Picture yourself plying over thousands of miles of ocean, while occasionally docking at historic ports of call. Not only are you traveling free, you re getting paid for it, too.

The average cruise ship salary range is between $3,000 to $5,000 per month with zero living expenses and full insurance. The core sacrifice is being away from family for 4 to 6 months at a time. The core benefits are traveling the world, making great money, and meeting great people from around the world.

Most cruise ships built today resemble small cities. The average crew includes: personal trainers, chefs, wait persons, security guards, housekeepers, bartenders, blackjack dealers, and even golf pros. You can find hundreds of other jobs available

on each ship.

With an average contract of about six months, and with high turnover rates, it s obvious why companies need to fill so many positions.

However, for most people, finding one of these dream jobs can be as unpredictable as the treacherous waves in the high seas. Should you mail your application? How about faxing or e-mailing it? Would a direct call to a cruise line company help?

The mountainous information that is available on the Internet can make your job search even more confusing. Much of the information is vague, while other information is misleading, or is a straight up scam.

The Truth

What about web sites that claim to mail, fax and e-mail your application in

for you? What are the real chances of getting hired that way? Common sense should tell you, that if someone is sending your application in with 100 others, you re probably not going to get a job.

With a jovial chuckle, Damien Caldera, a former Carnival Cruises staff member states: I don’t know a single hiring manager who employs anyone from any of those faxed or resume e-mail services in the marketplace. It’s just not done. Moreover, it’s a routine to delete and trash this volume of unsolicited applications!”

Richard Marshal, HR Fleet Operations, Management Recruitment, Royal Caribbean International, completely agrees with Damien’s declaration here.

The truth is that cruise ships never advertise 90% of their entry-level jobs. Instead,

those jobs are handled by companies like eCruiseShipJobs.com
(http://tinyurl.com/yknjkh). Yet, the cruise ship lines own Human Resources Department handles most management level jobs.

ECruiseShipJobs global hiring network is an independent confederation of cruise industry hiring managers with key relationships and hiring access with every major cruise line.

Further Investigation

On further investigation of the countries that supply most of ship crew members, I discovered that all of those countries use crewing agencies. In other words, prospective applicants need to apply through those agencies (who collect fees), and then they are usually employed within months, or within a year. Each agency has direct contact with H.R. personnel from various cruise ships.

Relationships are the easiest way to land a job on a

cruise ship. Like the old clich , it s not what you know, it s who you know. The cruise industry is rife with this conduct, mainly, because it s a hospitality driven industry, and the staff are conditioned to behave this way all the time.

Top 5 ways to get hired on a cruise ship!

1. A referral from a hiring decision maker who works in the Human Resources Dept of a major cruise line. What better way to get a job than to have reference.

2. Get a referral from a friend who has influence within the cruise line industry. This friend who has contact with those higher up in management, might have enough influence to

help you get in.

3. A referral from a current employee of a major cruise line. It sometimes helps knowing anyone who already is aboard a ship. They can sometimes give you helpful information about the people you need to contact.

4. Replying to an ad placed by the cruise lines Management Human Resources Dept for a senior or non entry-level job! Sometimes, it s possible to look in the local newspaper and see jobs offered directly from the cruise lines. These are usually found in newspapers in Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Los Angeles, and any other major cities where cruise ships embark.

5. A top alternative way to land an entry-level job on a major cruise line is with the

eCruiseShipJobs.com global network (http://tinyurl.com/yknjkh). They service the world. They have a 13 year hiring success record, and that record of achievement continues today. They have the contacts and the proper guidance to land you a cruise ship job.

The truth is, there are up to 30,000 jobs available each year aboard cruise ships. Plus, that number increases every year. Unfortunately, if you don t follow the correct procedures, you could find yourself on dry land.

Stan Hawkins is an American freelance writer currently living abroad. He has traveled to over 50 countries in the past 25 years. Visit his site at http://www.stanhawkins.com or contact him by e-mail at: info (AT) stanhawkins DOT com