SEAFARER: 10 [-1] aspects of working on board (you may not know!)

• 1. Distance from home: life as a seafarer
• 2. Multitasking: competence acquired by a seafarer
• 3. Multilanguage: better able to communicate than to speak
• 4. “You have never been in the military!”
• 5. Contest + Course
• 6. Mentoring
• 7. Making comparisons with realities (better known!)
• 8. Same situations in different contexts
• 9. “So, is this queue? It seems to me not!”: view of a seafarer
• 10. “You’re always on vacation!”
• You know this aspect for sure (if you are a seafarer!)
• Extra (not to be missed!)

I dedicate this second item of category 10 [-1] to the seafarer and the various aspects of working aboard a cruise ship. Aspects that, in many cases, they don’t even know each other from the outside or even worse, they ignore each other.
The explanation that I give by continuing to read is based on my experience on board but I can say with certainty that these are aspects that can be confirmed by anyone who has lived or lives this type of life.

1. Distance from home: life as a seafarer

One of the best known aspects of working aboard is the distance from home. Distance from family, loved ones, friends that lasts for several months. This aspect also makes us understand something that few understand: this type of life/work is not for everyone!

2. Multitasking: competence acquired by a seafarer

There is little to say: the seafarer is multitasking. He has to be able to do/remember a lot of things at the same time. And that’s related to the much sought-after skill in any job posting: problem solving. In my opinion, in everyday life, the “common” person, reading these two words, thinks that they are the name of a game or the brand of a new detergent: D

3. Multilanguage: better able to communicate than to speak

In addition to multitasking, a fundamental aspect is being able to always learn new words in languages other than the mother tongue. And this is useful for communicating (not to be confused with speaking!) In different languages.

4. “You have never been in the military!”

One of the phrases that doesn’t stick with a seafarer is that of “You’ve never been in the military!” to say that the interlocutor on duty knows what rigor is and things like that. Also in this case, working or having worked on board helps to respond (properly!) to such phrases :)

In the photo an example of an object useful to draw attention :D

5. Contest + Course

Many have always asked me how I got the chance to work on board. Simple: won a contest and then attended a training course. The contest required that the written test be passed in 60 and then the oral test in 20. Of those 20 who would have taken the course, the regulation provided that the company would hire at least 60% at the end of the course (even that included a final exam). The contest also included 2 test papers in a foreign language (in addition to Italian) and part of logic. All to say that, speaking of my job, behind every seafarer there are different experiences and skills and not the classic phrase “You are always on vacation!” to which I dedicate a specific point in the continuation of the article.

6. Mentoring

During the first boarding, each seafarer is joined by a more “experienced” colleague (of the same job) for at least the first 14 days. Mentoring is defined in English, which can be translated into Italian with Affiancamento. All this to say that nowadays the world of work is looking for people with more and more skills of various kinds, ignoring that there may be 2 ways to get them: looking for those who have all the skills (paying handsomely, of course) or investing internally with processes such as mentoring. When I hear: “There is a crisis, there is no work!” I answer with a question: “Are we sure that it is the job or the workers (well trained!) are missing?”. Also to these people I would support a mentor :D

7. Making comparisons with realities (better known!)

Working on board made me understand one thing: if a person doesn’t understand a certain specific thing to understand, it must be explained with something that is already taught in elementary school: similes. That is, one has to compare that situation to a more common one. Does the person not understand why that particular aspect works this way on a cruise ship? It is compared to planes, trains or buses which are the most common means of transport. Or compare them to another type of tourism (instead of cruising, perhaps the hotel or the tourist village) where the situations could be similar if not the same.

8. Same situations in different contexts

There is little to say: working on board confirms that the tourism sector is not a job for everyone! It takes a lot of patience, first of all. Why?
The answer is simple: the tourist/traveler/excursionist complaint is by far the most difficult to handle. And this can be understood with a simple example: the queue.

A row of a certain length in different contexts creates different reactions. If you are in the hospital or pharmacy no one says anything and waits (the important factor is health!), If at the post office (perhaps to withdraw your pension or ask for information on activating the SPID) it already changes a little but it does not excessively, if it is a little less in the supermarket but the complaint is slight, if in an office of the public administration they begin to increase. But remember: never like a queue in a tourism situation. Whether it’s by car, at a check-in, at a boarding, the complaint (more or less reasonable) is quoted at 1.01!

9. “So, is this queue? It seems to me not!”: view of a seafarer

Going specifically to the queue, lately, I often went to the supermarket and had to wait at the cashier (the only one open!) because there were 3 people in front of me. Behind me at least one person who complained about the situation exclaiming: “All this queue!“. My answer has always been: “If for you this is a queue, you have never seen a queue of people who have to book an excursion to the fjords in Norway. Queue from 09:00 to 19:00 of which you never see the end! Now, do you still consider this is a queue? “. And silence reigns supreme.
This is to say that the situations experienced on board serve (and how!) to explain to people how life works around their one world.

In the picture an example of an objective reached after a queue (at the buffet!) :D

10. “You’re always on vacation!”

Never a more stupid exclamation is addressed to those who lead this life: try saying it to a seafarer, if you have the courage :)
Having read the previous points, you can already have an idea. And, indeed, I would like to ask you this idea for thought: in the last life experience I had on board a cruise ship, the contract provided (for most seafarers on board) a minimum of 77 hours of weekly rest for a period of 4 to 6 months. Now, who has a “normal” contract as an employee with a maximum of 40 hours of work per week (in some cases even less for dated contracts), can claim the exclusion of the title against the seafarers of a cruise ship?
The answer seems obvious to me!

Note: it’s written 77 hours of non-working rest, therefore, calculate how many hours of work are in a week (remembering that the seafarer works every day of the week) :)

You know this aspect for sure (if you are a seafarer!)

After the 10 aspects of life aboard a seafarer that you may not know, in this paragraph I am talking about one you definitely know (if you are a seafarer!).
Which? Again, I speak from personal experience based on what I have seen/experienced in this onboard life. (Better to specify again so as not to confuse ideas).
The answer is simple: during this pandemic, the seafarer realized, with the various refreshment/support decrees (in Italy), that he/she is considered neither a seasonal employee nor a tourism worker but a simple ATECO code (which I did not even know what it was before this period! ). ATECO transport code, to be precise.
So the question arises: but if you embark for months, working in contact with tourists of various nationalities, some even working at the tour office (tour and tourism should be related!), telling friends/relatives/acquaintances to go to do the season on board, why are you not considered in at least one of 2 categories?

Usually we say “To posterity the arduous sentence” but we hope that we do not have to wait so long…

Extra (not to be missed!)

After this brief overview of what seafarer learns onboard, aren’t you curious to go beyond this article? No problem, you can find many interesting insights in the blog.

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