You are a top musician considering work on cruise ships but you are not sure of what the possibilities are. You ask yourself:  What would be the best gig for me? Read below for tips on how to figure that out.

List and Prioritize

First off, note that there is a huge variety of job options at sea.

Start your research within yourself. Analyze your skills, needs, values, desires and fears and write them down.

Go through these questions:

1. Why are you qualified for work on cruise ships?
2. What might prevent you from being hired?  
3. What sort of musical, work, and social environment do you enjoy?  
4. What range of salary are you aiming for?
5. What length of time can you commit to be travelling?
6. What parts of the world do you want to discover?

Next, prioritize your list because it is unlikely that you will find a gig that fits every single one of your needs. Consider your wish list and divide it into the following categories: 

1. What I can’t live without. 
2. What attracts me to cruise ship work.
3. What I think would be nice to have, but am not totally attached to. 
4. What I would prefer to avoid.
5. What I will absolutely not accept. 

Once that’s done, prioritize each item within each category.  This simple exercise is the single most important task in getting the best gig at sea.  

For some of you, it’s the money that counts, hopefully for some others, it’s the music that counts. Others find it most important who they work with or where they travel to. Some people simply need a job right now. During my 30 years at the helm of this company, I’ve discovered that the combination of desires is unique to each individual.

So, before you start your job search, be clear on your own bottom line.

When you are ready, read the second part of this article series to follow the next steps. Read it now >