Personal experience: I work on a cruise ship for the richest – how everything works there and how much they pay Maria Osipova has been working on a cruise ship for three years. She started as a

Personal experience: I work on a cruise ship for the richest – how everything works there and how much they pay

Maria Osipova has been working on a cruise ship for three years now. She started out as a waiter's assistant and now serves as a bartender. Masha has already visited Italy, England, Mexico, Honduras, the USA and the Caribbean. The girl says that her list can be called modest compared to other crews (staff on the ship. — Approx. ed.). She told how the work on the liner is arranged from the inside, how much they pay and who is required.

How it all began

Maria is a catering technologist by profession. She recalls that even in practice she realized that she felt more comfortable in the service group than in the kitchen. Therefore, after graduating from university, Masha worked as a manager in a restaurant.

– After another failed relationship, I set myself the goal of buying an apartment. To do this, I had to accumulate a down payment in rubles. With one job and a rented apartment, it is difficult to realize what was conceived, so I had to run two jobs for a year: a manager in a restaurant at a hotel and a waiter in a restaurant chain. That's when I heard from friends about working on a cruise ship. But for this it was necessary to know English. I pushed the study of English into my busy 6/1 schedule, – says the girl.

A year later, she was fired from the restaurant because of a post on a social network – that's when Masha actively began blogging on Instagram. The girl was left without income and with a large mortgage.

“It was necessary to urgently do something, to move even faster. The year was busy and productive, I raised my English to the required level and passed an interview at the American company Carnival for the lowest position of Assistant Waiter (waiter assistant. — Note. ed.), – Masha recalls.

Maria recalls that the salary on her first contract was higher than on two jobs in Russia. But most of all, the girl was seduced by the opportunity to see the world.

Photo: courtesy of Maria Osipova

– In restaurants in Russia, the team looked askance when I ran with English pieces of paper. Supervisors swore when I studied English homework at work. There simply wasn't enough time. The deadlines were running out, and the desire intensified. Nobody believed in success, except me, she says.

How is the work on the liner

Maria says that even though working on a cruise looks like an eternal vacation, there is no place for weaklings.

– Energetically a very strong place: it affects both physical health and mental health. You must be resilient and flexible.The idea of ​​working every day for 10 hours for 6 months does not sound manco, but believe me, it's worth it. The financial component plays a role, work for money, they pay well, but development is more important. Communication for days in English, upon arrival in Russia, I insert English words into speech, because they are the first to come to mind, she shares.

Maria says that there is an international team on the liner, but there are very few guys from Russia.

— It is important to understand that first of all you are at work, and traveling is a nice bonus. The main thing is not to be confused. There is always an opportunity to go to ports, the company is interested in you having such an opportunity. So to speak, ventilate. Everyone understands that 80% of the people on board are adventurers with a thirst to explore the world. Some have the opportunity to walk 2-4 hours, others 4-8, it all depends on the position and schedule. But this pleasure is available to everyone, – says Masha.

Between sleep and landfall, Maria always chooses the latter

Photo: courtesy of Maria Osipova

“I remember the day I got off the ship for the first time. It was in Mexico on the island of Cozumel, I ordered a daiquiri, looked at my ship on the horizon and sincerely did not understand why I worked as a waiter for a penny for 6 years? Why did I miss so many opportunities? How many places I could visit, how much money I could earn, why didn’t I go earlier, the girl thinks.

Maria maintains an Instagram blog about working on a cruise ship.

What jobs are there and how much do they pay?

Maria says that “there is a job for everyone” on the liner: from waiters to accountants, from housekeeping to IT, from security to a casino employee. It all depends on work experience, usually requires at least 2 years of experience in the relevant field. If you plan to apply for a luxury company, you also need shipboard experience and advanced English.

— Now I work as a bar waiter at Virgin, but I work as a bartender. A few words about Virgin: this is the top, only stars are higher. Virgin Voyages is the coolest, most powerful, luxury, expensive cruise company in the world. Cruises cost $2,000,” she says. — She started her career at Carnival (middle economy) from the lowest position — a waiter's assistant. The cost of cruises is 300-1000 dollars. On the first contract, she was promoted to a steakhouse waiter, although there is an opinion that it is impossible to get a promotion on the first contract. I wanted to go to a bar, there is less work, more tips, a party atmosphere, but it turns out there is a queue. So, the queue at the bar at Carnival is 8 years old.

Maria clarifies that the level of payment on cruise ships depends on the company – the more prestigious, the higher the salary. Usually run from $ 800 and above. For example, cooks receive $1,000–$3,000. Waiters – 800-2800 dollars (senior waiter) without tips, at the bar – 800-3200 dollars, reception workers – 1500-2500 dollars. Housekeeping (room cleaning) – 800-2800 dollars.Engineers, mechanics, electricians – 2000-6000 dollars. Pilots, officers – 3000 dollars. Dancers, acrobats – 2500-4000 dollars. Managerial positions – from 5000 dollars and more, captain – from dollars and more. The contract lasts from 3 to 6 months, the work schedule is every day for 10 hours with 1-2 breaks.

Sometimes it happens

The ship's employees undergo a large number of trainings, each has certain duties in case of an emergency.