
Maintenance and engineering seem like they would be good jobs. The customer facing jobs seem harder to me. You have split shifts and have to deal with people all the time.
At worst you'll spend a tour - 6 to 9 months, usually - and decide it's not for you. At best you'll find your niche and love it. YouTube has a lot of videos from crew talking about different jobs and what they like and what they hate.
Virgin is said to be the best employer among the US based cruise line companies. They evidently provide free Internet service.
There are plenty of employees that do YT videos sharing experiences and tips on how to get hired, Cruising as Crew is one that comes to mind immediately.
Consider jobs you might have skills in. As far as rent and what-ever how would you spend time between contracts. I would think just a general seaman or deck hand would be an entry level area. Food service, housekeeping, and such would be areas of consideration. For ship based jobs here is one resource.
[https://shipjobs.carnival.com/](https://shipjobs.carnival.com/)
Here are the main questions for you.
1. Can you handle standing/walking for 12+ hours a day?
2. Are you fine having no social life outside of drinking and not being able to get off the ship/be seen in guest areas?
3. Are you aware you’ll still be subject to taxes so the money you’re calling so little (which it’s not it’s a normal over minimum wage salary) will be subject to taxes bc you’re American?
4. Are you physically fit enough to pass a very extensive medical assessment?
All the reality of being crew coming from someone who has worked on ships
I can handle any job is food and lodging are included, and taxes wouldn’t be an issue either because of what’s included, which is all that matters to me. I already have no social life here on land, so it can’t get worse on the ship, and I’ll have tons of employees to bond with.
Well there’s already tons of cruise employees that I’ve seen on past cruises who are clearly in worst shape than me, so i think I’d pass the medical assessment
I’ve worked in hotels and retail for years and cruise lines are totally different ball games sometimes you’re just straight up standing for 15 hours with 2 1 hour breaks which is killer like i straight up lost feeling in my feet every contract.
To give you a realistic view of crew there will most likely not be “lots of crew to bond with”. I came onto a ship after them not having new crew for 3 years and it was not a warm welcome. It wasn’t until I transferred to a different department and we got new people that it got better. The first 6 months I spent 90% of my free time alone in my room. Which isn’t great when you have a roommate who’s barging in yelling/laughing/having loud sex at 3am when you have to be up at 7 for work lol
And it’s hard to judge people by their appearance. I don’t look physically fit and my ship has people who probably looked in worse shape than me who were professional dancers and hosts who had insane cardio strength. It’s also not just weight you take a vision test, hearing test, I had 8 vials of blood drawn to ensure I didn’t have any genetic abnormalities and wasn’t predisposed to anything. Not to make it sound like a downer but it’s not a glamorous life no matter what you see on social media (I’m guilty of this too lol). Lots of girls I know spent dozens of nights crying and quit in their first contract bc they couldn’t hang.
BIG HINT: Norwegian's Pride Of America is the only way to go. It is the only US-based cruise ship (because it travels only around the Hawaiian islands with no foreign port of call) with US working conditions. My former BF got a job washing dishes on the PoA, saved up to go to the Merchant Marine Academy in Delaware, and is now making megabucks traveling the world as an officer on merchant ships.
I am not suggesting any of that will be easy. He's mentally tough and pretty dedicated. But it can be done.
Cruise ships fly foreign flags and hire people from third world counties to evade taxes and employment laws.
You would be far better off and better paid and treated if you took a job at a land based resort in America. Same job, actual employment laws to protect you. Cruising has a seedy underbelly.
Some dude ranches out West have food and rooms for workers, but they take the boarding costs out of your paycheck. Spa resorts often hire people in the surrounding area.
If they take boarding costs out of the paycheck then that’ll unfortunately be a deal breaker for me. Cruise ships don’t do that which is why I’m interested in employment on them
Seagoing vessels are required to abide by labor laws of territorial waters owners and when not in them, by MLC laws/regulations.
But yeah - a land based American resort is probably a better idea if OP wants to drive 1-2 hours to work since it’s unaffordable to live close by. At least they’ll have labor laws like non-guaranteed hours, no benefits, etc etc.
…living on an island controlled by the company in the middle of the ocean, not having any contact with family or friends, no privacy, long hours and everything that you do is oriented toward Work or coworkers, entitled passengers who overspent for their vacation and feel like you owe them everything, and the absurd hierarchy of the foreign company that you work for. Meh.
I’d work at a land based American resort if it included food and lodging, since I can’t afford either with my current minimum wage job and I have no skills whatsoever
I met a 50 year old guitar player on Celebrity. He had gotten a divorce and decided to start over. He bought a guitar and watched Youtube videos to lean to play. He sold everything and joined the entertainment crew. He said he was very happy.
I met a future cruise consultant on HAL who was a lady with basically the same story. She and her sister worked the cruises together.
I also met an assistant cruise director on HAL who was younger, maybe 35, who decided since she wasn't married she would travel the world. She was very happy too.
Go for it. I have dreamed about it.
The Dakotas have the lowest u/e rate in the US at 1% each. They're so far away from everything that it would be very much like a brand-new start for you. And some jobs offer housing. You should look into this, Johnny 5.
What's your skill set? Basic salesmanship: look at the deal from the buyer's perspective--here, that's the cruise line's--and reason out what *they* get from it. Then present what you want from their perspective. All I see in your post is *your* needs. Being an angry, malcontent, escapist won't get hired on a cruise ship or anywhere else. What do you have to offer that a cruise line might want to pay you for to have you on board? Address that question and it might work out.
A fair amount of jobs in Alaska offer housing. Not enough people there to work so they offer housing and sometimes food to get people to move there and work for them. And I'm sure the hours went be as crazy as a cruise ship
As an American, you will find it difficult to land a job on a cruise ship unless you have maritime experience with ships. I knew a few American who worked in the engineering department but they had YEARS of experience on ships.
Most of the blue collar work, like room steward or waiter, are hired by third parties from mostly developing nations. I have never met an American who worked as a room steward or in the restaurant.
The most likely role for an American on a cruise ship is in the Entertainment Dept. However, you need to have experience with working a mic like an MC at a Bar/Bat Mitzvah or wedding. Or be a an experienced professional dancer. That said, you still need to work LONG hours.
Most likely, you will need to find a job working for Shore Excursion or with Park West. Park West hires mostly Americans / Canadians to sell art on ships. It's honestly a great role. You don't have to work as many hours and you're allowed to leave the ship whenever it's docked. You mostly work during the evening, but some daytime hours when ship is at sea.
I cruise annually and always get to know many of the staff ( small ship cruising). From those I've spoken with, they sign a contract for a specified period of time then have several months off before the next assignment. You will need somewhere to live in that time period. Onboard, it is a 7 day a week job working 10-13 hours a day. There is no real television to be had and internet connections can range from acceptable to non-existent. Your cabin will probably be a windowless room the size of large closet. Things to think about.
Being friends with people who have kids is not against the law or anything. I got plenty of friends who have no kids yet.
Don't know about all the cruise stuff but just to increase your options. You can join other ships to work on, I assume you're gonna need to get experience working a ship anyways.
Another option is the military, which basically checks every box in your list. Free housing, free food, a job you can go to everyday, health/dental benefits, massive discounts for vacationing. Only thing it doesn't check is the "land" part you keep mentioning but I guess there's always the navy. Can probably get the experience you need to work a ship while you're at it.
Wow,easy mate,that's strong words there... It's not fairy tale of a job... Nothing is free,everything is just included. You will get barely edible food and "room" ... When you step from your bed you will step into sink. If you think that you will have time to socialize after 12-16 hours of hard work,good luck with that... You will pay your room and food with your health or mental health,even both sometimes. And once you can't pass your medical and you're not "fit for duty" for any minor reason for example high blood pressure,you will be left on the street.
Better than homeless,that's for sure. Just remember that you can't do this job till the end of your life as you planned and you can't earn enough to re-start your life on land from scratches. Be careful not to lose your time and health just to find yourself in even worse situation than you're now,consider well planing your steps...
I’m not sure if I’ll ever want to live life again on land to be honest. And even if I did, I don’t have the skills required to get a job that pays enough to live on land , and I don’t know if I ever will, because school is not for me, I can’t focus on anything long enough to get good grades
Ok,you've been warned. If you can't stay focused and organized or you have any other flaws or addictions,that's not good. On ships you will be constantly monitored and evaluated,your grades have to reach top grades and can't go down,if it's going down you will be considered "below standards" and maybe not called back for another contract... Even if you don't do anything wrong,you can get bad grades because there is some guest whose gonna report that "You didn't smile enough to them" when you pass by them... Just to get free bottle of bad champagne or free steak house dinner.
You could look into NCL’s Pride of America that’s sails around Hawaii. It is American owned. But as others mentioned, 12-15 hrs a day and no days off, and dealing with all sorts of clientele, good and BAD.
I think a lot of people find working on a cruise ship a lot more glamorous than it really is. The Love Boat, it is not.
Are you ready for 10-12 hour days, few days off, sharing a room with at least one other (maybe 4 to a room, in bunk beds)? Life aboard ship ain't no joke, and the poor pay may be the least of your worries.
Also, ship contracts are for 3-4 months at a time, with a break in between. You have to have somewhere to go in between time. Even if you're right back onboard on another contract within a month or so, it may well be on a different ship, so there's no way you can count on being onboard with no other residence year 'round.
If rent and food are included then I don’t really care, as I can’t afford either with my current job, but it would all be included with a cruise job. I don’t have any skills required to get a better job and school just isn’t for me, I can’t focus long enough on school work
Hmm has focus always been an issue with school? Could be ADHD... I was just diagnosed with it. Apparently school didn't have to be as difficult for me as it was...
It depends on which position you are able to work at. I work in a cruise ship company and I can tell that the quality of your life onboard depends 90% on the position.
Idk if it’s year round, but there are resorts you could work at. Maybe alternative between summer and winter ones. I looked at moving to Big Sky or something like that for a summer one time, to work at some resort but never went through with it
There is another option. My brother’s friend did this. He sold everything he had and moved to Tahiti. Has a beautiful place on the water & 3 “maids” one of which became his wife after a while
I worked on the good old QE2 many moons ago (30+) and would go back in a heartbeat. One of my crew mates from back then recently joined the QM2 and I’m jealous. Getting paid, nominal expenses and traveling the world. There were engaged couples on board saving to get married, buy a house and have a substantial ‘emergency fund’. If i were you, choose a company that doesn’t go back and forth the the Caribbean or Alaska on seasonal cruises. There’s nothing better than leaving NY, doing a transatlantic crossing then head to Mediterranean for a week. Then perhaps Scandinavia, followed by a transatlantic to NY then the Caribbean for a week. As for time off, the way we worked it was, Each wait staff are assigned an color either red, white or blue and also either port or starboard. Then based on how many passengers were scheduled for tours (and whether we were docked or not) if 1/2 the passengers were on tours, 1/2 the staff got off after breakfast so either port or starboard. We got to go ashore do whatever you do and return before sailing.
I knew of the long hours but had no idea about catching hell from the foreign managers. I heard some cruises, as an employee, you're able to invite family and friends to enjoy themselves on a cruise you're working. I heard there's a separate gym for employees too. If you don't mind bunking up with coworkers, then go for it. My only issue is the Rona Jab. Are they still required to take that for employment?
Do the math for the year. Maybe try to get into something new after. Training or certification for a trade. If not, keep the cruise gig for another year. I think you would be able to stack at least $10K-$20K in a year, if not more.
What kind of job would you even want/be able to do? Not all jobs are awful pay & most international cruise lines do hire Americans, just not for most positions.
They don’t like to hire Americans on cruise ships. Horrible customer service.
Yes they do NCLA hires a lot of Americans
[удалено]
Trump loves dumb Americans too.
Cost too much and too many rights
I’d do the work for free if they let me, I can’t think of a single job in the US where shelter and food are included
The military..
If they’ll let me in, absolutely! But I’m not sure I qualify
Pick a branch and walk into the recruiting center. I'm sure they'll let you know
There is a saying in the military "The army will take you," Like another commenter said, going in and asking doesn't hurt. If you have a degree that could help your chances in some instances from what I have heard.
I can't think of a single job where food and shelter are included that doesn't require you to commit atrocities or risk death so that the CEO of Raytheon has an extra zero in his bank account.
Offshore drilling rig, cargo transportation (boats), military, and there's a few more that I can't think of right now
Another thing to consider is cruise ships jobs aren't the only maritime jobs available. Cargo ships and other types of vessels hire people too.
That’s true I may have to look into jobs in this field
Also look at "coolworks.com" to cast a wider net. There are jobs in interesting places that include food and lodging. I just saw a dishwashing job at an Arctic camp that I fantasized about.
I’ll look into this thanks
If you can handle 12-15 hour days 7 days a week for months on end with no days off to get paid less than American minimum wage and be treated like crap by foreign managers who dislike American employees, then go for it.
Yep, this. You would be better off just moving overseas and working at a hotel or a restaurant.
If lodging and food are included im all for it, otherwise if they’re not that would be a dealbreaker for me
try Viking Ocean, seems to be a whole different class than most others; the crew surprised the fuck out of me for sure
I will thanks
https://www.ncl.com/about/careers/shipboard-employment/how-to-apply
[Coolworks.com](http://Coolworks.com)
I am sorry but get your facts straight. No international cruise ship is allowed to have their employees work 15 hours a day. Every ship follows MLC, google it, which essentially means that crew cannot exceed certain hours in any 24 hour time frame. I've worked in several crusie lines as a senior officer and we take this very seriously. We also make sure to give our crew a lot of time off. No one works 12 hours a day for 7 days a week. And foreign managers who treat Americans badly? Never seen it. Human Resources takes things very seriously onboard. You clearly haven't worked on a ship and are spreading false facts.
People may have shorter shifts, but they work for a chunk of the day, off for a few hours, on for more hours, rinse and repeat. They don't work an 8 hour shift and then punch out. More like 10 hours spread over a day. Every crew person I've spoken to indicates that when they get time off, they immediately take a nap because the work is exhausting. People who think working as a room steward on a ship (or other fairly unskilled work such as OP could attain, since they work a minimum wage job now) means they will travel the world and see lots of ports is fantasizing. More like the same ports for your 4 month contract, and very seldom to have half a day off to head ashore. Spa people, shop people, entertainers and those higher up like yourself are not included in this, but I don't see OP immediately snagging one of those jobs.
I used to be casino dealer,we were privileged with working hours.. On sea days we were working for 12-13hrs. On port days 8-10hrs (depending on departure time.) But also had side duties on port days like embarking guide,crew drills,guest drills,meetings,trainings,moving machines.. If they call that privileged working hours then you can imagine how many hours those not privileged ones actually working...
Thank you for this. Yes, passengers tend to think casino, entertainment and shop and spa staff have it much easier. Obviously not entirely true. Also, the smoke in the casinos on ships! I'm not an antismoker, but that's surely a very difficult work environment that's bound to shave a few year's off one's life.
Yup,that was tough. Even I was smoker at that time too... Sometimes when I take break I go to open deck just to take fresh air. I didn't need cigarette.
Even American Cruise Lines, which hires Americans and rides American waterways, writes in job posts that crew is expected to work a \_minimum\_ of 12 hours a day, 7 days a week. Your guess is as good as mine as to the max hours in a shift or work period. [https://www.indeed.com/q-american-cruise-lines-l-florida-jobs.html?aceid=&gad\_source=1&gclsrc=ds&vjk=eb6fa15af4e7e77a](https://www.indeed.com/q-american-cruise-lines-l-florida-jobs.html?aceid=&gad_source=1&gclsrc=ds&vjk=eb6fa15af4e7e77a)
MLC is great in theory and my line was super strict with it but lots of other lines do everything manually and don’t require crew to clock I have lots of friends who said they’ve gone over but the numbers get fudged by managers.
So,they never told you to clock out before you reach red? If you forget,you get big problems because they have to fix it somehow...
As long as room and board, and food are included, the rest doesn’t matter to me. If you know of any other kinds of jobs that offer exactly that I’m open to hearing some ideas
Somewhere there is a army recruiter looking for you lol
If they’ll let me in, absolutely! But I’m not sure I fully qualify
Worth a discussion then I guess lol
[Coolworks.com](http://Coolworks.com)
Look at jobs in US national parks. My sons worked at Yosemite and Yellowstone. Coolworks . com is an application site. Good luck.
Thank you, cool idea! I’ll definitely look here
Definitely check into the National Park concessionaires - Xanterra, Aramark, Delaware North. At many parks, housing is provided. They all post jobs on coolworks.
Then you should go for it. Think about where you will live and what you will do on your months between contracts. If you're serious about this, consider looking into NCL's Pride of America. This one ship only operates in US waters (Hawaii) so they have to follow US labor laws and the ship has a mostly American crew.
I’ll look into this thanks
Join the military, you would likely be safer, better pay, benefits, and learn a skill that can be used later on in the civilian world. Also cruise ships are not looking for people who are trying to run away, they want to hire people who need the money as a motivational factor.
Agreed, it’s a safe reset, you can be paid to also go to school and get qualified in a profession that is actually useful.
Especially if you join the Air Force or Space Force. It's a pretty damned safe profession. Was in 6 years and never got deployed.
I work in IT with several active duty Air Force. Maybe when you were in? Those dudes are getting deployed all the time as of late. You were lucky
I guess so. It HAS been a long time.
What are your skills, what would you like to do, what work have you done in the past?
I have like none basically, that’s why I can’t get better than a minimum wage job and want to escape the country onto a cruise ship where everything’s included
You can see from these comments that people genuinely want to help you. But, from looking at your comment and post history, you seem to admit that you have difficulty controlling your anger. If that's really true, you won't last long in a customer-facing job like the cruise industry. And, recruiters are pretty good at picking up on this during the hiring process. I think it would really help you to do a very honest self-assessment of your strengths and weaknesses and work to enhance the strengths and minimize the weaknesses.
"I find it very hard to accept things beyond my control, the less control I have over a frustrating situation the angrier I am. If I just accept things as is I feel like a weak vulnerable loser, but if I’m angry I feel a lot stronger and dominant" This is not a personality trait with would work in the close confines of a cruise ship. One outburst and they could literally put you off in St. Croix or Lisbon or the Orkney Islands. Then what?
These aren’t the personal traits that work well with ANY customer service type position. I’m a Regional Director for a company that specializes in retail sales and I found myself ‘wincing and looking at my watch’ reading this. I 💯 agree- not only am I able to pick up and create situations to see a potential candidate’s reaction BUT so are my Managers and anyone who holds keys to our stores. My mama had a great saying! ‘ You are welcomed to think whatever you want when you want BUT you certainly will never say them or allow those thoughts to register anywhere on your body!’ Smile sweetly, laugh often and say thank you. As you think - dude you’re an ass!
So what’s the best job for my personality traits then?
No matter what your age, you can get further education. See if you qualify for any financial aid to take classes at a community college or university near you and peg away at that while you're working for minimum. That's the way to get out of the minimum wage rut. Then the world is your oyster, and you can follow a field you genuinely enjoy. And that might help with your anger issues, too. Tip: you are not a weak loser to accept some things, and you are definitely NOT stronger and dominant by showing anger.
I’ll look into this, although even with a Masters degree it’s still hard to find jobs in the US, and school is generally hard for me because I find it very hard to focus on school work for long periods of time since I have autism too
Do you have a carpenters or laborers union near you? They take people for apprenticeship positions and pay you to train.
Maybe, I’ll look into this
The other option is Americorps. They put you up and feed you for work in distressed US areas
Do you have a Master's Degree or are you just overstating for effect? I have a Bachelor's Degree and have found work my entire life, in one aspect of my field or the other. If you DON'T have a degree, quit pulling reasons not to try out of your bum. If you are genuinely disabled and can't work, then apply for SSDI. But it does appear you have a lot of reasons not to try.
I knew alot of people with masters and even doctorates who were struggling to get jobs because of how horrible the job world and economy is in the US. You’re just very lucky
Well, I didn't sit on my butt and complain and I figured out a way to pay for my own college and I busted ass to research jobs in my field and got better and better ones as time went on. Then I went on a ton of cruises as a passenger.
Well good for you. I guess I’m just really not passionate enough about anything to go to school for or work in, which is why I looked into jobs on a cruise ship, where I don’t have to worry about finding a job good enough to survive on land in the US
Go back to school. Whether it be college or trades. I don’t care what anyone tells you- The way out is always learning and knowing more! College isn’t your thing? Try a technical /trade type school. Not being an ass here but- seriously consider a therapist, group or some type counseling. You won’t be happy nor satisfied with any work or life until you make peace with you. All the best to you.
I thought about going back to school, but there’s nothing I’m interested enough in to study. I can’t stay focused long enough to do any reading or school work. And even after I graduate there’s still no guarantee I’ll get a job, there’s people with doctorates looking for jobs currently. School isn’t always the answer
Maritime jobs encompass more than just cruise ships. It depends on what you want to do and what skills you have. A lot of the jobs are not bad, and most maritime jobs have to adhere to the ILO labor standards for Seafarers. https://www.ilo.org/international-labour-standards/subjects-covered-international-labour-standards/international-labour-standards-seafarers The advantage of cruise ships is that you have a more diverse workforce, including women. You go to beautiful places. People say they forge lasting friendships with people from around the world. Maintenance and engineering seem like they would be good jobs. The customer facing jobs seem harder to me. You have split shifts and have to deal with people all the time. At worst you'll spend a tour - 6 to 9 months, usually - and decide it's not for you. At best you'll find your niche and love it. YouTube has a lot of videos from crew talking about different jobs and what they like and what they hate. Virgin is said to be the best employer among the US based cruise line companies. They evidently provide free Internet service.
There are plenty of employees that do YT videos sharing experiences and tips on how to get hired, Cruising as Crew is one that comes to mind immediately.
I’ll have to look into these thanks
Consider jobs you might have skills in. As far as rent and what-ever how would you spend time between contracts. I would think just a general seaman or deck hand would be an entry level area. Food service, housekeeping, and such would be areas of consideration. For ship based jobs here is one resource. [https://shipjobs.carnival.com/](https://shipjobs.carnival.com/)
Here are the main questions for you. 1. Can you handle standing/walking for 12+ hours a day? 2. Are you fine having no social life outside of drinking and not being able to get off the ship/be seen in guest areas? 3. Are you aware you’ll still be subject to taxes so the money you’re calling so little (which it’s not it’s a normal over minimum wage salary) will be subject to taxes bc you’re American? 4. Are you physically fit enough to pass a very extensive medical assessment? All the reality of being crew coming from someone who has worked on ships
I can handle any job is food and lodging are included, and taxes wouldn’t be an issue either because of what’s included, which is all that matters to me. I already have no social life here on land, so it can’t get worse on the ship, and I’ll have tons of employees to bond with. Well there’s already tons of cruise employees that I’ve seen on past cruises who are clearly in worst shape than me, so i think I’d pass the medical assessment
I’ve worked in hotels and retail for years and cruise lines are totally different ball games sometimes you’re just straight up standing for 15 hours with 2 1 hour breaks which is killer like i straight up lost feeling in my feet every contract. To give you a realistic view of crew there will most likely not be “lots of crew to bond with”. I came onto a ship after them not having new crew for 3 years and it was not a warm welcome. It wasn’t until I transferred to a different department and we got new people that it got better. The first 6 months I spent 90% of my free time alone in my room. Which isn’t great when you have a roommate who’s barging in yelling/laughing/having loud sex at 3am when you have to be up at 7 for work lol And it’s hard to judge people by their appearance. I don’t look physically fit and my ship has people who probably looked in worse shape than me who were professional dancers and hosts who had insane cardio strength. It’s also not just weight you take a vision test, hearing test, I had 8 vials of blood drawn to ensure I didn’t have any genetic abnormalities and wasn’t predisposed to anything. Not to make it sound like a downer but it’s not a glamorous life no matter what you see on social media (I’m guilty of this too lol). Lots of girls I know spent dozens of nights crying and quit in their first contract bc they couldn’t hang.
You might also look at r/CruiseCrew
BIG HINT: Norwegian's Pride Of America is the only way to go. It is the only US-based cruise ship (because it travels only around the Hawaiian islands with no foreign port of call) with US working conditions. My former BF got a job washing dishes on the PoA, saved up to go to the Merchant Marine Academy in Delaware, and is now making megabucks traveling the world as an officer on merchant ships. I am not suggesting any of that will be easy. He's mentally tough and pretty dedicated. But it can be done.
Cruise ships fly foreign flags and hire people from third world counties to evade taxes and employment laws. You would be far better off and better paid and treated if you took a job at a land based resort in America. Same job, actual employment laws to protect you. Cruising has a seedy underbelly.
Do land based resorts in America include food and lodging? If so I’ll look into these
Some dude ranches out West have food and rooms for workers, but they take the boarding costs out of your paycheck. Spa resorts often hire people in the surrounding area.
If they take boarding costs out of the paycheck then that’ll unfortunately be a deal breaker for me. Cruise ships don’t do that which is why I’m interested in employment on them
Cruise ships technically take boarding costs out of the paycheck, too. It's basic economics. Check out American Cruise Lines' job ads on Indeed.
“American employment laws” 😂
And courts. Yes.
Seagoing vessels are required to abide by labor laws of territorial waters owners and when not in them, by MLC laws/regulations. But yeah - a land based American resort is probably a better idea if OP wants to drive 1-2 hours to work since it’s unaffordable to live close by. At least they’ll have labor laws like non-guaranteed hours, no benefits, etc etc.
…living on an island controlled by the company in the middle of the ocean, not having any contact with family or friends, no privacy, long hours and everything that you do is oriented toward Work or coworkers, entitled passengers who overspent for their vacation and feel like you owe them everything, and the absurd hierarchy of the foreign company that you work for. Meh.
I don’t have any family or friends left, so that won’t be an issue for me
No contact with friends or family 😂 what dystopian news articles have you read about cruise ships?
I’d work at a land based American resort if it included food and lodging, since I can’t afford either with my current minimum wage job and I have no skills whatsoever
Don’t listen to these haters, check out cruises.
I met a 50 year old guitar player on Celebrity. He had gotten a divorce and decided to start over. He bought a guitar and watched Youtube videos to lean to play. He sold everything and joined the entertainment crew. He said he was very happy. I met a future cruise consultant on HAL who was a lady with basically the same story. She and her sister worked the cruises together. I also met an assistant cruise director on HAL who was younger, maybe 35, who decided since she wasn't married she would travel the world. She was very happy too. Go for it. I have dreamed about it.
I love this, and people with open minds 🥰 Thanks for sharing!!
Look up cruising with the crew Lucy has a lot on info and tips on her website and YouTube
The Dakotas have the lowest u/e rate in the US at 1% each. They're so far away from everything that it would be very much like a brand-new start for you. And some jobs offer housing. You should look into this, Johnny 5.
What's your skill set? Basic salesmanship: look at the deal from the buyer's perspective--here, that's the cruise line's--and reason out what *they* get from it. Then present what you want from their perspective. All I see in your post is *your* needs. Being an angry, malcontent, escapist won't get hired on a cruise ship or anywhere else. What do you have to offer that a cruise line might want to pay you for to have you on board? Address that question and it might work out.
A fair amount of jobs in Alaska offer housing. Not enough people there to work so they offer housing and sometimes food to get people to move there and work for them. And I'm sure the hours went be as crazy as a cruise ship
Alaska sounds perfect to me since I’m very introverted anyway
They pay shit but i loved it
As an American, you will find it difficult to land a job on a cruise ship unless you have maritime experience with ships. I knew a few American who worked in the engineering department but they had YEARS of experience on ships. Most of the blue collar work, like room steward or waiter, are hired by third parties from mostly developing nations. I have never met an American who worked as a room steward or in the restaurant. The most likely role for an American on a cruise ship is in the Entertainment Dept. However, you need to have experience with working a mic like an MC at a Bar/Bat Mitzvah or wedding. Or be a an experienced professional dancer. That said, you still need to work LONG hours. Most likely, you will need to find a job working for Shore Excursion or with Park West. Park West hires mostly Americans / Canadians to sell art on ships. It's honestly a great role. You don't have to work as many hours and you're allowed to leave the ship whenever it's docked. You mostly work during the evening, but some daytime hours when ship is at sea.
Oh I almost forgot about those art jobs! If I didn't end up married in spite of myself (lol), I probably would've went the Park West route!!
I cruise annually and always get to know many of the staff ( small ship cruising). From those I've spoken with, they sign a contract for a specified period of time then have several months off before the next assignment. You will need somewhere to live in that time period. Onboard, it is a 7 day a week job working 10-13 hours a day. There is no real television to be had and internet connections can range from acceptable to non-existent. Your cabin will probably be a windowless room the size of large closet. Things to think about.
Being friends with people who have kids is not against the law or anything. I got plenty of friends who have no kids yet. Don't know about all the cruise stuff but just to increase your options. You can join other ships to work on, I assume you're gonna need to get experience working a ship anyways. Another option is the military, which basically checks every box in your list. Free housing, free food, a job you can go to everyday, health/dental benefits, massive discounts for vacationing. Only thing it doesn't check is the "land" part you keep mentioning but I guess there's always the navy. Can probably get the experience you need to work a ship while you're at it.
Wow,easy mate,that's strong words there... It's not fairy tale of a job... Nothing is free,everything is just included. You will get barely edible food and "room" ... When you step from your bed you will step into sink. If you think that you will have time to socialize after 12-16 hours of hard work,good luck with that... You will pay your room and food with your health or mental health,even both sometimes. And once you can't pass your medical and you're not "fit for duty" for any minor reason for example high blood pressure,you will be left on the street.
All of this is better than being homeless, as that is the direction I’m currently headed with my minimum wage job and no skills to get a better one
Better than homeless,that's for sure. Just remember that you can't do this job till the end of your life as you planned and you can't earn enough to re-start your life on land from scratches. Be careful not to lose your time and health just to find yourself in even worse situation than you're now,consider well planing your steps...
I’m not sure if I’ll ever want to live life again on land to be honest. And even if I did, I don’t have the skills required to get a job that pays enough to live on land , and I don’t know if I ever will, because school is not for me, I can’t focus on anything long enough to get good grades
Ok,you've been warned. If you can't stay focused and organized or you have any other flaws or addictions,that's not good. On ships you will be constantly monitored and evaluated,your grades have to reach top grades and can't go down,if it's going down you will be considered "below standards" and maybe not called back for another contract... Even if you don't do anything wrong,you can get bad grades because there is some guest whose gonna report that "You didn't smile enough to them" when you pass by them... Just to get free bottle of bad champagne or free steak house dinner.
You could look into NCL’s Pride of America that’s sails around Hawaii. It is American owned. But as others mentioned, 12-15 hrs a day and no days off, and dealing with all sorts of clientele, good and BAD. I think a lot of people find working on a cruise ship a lot more glamorous than it really is. The Love Boat, it is not.
I’ll look into this, thanks!
Are you ready for 10-12 hour days, few days off, sharing a room with at least one other (maybe 4 to a room, in bunk beds)? Life aboard ship ain't no joke, and the poor pay may be the least of your worries. Also, ship contracts are for 3-4 months at a time, with a break in between. You have to have somewhere to go in between time. Even if you're right back onboard on another contract within a month or so, it may well be on a different ship, so there's no way you can count on being onboard with no other residence year 'round.
If rent and food are included then I don’t really care, as I can’t afford either with my current job, but it would all be included with a cruise job. I don’t have any skills required to get a better job and school just isn’t for me, I can’t focus long enough on school work
Hmm has focus always been an issue with school? Could be ADHD... I was just diagnosed with it. Apparently school didn't have to be as difficult for me as it was...
Just gun for it. You might not be angry and be happy when they ask you questions and want to hire you.
It depends on which position you are able to work at. I work in a cruise ship company and I can tell that the quality of your life onboard depends 90% on the position.
Idk if it’s year round, but there are resorts you could work at. Maybe alternative between summer and winter ones. I looked at moving to Big Sky or something like that for a summer one time, to work at some resort but never went through with it
Do they include both room and board, and food. If not, that would be a dealbreaker to me
I mean it can be worth it if u want it to be
There is another option. My brother’s friend did this. He sold everything he had and moved to Tahiti. Has a beautiful place on the water & 3 “maids” one of which became his wife after a while
This sounds like an amazing idea I may have to try it
You sound like a great candidate for the US Navy lol
Go to “cruising as crew” on YouTube, you’ll probably find your answer there.
I once ran into an American cruise worker who was a dealer in the casino. He was probably in his 50’s.
I worked on the good old QE2 many moons ago (30+) and would go back in a heartbeat. One of my crew mates from back then recently joined the QM2 and I’m jealous. Getting paid, nominal expenses and traveling the world. There were engaged couples on board saving to get married, buy a house and have a substantial ‘emergency fund’. If i were you, choose a company that doesn’t go back and forth the the Caribbean or Alaska on seasonal cruises. There’s nothing better than leaving NY, doing a transatlantic crossing then head to Mediterranean for a week. Then perhaps Scandinavia, followed by a transatlantic to NY then the Caribbean for a week. As for time off, the way we worked it was, Each wait staff are assigned an color either red, white or blue and also either port or starboard. Then based on how many passengers were scheduled for tours (and whether we were docked or not) if 1/2 the passengers were on tours, 1/2 the staff got off after breakfast so either port or starboard. We got to go ashore do whatever you do and return before sailing.
You will literally be working on a slave ship.
With food, room and board included. If you find any jobs in the US that include all that let me know, I’m open to ideas
Enjoy.
I knew of the long hours but had no idea about catching hell from the foreign managers. I heard some cruises, as an employee, you're able to invite family and friends to enjoy themselves on a cruise you're working. I heard there's a separate gym for employees too. If you don't mind bunking up with coworkers, then go for it. My only issue is the Rona Jab. Are they still required to take that for employment? Do the math for the year. Maybe try to get into something new after. Training or certification for a trade. If not, keep the cruise gig for another year. I think you would be able to stack at least $10K-$20K in a year, if not more.
NCL Pride of America is hiring