Waitre d’ Recruitment currently recruits for Viking Cruises, a European company with its head office in Basel, Switzerland.

To apply, visit our Jobs page or our Careers page and submit your CV. Please include a recent colour photo on it.

Next, our Recruitment Team assesses your work experience. If it matches what our clients require, we contact you and explain how to take your application further.

We then invite suitable candidates to either a free presentation and pre-screen interview, or an online pre-screening interview. We currently hold presentations in Cape Town and Johannesburg.

Before the presentation, we send you a list of application requirements. Please gather these items and bring them with you on the day.

Finally, apply as soon as you can. The sooner we receive your documents, the sooner we add your CV to our database — and the sooner we can start looking for your position.

You are welcome to apply to Viking Cruises directly. However Viking will refer applicants from South Africa and Zimbabwe back to us, as we handle their recruitment in this region. Coming to us first simply saves you a step. There is also no cost to you. We DO NOT charge candidates a fee, at any stage.

Beyond that, we know what our clients look for. We help you present your experience in the right way and prepare the documents Viking requires. 

From there, we support you through the interview, medical, and visa process — right up to the day you join your ship.

Please note that Viking Recruitment is NOT connected to Viking Cruises and therefore you should not apply with them if you want to work for Viking Cruises.

Your CV. Send one comprehensive CV, updated to the present. Start with your current job and work backwards. Include the dates you worked at each employer and describe your duties in detail. Please leave out salaries and reasons for leaving — clients sometimes ask for these later on their own forms.

If you have worked on a cruise ship before, include your 2 most recent appraisals/performance evaluations.

References. If requested by us, please provide at least two references from the 2 most recent companies you have worked for. If you have only worked for one employer, send one company reference and one character reference from a professional person, school, or church. If you cannot obtain a reference from your present employer, an employment contract, payslip or certifcate of employment will be acceptable.

Passport. If you do not have a passport yet, apply for one now — you do not need it to apply through us, but you will need it to obtain your visas if you receive a contract. Your passport must be valid for at least 24 months when you receive that contract. Temporary passports are not accepted.

Photographs. Kindly place a recent smiling head-and-shoulders photograph on your CV or include it with your application. It does not need to be done by a professional photographer, but avoid poor-quality digital images.

You will also need colour passport photos for visa applications at a later stage of the recruitment process. Have these taken at a photographic studio or pharmacy against a plain white background, as selfies and cell phone photos are not accepted for visa applications.

Every candidate we select goes through an interview process. If you live in Cape Town or Johannesburg, we may invite you to a pre-screen interview at a conference venue, or online if we are conducting individual interviews. We also conduct online interviews  for candidates elsewhere in South Africa and Zimbabwe.

All candidates must then be available for a final interview with the cruise company. We hold these in Cape Town or Johannesburg, or online if requested by Viking. We encourage you to ask us questions throughout. The more you understand about life at sea, the better your decision will be.

To be considered, you need:

• * Relevant qualifications and experience in a 5-star or fine dining establishment
• * Previous cruise ship experience for some positions
• * An age between 21 and 45, depending on the role
• * Good general health, as our clients require crew to pass a seafarer medical
• * No visible tattoos when wearing your uniform, and no more than one ear piercing for female candidates
• * A valid passport with 2 blank pages, valid for at least two years
• * A clear criminal record (police clearance applies to some senior roles, and we will tell you if yours is one)
• * Enough funds to cover your joining requirements, several of which are reimbursed

* If you are not a South African citizen, you must also qualify for a US C1/D visa valid for one year, and hold the correct permit to be in South Africa. 

* We regret that we cannot consider candidates from the DRC.

Viking Cruises is currently the only cruise line we recruit for, so we cannot assist with other cruise companies. We do, however, occasionaly recruit for hospitality roles in the Middle East — mainly Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

Some of these positions suit candidates with limited experience. Browse our website and follow us on Facebook for updates. Once you have built more experience, you can then apply for cruise ship roles.

You complete these ONLY once we confirm your position. Please do not pay for anything until we tell you that your position is confirmed.

Safety certificates. 

Viking Cruises requires seven certificates, which cost approximately R9,800 in total. This cost is not reimbursed, however Viking does have a sponsorship programe in place and a connected payback scheme during your first contract. You must obtain the certificates from an approved shore-based training facility — certificates issued onboard are no longer valid under international maritime law, regardless of when you received them.

The seven are: STCW 2010; Basic Fire Prevention and Fire Fighting; Personal Survival Techniques; Personal Safety and Social Responsibilities; Elementary First Aid. Then Crisis Management and Human Behaviour; Certificate of Proficiency in Security Awareness; Crowd Management and Passenger Safety Training.

Medical and visas.

* Seafarer’s medical examination — approximately ZAR 4,500.00, reimbursed once onboard
* US C1/D visa — US$185, must be valid for one year from your joining date, reimbursed once onboard
* Schengen visa — €90, one year, multi-entry, reimbursed once onboard
* Australian visa — free, applied for online, for certain vessels

Documents. 

Your passport must be valid for two years. A Seaman’s Book is not compulsory, but we recommend it. Medical insurance is required for a Schengen visa, though you may not need it if you hold a Seaman’s Book. 

We will provide more infomration on these requirements, should you be approved.

After your interview with Viking Cruises, we tell you as soon as possible whether you have been approved.

Approved means Viking has offered you a position. You then wait to be Scheduled, which is when you receive your joining date and vessel. Scheduling usually takes 2 to 6 months, and sometimes longer, depending on the cruise company’s needs.

Please keep working in your current job until you are Scheduled. Only resign once your joining date is confirmed.

Junior roles are for 6 months, and senior roles usually run for 4 months. Both include a 2-month vacation afterwards. Viking renews contracts based on your performance onboard.

All junior crew share a two-berth cabin, whilst senior crew receive a single cabin. Every cabin has its own bathroom.

No. We cannot place couples or friends together, whether married or not.

Please also remember that you are hired for a position, not for a particular ship. Once you join, you must be willing to transfer to another vessel in the fleet if the company requires it.

Viking sails to virtually every part of the world, including Antarctica.

Salaries with Viking Cruises, will always depend upon your position/role. They are paid at the end of every month during your contract. You are not paid during your vacation. 

Together with your salary, you receive free flights to your joining port and home again at the end of your contract. 

Your medical and visa costs will be reimbursed together with your first month’s salary once on contract.

Onboard, Viking provides your accommodation, meals, and medical insurance. 

Crew also enjoy free Wi-Fi, recreation areas, and an outdoor gym.

No. Viking assigns you to a position and then allocates you to whichever ship needs you.

We send you full preparation guidance before your final interview/s.

Please email our Cape Town head office at info@waitred.co.za. You will also receive more detailed information if we invite you to one of our free presentations or online sessions.