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The Cruise Liner Career Checklist

"Analysis of cruise liner recruitment data however indicate that there is a lot of shortage of human resource" says Madhav Punekar,Principal at Margao based American College of Culinary & Language Arts (ACCLA).

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One of the most sought after job opportunities for a section of the youth with an interest in the hospitality industry are positions onboard cruise liners. The demand for such jobs has obviously created a supply of academies and institutes which train youngsters for the rigors and demands which are required to occupy such positions onboard the luxury ships.

If you are gearing up for a career onboard a cruise liner, it is imperative that you check the credentials of such institutes to ensure that the training and certification which you are keen on obtaining, is above board and the quality of education, guidance and placement track record top notch. Once you have done this fact check, strap on your belt and get ready to go into cruise control. As compared with other careers, a career onboard a cruise liner in the hospitality sector has several plusses. The time invested in getting the qualified for such a position is shorter than in many other careers, the money is good and of course there is the glamour quotient which comes as part and parcel of the career choice.

The major job verticals on cruise liners are mainly house-keeping, food production and the Food and Beverage. While a Food and Beverage detail would include services of bar tenders, waiters, butlers, utility hands, etc. housekeeping would entail working as a room attendant, utility cleaner. The Galley or food production on the other hand comes with position such as assistant Cook, Cook, Demi Chef de Partie, Chef de Partie, Sous Chef, Executive Chef, Pastry Chef, Baker, Butcher, Pantry attendant and Galley utility hand.

Before signing up for a job onboard a luxury cruise, you need to make a choice from all the plentiful options mentioned above, based on the skill set you possess or can obtain from the institutes which you are enrolled in.

Track records of students suggests that they are partial to the Food and Beverage service sector, although that does not mean you should stick to this generic choice. An analysis of cruise liner recruitment data however indicate that there is a lot of shortage of human resource, as far as the food production area is concerned, which invariably means that cruise liners are hungry for qualified chefs and assistant chefs.

This automatically bolsters the chances of those young aspirants who are vying to don the chef’s white hat. And there are more reasons why a position in a luxury liner kitchen is sought after. Because there is a demand for chefs and assistant chefs, the competition in this vertical is lesser compared to the others in the cruise liner industry. The job also gives you the opportunity to work with some of the best chefs in business, considering that the cruise liners attract high spending tourists, who command high-end and well-crafted meals, which means getting better on-the-job training for young recruits.

Considering the extensive hierarchy in the kitchen, you do not get professionally stagnated and there

is always the ceiling above that you are in a position to break sooner or later. Professional growth also comes with a corresponding growth in income and salaries start at an average of INR 50000 for an assistant chef to INR 4 lakh for executive chefs.

The other verticals like food and beverage and house-keeping come with certain perils like age capping and demands a high degree of personality honing and communication skills because the job profile involves a regular interface with guests. There is also the onerous prospect of few promotions, growth opportunities and a shorter span of career because of the age criteria.

Disclaimer: The views expressed in the article above are those of the authors' and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of this publishing house


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