American cruise company looking for 1,000 Thai service staff

All aboard! The American cruise company that owns the Princess Cruise, Holland America Line, has visited Thailand’s Department of Employment seeking Thai staff to work onboard. The company says they have more than 1,000 positions available for Thai people saying that the famous Thai smile is perfect for the hospitality industry.

The Director-General of the Employment Department, Pirot Choticsathian, welcomed the senior officers from the Holland America Line to his department office in Bangkok. Pirot said that he received the information from a Thai recruitment agency, Thai Seafarer Recruitment or TSTC, that the American company wanted to hire Thai people to work for various positions on the cruise.

The cruise line is looking for cooks, assistant cooks, waiters/waitresses, bartenders, receptionists, photographers, backstage staff, etc. The staff would be paid 30,000 to 100,000 baht per month and required to work about 9 months per cruise trip. The company would cover the travel expenses, accommodation, and meals for all staff along the journey.

Pirot said this would be a great opportunity for new hospitality graduates who had experience in cruises, graduated with a hotel or hospitality service major and had English-language skills. The Minister of Labour, Suchart Chomklin, also encouraged Thai people to work aboard saying it would be a great chance for them to gain a higher rate of income and have a good standard of living. Moreover, this could bring more foreign currency back into the Thai economy.

The Manager of Holland America Line, Prem Kannan, told the Employment Department director that the cruise business worldwide had returned to regular operations, especially in North America, Central America, Europe and some parts of Asia.

He expected that up to 2,000 Thai workers would be hired this year because Thai people are “friendly, polite, cheerful, and have knowledge and skills meeting the requirements”.

“We could teach our staff to serve, cook, or work as a bartender, but we couldn’t teach them how to smile. That is why Thai people are important for the service industry.”

SOURCE: Khaosod