CSCA works with several Major Cruise Line’s which all have headquarters based in the United States. Cruise line career assistance varies from cruise line depending on position availability and scheduled course dates.

CSCA offers career placement assistance to Course graduates, cruise lines are flooded with applications daily and have difficulties processing qualified candidates. The CSCA Courses provides specific training and development not available through any other U.S. based resource. This experience gives graduates top placement availablity.

Yes, CSCA courses are designed to train you for an onboard position and provide career development. Individuals who are seeking cruise staff job placement will benefit in the same manner.

Any company that states 100% "guarantee" career/job placement raises serious concerns. CSCA graduates are prime candidates for these positions; some cruise line management assigned to hire Cruise Staff employees understands CSCA course curriculum and are even given a complete evaluation by the CSCA Instructors, Ultimately CSCA graduates leap to the front of the application process over thousands of other applicants.

Cruise Staff Position availability is limited; CSCA balances the amount of graduates to current and future position openings which limits the amount of applicants and course frequency.

Safety is your primary job as a cruise ship crew member. Being an employee of the cruise line is your secondary position onboard. If you cannot perform safety related duties onboard you will be discharged immediately. The course provides general safety familiarization, extensive safety training will be provided by the cruise line once onboard.

When working onboard a cruise ship your hours vary greatly on a daily basis. Your first few weeks will entail very long hours since "new hire" and "safety" training will be added to your daily work schedule. The course is designed on the same principals allowing you to adjust accordingly.

You will not be able to graduate, The course curriculum is mandatory and each portion plays a large roll to the training and development.

Graduates will be aware of openings and can decide whether to interview for the position or pass up the opening. CSCA is not part of a cruise line and provides graduates with clear advice regarding each cruise line and available options.

Everything is provided to you during the course. CSCA does not participate in selling "How to get hired" books often found via the internet. Be aware many of these books are useless and outdated.

Working onboard a cruise ship carries safety requirements that every crew member must be able to execute. Crew Members must complete a full medical before signing on to a cruise ship and are required to successfully execute general safety obligations. Note: Normally Crew members are required to maintain a current medical at their personal expense.

Every employee working onboard a cruise ship is a crew member. Within the crew are three distinct groups: Officers, Staff and finally Crew. Each group provides you with specific guide lines. The position of Cruise Staff is a “Staff” position onboard and not “Crew”. “Crew” are normally not allowed in guest area’s when off duty (crew make up nearly 80% of the onboard workforce). As a staff member you normally have better accommodations and also a higher standard of living with regards to food and beverage options and other benefits. As a staff member you are allowed in guest area’s when off duty (a dress code is usually strictly enforced in guest areas) "Staff" positions provide many benefits onboard.

When you work onboard a cruise ship you sign a contract (the contract does not obligate you to remain onboard, you may quit at any time), contracts typically last six to eight months at a time. After your first contract you normally have four to eight weeks of vacation before starting another contract. Your employment remains with the cruise line the entire time accumulating a history with the company which qualifies you for benefits such as retirement plans and other options such as deeply discounted cruise fares for your family members. Note: every cruise line offers different benefits.

In cash (USD), normally on a weekly or bi-monthly basis. Normally the crew office provides safety deposit boxes, money orders and sometimes wire transfer are also available from the crew office.

A job onboard a cruise ship is unique. The hours you work can be spread out throughout the entire day, a few hours in the morning then a few hours in the afternoon and possibly a few hours in the evening. Normally Cruise Staff Positions allow for time off while the ship is in port as guests are ashore,. A benefit of working on a cruise ship is your "commute time" which is normally under 3 minutes.

You can quit at anytime, once the ship has reached its next port of call you will disembark the ship and travel back home. Normally you are responsible for your own travel expenses if you quit.

Normally your uniform is provided by the cruise line, many cruise lines pay for the cleaning of your uniform.

You will normally have a room mate, as you advance in positions your accommodations improve greatly, supervisor positions usually entitle you to a single berth cabin. Individuals advancing to management positions are entitled to cabins that are normally larger than guest cabins. For example a Cruise Director is normally a three stripe officer and the cabin accommodations are very large (although they do not wear an officer’s uniform they are respected by the crew as an officer). As a reference only the Captain and Chief Engineer are four stripe officers.

Normally a level below guest standards, although this is not always the case, some cruise lines are very concerned with crew morale and treat the crew as “internal guests”. Normally Cruise Staff are allowed to eat in guests venues for the most part allowing you to partake in the same standards as a paying passenger.

Similar in structure to guest areas, decor is plain and basic, most modern cruise ships offer several crew areas to relax, crew recreation areas including a crew bar, crew internet cafe and some outdoor areas. Many cruise ships offer a open deck that also provides a crew bar.

The cruise industry as a whole allows Cruise Staff in all guest area’s all of the time (Guest Staterooms/Cabins are off limits unless in the line of duty). As a Staff Member you can partake in all the guest/entertainment venues when off duty.

One of the advantages of a guest entertainment position is the advantage of enjoying the port of call. As a entertainer your workload is normally minimal when the ship is in port allowing you to explore the ports of call. Your workload is normally very light while in port and very intensive while at sea.

A crew internet is available 24 hours a day, many cruise ships also have crew WIFI areas to connect your laptop. Phone cards are normally available for use with any ship phone including your cabin phone. Most of these options have minimal costs with phone cards being the most expensive.

99% of "Staff" cabins provide T. V.'s, many have built in VCR's and DVD players. Crew members often bring Game consoles such as PS3, Xbox, Wii onboard for personal use. Some cruise ships have these consoles available in crew recreation areas for personal enjoyment.

Normally a fitness center with modern workout machines and weight machines are available for all crew members. On many major cruise lines the "Officers" and "Staff" are allowed to use the guest fitness area onboard. In addition many cruise ships have volunteer sports teams that will play against other cruise ship teams in various ports of call.

Cruise Lines have specific programs onboard for crew morale. Normally two to three events are offered every week such as themed crew parties. Many cruise ships offer crew bicycle rentals and other equipment to use. As a "Staff Member" you are normally allowed in the guest nightclubs, guest lounges and are permitted to watch the entertainment shows. In port you are able to explore as much as you like. Commonly "Staff" will be able to participate in shore tours when available.

Crew Members are not allowed to fraternize with guests. Fraternizing with guests causes legal liabilities and places a crew member at great risk which can and has resulted in criminal accusations by guests. Crew members can choose to date other crew members, normally a cruise ship has over a thousand crew members onboard with a rotation of 25 to 100 crew members signing off and on every week.

A cruise ship environment is one of the safest in the world. Some employees view a cruise ship as a safer environment then their own home. Every cruise ship has a dedicated security force on duty 24/7. Security patrols every area of the ship on a constant rotation with security camera's normally in every major guest and crew area. Guests, employee's and all luggage is scanned before coming onboard adding additional safety for everyone onboard.

A crew member can dial 911 or a similar number and summon security 24/7 in any area onboard. Fighting and any form of verbal threats are not tolerated, fighting results in immediate arrest and disembarkation, reported verbal threats are fully investigated by the captain and senior officers. A crew member atmosphere is very similar to a large family were each crew member looks out for one another both onboard and in port.