Sadly, there are dozens if not hundreds of companies that portray themselves as legitimate agencies and assure you that you will get a job onboard if you work with them. The first thing to know about real agencies, is that they are paid by the cruise lines, so they shouldn't be asking you for money. It is against the IMO (International Maritime Organization). Therefore, if you are offered a job and then told you have to pay application fees, or visa fees or for anything else do not proceed. Here are other things to watch for:
- Agencies don't spent time on chats, sending out links to their sites especially if they are asking you to contact whastapp
- Do not send your passport information out over whatsapp. No one needs to see your passort until you meet with the agency
- If you are selected for an interview, and you are successful, you will need to do a maritime/seafarers medical, obtain the necessary visas, get a passport if you don't have one, and pass a criminal background check. All of this is private information and if someone on a facebook or whatsapp feed is asking for it, they might be trying to steal your identity
- If you are in doubt about an offer, post it here and get advice
- Do NOT pay someone to hire you to work on a cruise ship
