Crewing Agencies

The first thing you should know is that cruise lines employ a multinational crew. Sometimes there are as many as 40 different nationalities on one ship. The cruise lines do not have offices in all those countries so they use crewing agents. These are usually the behind-the-scenes, non management jobs which are often held by people from the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, India or the West Indies. Crewing agencies also hire employees for cargo ships and offshore oil rigs.

I know very little about specific crewing agencies around the world. There is no way for me to verify if they are legitimate so none of my materials lists them. I have heard stories about very reputable crewing agencies and stories about "fly-by-night" agencies. I've seen many "agencies" come and go over the years. I have also heard stories from people that paid a fee up front and got nothing in return. There are a lot of less than reputable crewing agents.

Usually an employment agent is paid by the employer, not the employee. I have heard of agents charging a small fee ($50.00) for administrative processing. I have also heard of agents that wanted hundreds of dollars up front. I do not recommend you pay this. My advice is to not trust anyone without a signed, legal contract.

If you are unable to find a reputable crewing agent in your area, consider mailing your materials to the cruise lines or concessionaires. Often they will forward them to the agent they happen to be using at that time. Sometimes they will hire you directly depending on their needs.