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Important information to consider Experience needed Most of the positions are Hotel and Hospitality oriented, and we strictly require a minimum of 18 months to 2 years current or recent experience in a hotel/lodge or hospitality establishment, or similar relevant qualifications, regardless of which position you apply for, especially for more skilled positions such as Photographers, videographers and youth workers. Entry-level management positions require at least a few years experience in only 4/5* hotels/restaurants and/or Hotel management/Catering diploma. Please contact us for requirements on the other positions. (Please see the positions page.) We do not deviate from the required/mentioned criteria. Couples/siblings/friends cannot be guaranteed employment at the same time or on the same ship, since each application is handled strictly individually. Please note that you must be 21 years of age or older
to be considered for employment. Cruise Alternatives sifts and screens all applicants and select as many qualified candidates necessary who meet the criteria for any of the positions our clients have to offer. After an initial interview, the applicant is usually short listed and ready to be presented to one of our clients. Each company has specific processing systems and instructions, but they all handle the "pool" and final interviews in a similar manner. Every few weeks, Cruise Alternatives hosts one of our clients ie. Carnival Cruise Lines, Disney Cruise Lines, Starboard Cruise Services, Apollo Ships Chandlers, etc, for final interviews. During this time they select out of a large number of applicants, as many candidates who fits the profile for the desired position with a personal final interview. Once approved, you could be joining within a few weeks to no more than 6 months after your final interview. Each company requests different positions and departments to be filled by our applicants, so please do not delay. Send your CV/resume to our attention as soon as possible to hopefully be included in the next hiring trip. The final interviews are usually held in the Pretoria area. Telephonic interviews are not acceptable.
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Promotional possibilities & Contracts Each crewmember is evaluated / appraised on a regular basis whilst employed/onboard. Promotions are offered on merit and applies for all with an ambition and willingness to work hard to succeed. Please remember that this is a permanent appointment and not a working holiday prospect. You will be working anything from 4-9 months contracts, with 6-8 weeks vacation in between, to return in same higher position, if promoted. That's where a lot of the management candidates come from. Fly-by-night/Scam companies/agencies Please be aware of companies (national & international) who are purely about taking advantage of the general public by selling and propagating false, unrealistic and hugely generalized information with regards to cruise ship employment in particular. Signs that might indicate a possible scam company:
There are only 4/5 legitimate cruise ship employment agencies in South Africa. Each company has contracts with one or more particular cruise ship companies. For example, Cruise Alternatives is the only representative for Disney Cruise Lines, Carnival Cruise Lines, etc. in South Africa.
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GENERAL APPLICATION PROCEDURES AND PROCESSING INFORMATION When to apply There has been a number of perceptions as to what cruise employment entails and misconceptions about the processing, expenses, timeframes, and general terms of employment. As a reminder, this is not a “working holiday”, but a professional work opportunity. You are permanently employed directly by the cruise ship company, on a contract basis of approx. 6-8 months at a time, and 6-8 weeks of vacation time between contracts. Promotions happen all the time, and you return to the ships in the same higher position. That’s where most management employees come from. For this reason mainly, does it take longer to get placed than applying for a seasonal job in the UK, Ireland, Europe or Camp / ski resorts in the United States or other youth travel options. The key to getting placed faster, is to apply, send in your CV as soon as possible, after which we will contact you for an initial interview if we can be of service, and you submit all the necessary documents and paperwork at the same time. We recruit all year round, but our busiest recruitment drives usually take place early in the year, from January through March/April, and then again later in the year, August through October/November. Our clients visit South Africa throughout the year for final interviews with the applicants on file at that particular time, but some of them visit us consistently around April, and or October each year. “GAP (General Approved Personnel) Pool Period”- Waiting time The pool period is the time the cruise ship company needs to have an opening become available and take someone from the pool to replace the crewmember in question. This pool period can be anything from a few weeks to as many as 5 or 6 months after the final interviews. This timeframe is rarely exceeded and most new hires are placed well within this period. In other words, it means that you have to wait for someone onboard in your position to either not return for another contract, be declared medically unfit, get dismissed, go on emergency leave (i.e. family death, and so on.), resign, etc., before you can be assigned. There is no expiration date on this approval for employment, so if you wait longer than estimated timeframe, we reserve the right to look at alternative options. You, the applicant, can decide to cancel your application, although no refunds will be given, if any fees were paid. We do everything in our power to speed up the process. We, everyone at Cruise Alternatives, can also cancel anyone who does not meet our expectations, whether it be unprofessional behavior, attitude, or failure to return messages, and lack of contact (i.e. numbers, address change without informing us). The cruise ship companies normally give you enough notice time to get ready. Getting ready includes getting the medical examinations done, getting a visa/s, a flight ticket if applicable, and so on. Even if you have to give a month’s notice to your current employer, it is considered in your availability. Flexibility will get you there faster. Cruise Alternatives will assist and take care of all correspondence with the cruise ship companies, and liaise with each recruit individually. A friendly request, do not ask anyone to contact us on your behalf at any given time, unless otherwise agreed. If you have sponsors or family looking out for your best interest, we have nothing less in mind, but this will prevent and minimize misunderstandings and complaints. We emphasize personal contact and handling of each new hire in person. Applicant's responsibilities & expenses All expenses i.e. cancellation/administration fee, where applicable, are only paid after you had a successful initial/final interview with CA or one of our clients and we can prove it with a signed application form or letter of approval. No moneys is refundable. Medical examination: You have to be 100% fit for employment, which means that you will have to go through a very intense and thorough medical examination. This include lab tests for a number of ailments, drugs, asthma, diabetics, hepatitis, as well as stool and urine tests, chest X-ray, and a complete final physical examination at any one of our approved physicians in Pretoria, Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town. Not your own doctor in your town or city. If you have any existing or pre-existing conditions, please ask us first, and if we don’t know, we will give you the doctor’s number to get clarity whether to proceed or not. This examination is usually at your/the applicant’s expense, and is normally valid for 2 years, depending on the cruise ship company you have been scheduled to join. This examination is done only after we received final joining instructions from the respective company, at which time we will contact you to collect all the necessary documents i.e. original letter of employment, to get started. It is also the applicant’s responsibility to send, e-mail/fax, all medical reports and documents to the cruise ship companies for final scrutiny and approval. Visa Processing: All candidates have to get a C1/D Seaman’s transit visa, which will allow you enter the USA, to transit and get onboard a ship, when immigration officials onboard will take over. There are US Consulates in Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban. If you are scheduled to join a ship in Europe or South America, you will have to get an additional visa i.e. Schengen for Europe. Visas will always be at your expense, before joining and to remember to make sure it’s always valid for the next contract. The visas are renewable for as long as you are employed. Cruise Alternatives does provide a service to assist with the C1/D visa application, at a minimal service fee. This will be offered in due time and is at your discretion to use. Flight Policy: In most cases you will responsible to pay for the first joining ticket. The general concept is that the new hire doesn’t know what’s waiting for him/her onboard ship, and he/she might not like it onboard, therefore do most companies have the policy to have the new hire pay for the first joining flight ticket. In most cases, you will need a one-way ticket to the port of embarkation, anywhere around the world, mainly Miami, Florida, and other North American ports such as Vancouver, Canada, Los Angeles, New York, etc. There may even be a repatriation deposit, for the purpose to cover expenses to get you home, should you not complete your contract. Awesome Travel has been our right hand in getting most, if not all of our new hires to the destinations without fail over the past 6 years. They specialize in youth travel programs, and have special arrangements with the different airlines to get you a cheaper fare than average, for example Lufthansa seaman’s fares, which carry it’s own unique advantages. We sincerely hope that this answers most of your immediate questions. It is important to know that we do not make exceptions, unless approved by our clients, the cruise ship company. The system in place is designed to streamline and facilitate all the processes and make life as easy as possible for all of us, the applicant, the cruise ship companies, and Cruise Alternatives. Cruise Alternatives is all about getting the right person, for the right position and for the right company. We look forward to receiving your CV for review and hopefully we can be of service to you. Please make sure that your CV is up to date, since incomplete CVs, without dates, time gaps, etc, will not be screened and are considered incomplete. A photo of yourself is also helpful in speeding up our screening process. Documents necessary to apply:
Application FormPlease download, print and complete the Application Form. Fax it to +27 (0)12 667-2404 or e-mail it back to us info@cruisealternatives.com (Also see "Contact Us") Download the Application for
Shipboard Employment form and print it from Adobe (pdf) format
or click here to download in Excel (xls) format Application Form.
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