Cruise Alternatives CC - Cruise Ship Recruitment and Employment

Greetings !!!

Thank you for taking the time to visit our site and explore the possibilities of working at sea. Cruise Alternatives CC has been operational for more than 9 years and has grown to be the biggest cruise ship employment agency in Southern Africa. CA represents many of the largest and most recognized companies in the global industry, at this time adding up to over 90 luxury mega ships and mega yachts . Our consultants are all ship experienced and can relate directly to the future candidates applying or joining for the first time. You are now one step closer to realizing a career in the most exciting and fastest growing leisure industry in the world.

It is important to remember that this is not a working holiday prospect, but a professional application with long-term promotional possibilities and that any successful candidate is employed on a permanent basis by the relevant Cruise Company.

Cruise Alternatives CC (CA) is the only official and legitimate agent in Southern Africa for:

	Carnival Cruise Lines
	Apollo Ship Chandlers, Incl. (Oceania Cruises, Island Cruises & Discovery Cruises)
	Disney Cruise Line
	Starboard Cruise Services
	Viking Recruitment , Dover, UK

CA has grown to be the most successful company in South Africa, specializing in luxury cruise ship employment. You may contact Starlight Cruises (marketing agents for Carnival Cruise Lines) as well as the US Consulate General, as reference.

We are directly in contact with the head offices on a daily basis, and handle all aspects of recruitment including the screening, background checks, scheduling initial and final interviews, training, flight & visa assistance, and medical exam instructions. We also assist all new hires and returning crewmembers (where applicable) until the day they board one of the ships around the world. Our contracts with the respective companies include the following positions:

Hotel Operations

	Assistant Waiters/Waitresses
	Bar Waiters/Servers
	Galley (Kitchen staff)

Asst. Cooks& Cooks (Commis)

Cook Tournant

Chef de Partie

Pastry Chefs

Bakers, etc.

Sous-Chefs & Executive Chefs

	Wine Steward/Wine Sommelier
	Asst. Food & Beverage Management Trainees
	Asst. Wine & Beverage Managers
	Asst Provisions Masters
	Purser's office/Hotel Front Desk
	Group Service Coordinators/Function Coordinators
	Administrative Coordinators
	Cabin Stewards and Bellboys
	Utility/Cleaning staff/Deck Stewards
	Asst. Housekeeping Management Trainees
	Asst. Information Systems Managers

Support Operations

	Youth Counselors, Camp Counselors/Nursery School Teachers
	Photographers Graphic Design (Print Shop Technicians)
	Shop staff/Sales Associates (Cosmetics, Jewellery & Fashion retail)

Please remember that the information provided to each individual is specific to the position we deem you fit for.

In order to be accepted and shortlisted for the formal final interviews with any company representative, an applicant must have the following:

	Have an outgoing, personable and friendly personality
	Good personal presentation and a good general attitude
	Proficient and experienced
	All applicants must be over the age 21 years
	Fluent in the English language
	Minimum 2 years of experience in the applicable/relevant field
	Hard working & reliable

STCW95 Basic Training (Seaman's Training)

International Maritime Organization (IMO) requires that all crewmembers onboard a ship must be proficient in the following 4 modules:

	Personal Survival Techniques.
	Elementary First Aid.
	Personal Safety and Social Responsibility.
	Fire Prevention & Fighting.

Please note: This training may be compulsory, although each company handles it in a different manner i.e. onboard ship training. The Certificates issued locally are valid for 5 years and are Internationally Recognized. CA can assist and coordinate specific seaman's training in association with SAMSA recognized companies based to Capetown and Durban. This training is usually part of the first few days onboard as orientation and vessel familiarization.

Flight Ticket Policy

Cruise Alternatives CC work in close collaboration with Kevin Banks at Travel247, based in Hydepark, Johannesburg, who has been our right hand in getting our new recruits and returning crew to their destinations around the world at the best possible fare throughout the year. Once we receive the Letter of Employment with a sign-on/joining date, each persons name is forwarded to Kevin who will be waiting for your call to confirm your flight and fare. Kevin will then send your ticket to your address, unless you pick it up personally. All applicants younger than 21 years of age whom we can not be of service, should contact Awesome Travel for alternative international youth travel opportunities and options.

Medical Requirements

All applicants must be 100% medically fit in order to apply for any shipboard position. An extremely intensive medical examination is compulsory for all first contract joining crewmembers. We have an established network of doctors who will perform the exams and fill out all documents, as instructed by our clients. If you fail the medical exam, we reserve the right to cancel your application purely on the doctor's diagnoses. We have at present recognized physicians in Pretoria, Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban.

Please inform us in advance if you have any illnesses or medical problems i.e.: diabetes; asthma; heart disease; hepatitis; back, joint problems; hernia; HIV; chronicle medication; epilepsy; etc, which will disqualify you for employment.

Travel & Visa Assistance

Once an applicant was approved for employment by one of the company representatives at the final interviews, a Letter of Employment (LOE) will be issued, usually within a few weeks. This official document will be used for the application of the necessary Seaman's Transit (C1/D) visas. Once the LOE is issued at head office in the US, it is sent to our attention via DHL, UPS or Courier service, and one of our consultants will be in contact with you shortly afterwards. The visas must be obtained at your nearest US Consulate in Cape Town, Johannesburg or Durban, but if necessary, any other additional visas may be required, depending on the port of embarkation i.e. Schengen Visa for European Ports.

We sincerely hope to hear from you in the very near future and that we can be of service to you.

Advice

Qualify yourself by gaining relevant experience on land at any hotel/catering establishment/school and/or complete a course in the field of Hotel Management., and or Food & Beverage Service management and/or Housekeeping Management and or Hospitality Management. We also recruit qualified photographers to meet the demands of our clients. Once your training is completed, contact us to discuss your application.

Our clients send a representative to South Africa at various times of the year to conduct formal and individual final interviews. It is therefore most important to have your application confirmed as soon as possible, or wait until the next intake, which could be a few months later. Each person is handled individually and no application is forwarded to any company, outside of the scope of our clients. All applications are processed locally until your departure date.

Cruise Alternatives CC have successfully recruited and assisted hundreds of new hires who have joined ships all around the world i.e. usually Miami - Florida, but also Barcelona - Spain, Dover - UK, New York - US, San Diego - California, Vancouver - Canada, Rio de Janeiro - Brazil, San Juan - Puerto Rico, the Mediterranean (Italy, Naples) etc.

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Please contact us as soon as possible, because a delay may cause a few month's wait.

Updated: 2007/07/01