Cruise ship jobs have many perks, including good salaries, opportunities to travel to exotic places and chances to learn new skills in a short period of time. What is difficult, however, is learning to balance relationships.

When you start a new cruise ship job, you are leaving your family and friends behind for months at a time. This often has consequences, such as growing distant from everyone at home, missing out on important events, and often a very difficult time maintaining long-distance relationships with significant others such as boyfriends, girlfriends or spouses. It is important to find a balance between work and home, even while you are away, so as to nurture relationships that are important to you.

Working on a cruise line involves being away from home for anywhere between four months to eight months of the year, depending on your designation and role. Most cruise lines offer satellite communication capabilities and Wi-Fi to crew, but these can be expensive. Luckily, cruise ships do not sail for more than a couple of days without a port call, so going ashore and calling home every other day is a very viable option.

It is also important to keep in touch with close friends when you are away, so as to not lose social connectivity when you get back. Just as you do with family, you can use shore leave to send messages or call friends every now and then.

The most contentious facet of being away on cruise ship jobs is the relationship with your significant other – boyfriend, girlfriend or spouse. With hundreds of crew mates from around the world in the same lonely position as you in close quarters most of the time, it is very easy to develop intimate relationships on board. Many cruise lines frown upon relationships between crew members, but do not take action unless work is affected. That said, relationships between crew and guests are strictly forbidden, and one can lose one’s job over it.

If you are single and open to relationships on board, know and understand that a majority of these don’t last. Many crew members get involved solely for the length of their contract and find new partners the next time they return. Many do not divulge information about their relationships back home, and could possibly have families they return to. Being involved with other crew members is emotionally risky, tumultuous and can lead to heart break.

This, however, does not mean that they have not worked. A few couples have met on board and formed committed relationships lasting years. They too face challenges, such as working separate contracts on separate cruise ships within the same company, and different working hours.

If you have left a significant other at home while working on a cruise ship, it is important to stay focused and committed. Being in touch as often as possible helps, as does open communication. Trust comes into play during long-distance relationships, and ensuring your loved one knows you care and are trustworthy is vital to strengthening the bond. This becomes doubly important when children are involved.

And when you are on leave, make sure you spend every moment with those you care for and those who care for you, showing just how much you love them.

It is every young person’s dream to have the kind of job that lets them travel the world without worrying about expenses or time. Not many positions are as promising in this regard as cruise ship jobs.

Working on a cruise ship offers high income, lots of travel, new friends, and skills learnt in a very short period of time. For young people, cruise ship jobs offer the ideal way to enter the market and a great start to work life.

Getting away: Long gone are the days when youngsters went from their families to starting their own. Many now want the opportunity to take a break and discover themselves, starting with spending time away from home. Distance indeed makes the heart grow fonder, and working on board a cruise ship allows for greater connections with dear ones while getting away from all you knew before.

Travel: One of the greatest attractions of cruise ship life is travel. All cruises head to enticing destinations, and the temptation to see exotic places and different countries as part of work is very strong. Cruise ship jobs offer a new port every other day, and a chance to fulfil a life-long dream to travel the world.

Expand your horizons: There are new things to learn every day. It gives you a great chance to live with and learn about people from different parts of the world, with different mentalities, attitudes and beliefs. It also offers you a chance to learn in-depth about the vast variety of jobs available on cruise ships, through friends and mentors on board.

Work experience in Western countries: For regular jobs, it is rather difficult and expensive to procure work visas to the US and Europe. With cruise ship jobs, this is plain sailing. Companies arrange for seafarers’ visas and provide you with all the documents needed for these visas to be issued.

Career advancement: The experience earned on cruise ship jobs is immense. Learning is quick and in a short span of time. With hard work, dedication and commitment, it is possible to rise quite high on cruise ships and enjoy significant perks that come with the job.

Salary: The biggest lure of cruise ship jobs is the salary. While on board, accommodation, meals and uniforms are provided for free, and ships are tax free zones. This means salaries go straight to your account without any tax deducted. While there are small expenses here and there, these depend on you, and for the most part, a major chunk of your salary can be saved. With conversion to rupees very favourable to seafarers, income for all manner of jobs is higher than what you would earn on land.

Cruise ship jobs are enviable thanks to the appealing hierarchy and remuneration that comes with being at the top. It’s a long tough road to heading a cruise ship kitchen, but the skills learnt, the volumes handled and competencies acquired can eventually put you up for grabs even in a shore-based job.

There are many who start their careers on cruise lines without any formal qualification in hospitality. Dishwashers, galley stewards and crew messmen require no experience or hospitality education, perhaps just minimal English language skills. Galleys – or kitchens on cruise ships – also have storekeepers, an assistant and a supervisor, who are responsible for ordering, distribution and storage of food supplies. They require a background in food and beverage, and accounting.

The first main level in a cruise ship kitchen with educational qualifications in hospitality is a cook trainee. In the pastry and bakery departments, this level is filled by the pastry trainee and baker trainee respectively.

Trainee cooks go on to become commis. On large ships, this level is divided into commis 3, 2 and 1; or third cook, second cook and first cook. Commis 3 or third cooks follow the directions of their superiors. They generally organise, prepare, measure and mix various ingredients at the base level – such as washing, peeling, cutting and shredding vegetables; butchering and trimming meat, etc. Major cruise lines require a few years of experience in a four or five star hotel to reach this level. The commis 2 or second cook, and commis 1 or first cook oversee those in the levels below them and jump on board whenever there is a rush.

With experience, you can become a demi chef de partie, who assists the sous chef in operations. Demi chefs are usually assigned to a particular station – fish, sauces, vegetables, soups, etc. They are also known as station chefs or line cooks, and prepare and present dishes based on their speciality. While they are still sometimes involved in prep stages, particularly during rush hour, there is a good chance to work closely with the head chef and learn from him or her.

At the senior level is the chef de partie, who specialises in gourmet cuisine and specialties. At this level, management becomes increasingly important and a supervisory role is common. Chefs de partie regularly review requirements and time frames with the sous chef, assigns tasks and supervises the functioning of his or her particular station. Many entry level cooks receive training and mentoring from the chef de partie with regards to proper service and plating.

Further up is the sous chef, who handles the daily operations of the galley staff and liaises with the head chef or executive chef with planning and quality control. There are evaluations of employees, finances, reports, training programmes, and quality control to be done, all of which are often conducted by the sous chef.

Some large cruise companies also have an executive sous chef as another layer of management within the system. All the lower rung hierarchy in the main kitchen is replicated in the pastry and bakery divisions, with bakers, assistant baker supervisors, baker supervisors; and pastry chefs, assistant pastry chef supervisors and pastry chef supervisors. Leading their section is the cruise ship pastry chef.

At the helm of affairs in a cruise ship kitchen is the executive chef or chef de cuisine, who takes on the final responsibility for all that goes on in the galley and among staff. He or she directs the menu, culinary activities and oversees the functioning of the kitchen that supplies thousands of cruise vacationers their meals and delicious treats.

Cruise ship jobs can be very rewarding, both work-wise and monetarily. But no matter what level you are at, no job can offer as much joy as one feels when giving back to those less fortunate. Cruise lines often dock at beautiful ports with swanky facilities, but there are still areas and people who need voluntary aid.

Many cruise ships organise volunteering activities for guests, which serve the dual purpose of helping locals as well as creating awareness among guests and promoting the company’s image. However, there are some that hold similar activities that their crew members can participate in, offering cruise ship employees a chance to give back to the ports that become familiar to them.

Carnival Cruise lines has the Carnival Foundation which includes its Friends Uniting Neighbors – or FUN – Team. It organises corporate and employee donations during emergencies such as hurricanes in North America, while crew also engage in cleaning beaches and spending time at orphanages and children’s charities at various ports. The foundation puts together regular philanthropic programmes, employee fundraisers and volunteer activities, from providing meals to the homeless to coastal conservation. The company has recognised its ‘Volunteer of the Year’ for more than two decades now based on community service efforts.

Royal Caribbean Cruise Line supports three main charities, to which crew volunteer in a number of different ways. The company offers its ships for fundraising events and donates cruises for auction. Employees also help out with Make-A-Wish children through a Wishes at Sea initiative. The cruise line’s GIVE (Get Involved Volunteer Everywhere) initiative encourages employees to get hands-on in the local society from mentoring school children to donating time for community service. During holiday season, crew can choose a charity of their choice in a port of call to buy items or gifts required.

Crew members from Disney Cruise Line volunteer with less fortunate children in their ports of Nassau and St Thomas in the Caribbean by spending time with them through a Reading Together programme. The VoluntEARS – as they are called – read classic stories to classrooms to increase their love for reading.

Life is exciting and fun as part of the cruise ship crew, and volunteering helps spread some of that joy.

What we see on reality television today is rarely real. Amateur cooks might love food and enjoy the fame that comes with cooking a delicious meal, but true culinary art is so much more. Without a passion that carries you through the hardest parts while still loving the job, the chances of getting ahead are slim.

Culinary art involves the science of food – knowing their nature, how they react to various cooking processes, how they deteriorate, and how to improve them for consumers. With in-depth knowledge, avant garde techniques such as molecular gastronomy become easier. Think caviar made of olive oil, transparent ravioli and edible paper.

Chefs with a background in culinary art are more likely to have a firm base in nutrition. They can create healthy, balanced meals that are delicious too. Cruise ships often cater to people with varied tastes and different nutritional requirements. Kitchens on board now serve guests with allergies, health-related diets, religious diets and those with adventurous palates. A home chef is hardly likely to know how to satisfy all these demands in a single meal service.

Knowledge of culinary art starts from the basics of learning about different ingredients – particularly those you are not familiar with in your culture, various culinary styles, and effective time management. Institutes teaching the culinary arts make it easier for students to adjust to professional kitchens by teaching basic, but very important, skills such as how to use and take care of a knife. They also provide students a chance to learn in more controlled environments without the high level of stress that comes in a full-fledged restaurant kitchen.

In India, particularly, many home chefs are not well versed in international high-level restaurant hygiene standards. Across the world, professional chefs are required to adhere to strict practices, from wearing gloves and slip-resistant shoes to turning pot handles away from the front of the stove, and knife cleanliness and storage. Failure to do so can result in losing one’s job or even the restaurant closing down.

Culinary arts do not just revolve around food, but also the entire eating experience. Hotel and restaurant management involves customer service and satisfaction, food and drink pairings, the actual meal, and everything in between.

Choosing a good culinary academy is vital to gaining a good base in the real art of cooking and service.

Oriental Cooking On Board Cruise Liners

It seems to be a trend with Asians taking over the world in all fields. Cruise Lines International Association reported that 1.4 million Asians enjoyed trips on cruise ships last year, up an annual compound rate of 34 per cent since 2012. This means that cruise ship jobs will increasingly gravitate towards catering to these passengers.

Cruise ship chefs have a plethora of opportunity, particularly when it comes to Asian cuisine on board. Most cruise lines now offer everything from Indian and Chinese to Japanese and Thai, which are the most well-known Asian cuisine styles around the world. Britain’s P&O Cruises recently started ‘The Pantry’, a concept food service that is set to replace the traditional buffet. One of the eight stations is Curry House featuring Indian cuisine and an Asian food bar.

Carnival Cruises has specialty chefs from Asia whip up goodies at the Mongolian Wok, and on the Britannia – targeted at British cruise passengers – there’s Sindhu, where Michelin-star chef Atul Kochhar creates contemporary Indian dishes.  World renowned master chef Nobuyuki Matsuhisa has also taken to the seas with his Silk Road and Sushi Bar restaurants serving classic Japanese, Peruvian and European cuisines.

Cruise ships have also begun offering cooking demos or classes to passengers while on board. Among its repertoire, Oceania Cruises has ‘Rock the Wok’ that shows its guests how to use Asian cooking vessels and techniques, as well as introducing them to the variety of ingredients used.

All this means cruise ship chefs in Asian restaurants today must know the cuisine like the back of their hand. On a daily basis, they prepare high quality Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Thai, Vietnamese, Indian and other types of Asian cuisine, and must be able to identify and use the cooking media and equipment typical of these styles.

Cruise ship jobs offer a great opportunity to fine tune various styles of cooking on the go. With the Asian cruise market rising, demand for knowledge of this sub-set is only likely to increase.