Set sail on an exciting career

Maritime Career

The ever expanding hospitality industry is running on a culture of absorbing talents with excellent communications skills, strong commitment and self-discipline attitude.

The avenues are no more restricted to the hotels and restaurants but a degree in Hotel Management entitles you to work with other career prospects.

Given the rising demand for professionals in the field, a plethora of options have opened up. Cruise Ship Management is one such option.


Individuals with good sea legs are most suited for this vocation. This new opportunity is loaded with the positives of diverse job choices while traveling to exotic ports for free!

Career prospects

Falling under the cruise’s hospitality department, the career prospects in this field are as good as the ones at a suburban five star hotel. Although the job involves traveling to exotic locations, it is not necessary that you will enjoy the Caribbean breeze or the South American landscape, everytime.

But perks like getting to stay at the equivalent of a five-star hotel for extended periods of time and discounted cruise rates for family members may make up for it! Achieving a management position on a cruise ship involves hospitality training and prior experience (on land or at sea). A successful career requires commitment and the ability to meet challenges in the changing and competitive market.

Job prospects

With the increasing craze for cruise ship tours and the expanding market, job prospects in this field appear promising. The occupational requirements range from preparing gourmet meals to finding a guest a new room. Each cruise ship manager plays a fundamental role in ensuring the highest quality of service to customers. Being sensitive towards the requirements of the customers should be the prime undertaking of a successful cruise-ship manager. Key responsibilities include managing the restaurants, bars, passenger cabins as well as retail concessions like gift shops, etc on board.

Food and Beverage Managers, Executive Chefs, Hotel and Casino Managers are some of the designations offered. Taking responsibility for all areas of the ship that serve food and drink, managers need to prepare budgets, calculate expenses, place food orders and ensure the quality of the food served on board. As services offered at cruise ships are closely connected, a well-knitted team work plays a major role in making this business a success.

Remuneration

Remuneration is fairly good in Cruise Ship Management starting at Rs 30,000-35,000. Salary knows no bounds once you have the relevant experience and expertise.

Eligibility

Anyone having a degree/ diploma in Hotel Management is eligible to pursue a career in Cruise Ship Management. Awareness of the customs of various countries would be always helpful, along with proficiency in some foreign language, though not necessary.

Duration

There is no particular course in Cruise Ship Management. Hospitality Management students are eligible to take on various positions in cruise ships as per preference and choice. The duration of the course varies from institute to institute and can vary between six months to three years.

Some institutes offering Hospitality Administration courses

* Madhuban Institute of Hospitality Management and Research (MAHAR)
(Degree, diploma and advance diploma courses in Hotel Management)
Hotel Madhuban  
97, Rajpur Road, Dehradun- 248001
Uttaranchal
Ph: 91- 135- 325600/ 2742500/ 2747770-1

* National Council for Hotel Management and Catering Technology
(Diploma in Hotel Management catering and nutrition)
Library Avenue, Pusa Complex, New Delhi – 110012
Ph: 011- 5787411/ 573242

* New Delhi YMCA
(One year diploma in Hotel and Catering Management)
Jai Singh Road, New Delhi 110001
Ph: 23360501/ 23361915

* IHM, SJ Polytechnic Campus,
Seshadri Road, Bangalore 560 001
Ph: 91-80-2226 2960, 91-80-2238 6763
Fax: [phone],
E-mail: [e-mail]

* Christ College
Hosur Road, Bangalore 560029. Ph: 080-25526169/164, Email: [e-mail]
Hemant Kumar Kochar