I'm going to eventually be a Massage Therapist & I think it'd be great to work on a cruise ship that?

Question

travels mostly to Europe,plus with benefits such as free flights and cruises. I used to be aFlight Attendant but i'm not sure if or when i'll go back to that career or not...

I'm a U.S citizen so what would I have to do to get that job and those awesome benefits? Also,I assume i'd have to relocate to whereever the company is based,such as near the ocean,right? Thanks!!!

Answer 1

Well, here are the big considerations:

- Contracts of 4-6+ months at a time.  You don't have to relocate, except that you live on the ship and then fly there/back again at the beginning and end of your contract

- It's a hard job -- typically you work 7 days a week, 10 hours a day (not 100% sure for massage therapists, but this is the norm for crew and officers)

- You'll share a cabin with another spa staffer

- As a US citizen, you will pay full federal income tax, while the people from the UK and many other countries will pay no income tax.  You won't get extra pay to even that out

And only consider it if you're a good sales person.  You can only make your weekly quotas if you sell product.  It's not bad stuff, but it's not cheap.

All the spas are run by two concessions:

Steiner: http://www.str.co.uk/home.asp

Harding Bros: http://www.hardingspa.co.uk/workingforus...

Not sure how familiar you are with the industry, but you might want to check out this guide to cruises:

http://www.cruisesavvy.com/savvyguide

Answer 2

There's no free flights. You do not have to live near the ocean.

Flights are paid by you or deducted from your wages.

Contracts are 6 months old at least.

Spa personnel are Staff, rather that crew, which is good.

Spas are usually a concession on the cruise line.

I've seen massage therapists make good money and stay the whole day doing nothing. Depends a lot on the passerngers profile.

You work port days and sea days as well.

Overall it's not a position I'd choose onboard.

the 2 major concessions for spas are:

www.hardingbros.co.uk

and

http://www.steinerleisure.com/

Both require that you go thru their trainning, no matter how experienced you are.

You will need an STCW-95 (basic sea survival, first aid, crowd management and fire fighting)

In the US and UK an STCW-95 costs at least 500USD.

Also, you don't choose where you want to be assigned.

As for Taxes, it's your responsabilty to pay them, they won't be deducted from your wages.

You are paid in cash on board.

It's not their problem if you don't pay your taxes.

The ships are registered in the Bahamas or elsewhere and have no tax obligation and your contracts with either company are registered in some fiscal heaven like Guernesey (Hardings) or the B.V.I. (Steiners).

good luck