How Richard Turnwald Got Started
Ever since I was a little boy I've always loved ships and the sea. I read about them and studied them and there was no doubt in my mind that I wanted to be involved in some way with ships as a profession.
"I was in college in Michigan studying travel and tourism and I wanted to get involved with the cruise lines. I sent out my resume and wrote to the various cruise lines, most of which were based in Miami. I was interviewed over the telephone and was offered a position in the office. It was exciting and scary at the same time. I was just out of college and I had to relocate to a place where I didn't know anyone, but it was like a dream for me to finally be able to work closely with the cruise ships."
What the Jobs Really Like
'The purser's office is like the front desk at a big hotel. The staff handle all the money on the ship, they pay all the bills and the salaries, they cash traveler's checks for passengers, provide the safes for the valuables, fill out all the documentation for customs and immigration officials in the different countries, and all the other crucial behind-the-scenes functions.
The purser is who passengers come to for information or help with problems. Pursers are in charge of cabin assignments, and they also coordinate with the medical personnel to help handle any emergencies.
There are various ranks for a purser: junior or assistant purser, second purser, first purser and then chief purser. As chief purser I had a staff of six people I was responsible for; on larger ships the purser's office might have fourteen or fifteen people.
Promotions are based on your ability, how well you do your job, as well as the length of time you've been employed. I was fortunate; I rose up through the ranks fairly quickly. Within three months I had worked my way up from junior purser to chief purser. But that's really an exceptional situation. It usually takes a good year or so. It depends on how many people are ahead of you, if they leave or stay.
It can be competitive. You have to consider that there's only one chief purser on each ship. Some people start working on a ship and their only background was watching The Love Boat and thinking from that how wonderful it would be. They don't have a realistic viewpoint of the downsides of cruise work.
'When you live and work on a ship, you're an employee; you're not there to be a passenger. The living conditions are not as luxurious as for the passengers, you might be sharing a room with one or two other crew members, and there's not a lot of privacy. There's a sense of confinement on a ship; you can't just go out to dinner whenever you want. Experiencing cabin fever is common. You live your job twenty-four hours a day and there's no getting away from that.
The food isn't as high class; passengers might be having lobster and steak upstairs; the crew is eating fish or meatloaf below. You might be away from home for the first time and feeling homesick and cut off. When you work on a ship you're on duty seven days a week, you don't have a day off for several months at a time. Some people can get burned out on that, while others can thrive.
If you take a positive approach, you realize that you don't have to commute to work or worry about housing. Though you don't get an entire day off, you get several hours at a time when you're in port and you get to see a lot of wonderful things. I've been all over the world, to places I wouldn't have had the time or money to get to otherwise. I've been to the Caribbean, Alaska, South America, Antarctica, Europe, and Hawaii. If you're on an itinerary that repeats every week, you get to know that place very well and the people there, so that's a plus.
"And there's something so relaxing and peaceful about being at sea, just to stand by the railing of the deck and see the changes in the weather and the whales and the other sea life. Another advantage is the money. You work hard and very intensely for long periods of time, but typically you're paid very well and it's a good opportunity to save money. I was able to buy a house."
Expert Advice
"Work on people skills: be friendly, be helpful, and be courteous. It's very important-you'll be representing the cruise line to a lot of people.
"And you have to be willing and able to accept orders. It isn't as strict as the navy, but when you're on a ship there are many rules and guidelines you have to follow. You've heard the expression; 'to run a tight ship' you have to have regulations to do that. If you're too independent-minded and don't like to be told what to do, then ship life wouldn't be for you."
