Frequently asked questions

No. We are a preparation academy, not a recruiter. We never charge you to get a job, because legitimate cruise lines pay you, you do not pay them. We prepare you so you can apply through the official channels with confidence.

No, and you should walk away from anyone who says they can. What we do is prepare you properly, so you know the role, the documents and the interview before you apply, and you are ready to board when the chance comes.

For being ready. Most people who never get hired fall down on the same three things: the wrong documents, a weak CV, and freezing in the interview. Our training works on all three before you apply, and Crew Ready puts a real person beside you for the CV and the interview.

Never. Charging a seafarer for placement is against international maritime labour rules, and we say that loudly. You pay us for training and preparation, nothing else. The lines pay you.

No. We do not hire crew and we cannot put you on a ship. We get you ready and point you to the official recruitment channels, which you approach yourself.

A lot of it is out there if you have the time to piece it together from scattered forums and old advice. What you buy from us is the structure, the correct order, the real standards the lines expect, and a real person to ask when you are stuck.

People who have actually lived the work at sea, not marketers. The training is built from real onboard experience, which is why it is honest about the hard parts as well as the rewards.

No. We have a clear starting point for complete beginners, and more senior courses for people already in hospitality who want to move up.

Not at all. The Assistant Waiter and Bar Server courses assume you are starting from zero and build you up from there. Plenty of crew began exactly where you are now.

Most cruise lines hire from age 21, and some ask for a year of hospitality experience as well. If you are younger, you can prepare now so you are ready to apply the day you qualify. Not sure you qualify? Ask us before you buy.

English is the working language on international ships. You do not need to be perfect, but you must understand instructions and talk with guests and crew. If you can read this page comfortably you are in good shape, and the course builds the service language you will actually use.

Yes. The training is fully online, so you can complete it from anywhere in South Africa. STCW and your medical are done in person: the STCW centre we book runs in Cape Town, and we can point you to accredited centres and doctors nearer to you.

A phone, tablet or laptop and an internet connection. That is it. The lessons are built to work on a normal smartphone.

If you are new, start with Assistant Waiter or Bar Server. If you already work in hospitality, look at the Waiter, Bartender or the leadership courses. Not sure? Message us and we will point you the right way.

Yes. The courses are self paced, so you fit them around your shifts and finish in your own time. Nothing expires on you mid week.

Structured online lessons for your role, taught the way the cruise lines expect, with quizzes, a final exam, a certificate of completion and lifetime access. If you want more, Crew Ready adds an expert CV review, a mock interview and a direct line to our team, and Set Sail, our full career package, coordinates your STCW and police clearance as well.

You log in, work through the lessons at your own pace, and your progress is saved as you go. You can stop and pick up where you left off, and go back over anything until it clicks.

Most Career Training Courses take a few focused evenings, because they are online and self paced. The longer part of getting to sea is the documents and STCW, which you do alongside the training.

Yes. You learn the full service sequence, the chain of command onboard, guest care to a five star standard, and the sanitation and hygiene knowledge the lines run on. It is the whole role, not a handful of tips.

Yes. The platform is built mobile first, so the lessons, quizzes and your certificate all work on a normal smartphone.

There are short quizzes through the course to check you have taken it in, and a final check before your certificate of completion. It is there to make the certificate mean something, not to trip you up.

You keep access to your course so you can revisit it before interviews and when you first board. If anything about access differs on a particular package, it is spelled out at checkout.

A Career Training Course trains you for one role, and you can add Crew Ready for an expert CV review, a mock interview and a direct line to our team. Set Sail is our full career package: SAMSA accredited STCW and your police clearance, one or two courses for your career path, Crew Ready and one on one guidance, with your Seaman's Book application prepared, ready to lodge if you are offered a contract. Set Sail is R27 072,82 in total (R15 500 to us, the rest to the training centre and SAPS), and Set Sail Light, without the STCW Basic Safety Training, is R9 273,51 in total.

No. STCW is issued only by SAMSA accredited training centres, never by us. We can book yours at a SAMSA accredited maritime training centre in the Port of Cape Town, at the centre's own price, on its own or as part of Set Sail.

STCW is the international safety training for seafarers. Basic Safety Training covers sea survival, fire fighting, first aid and personal safety. Most lines ask hotel, restaurant and bar crew for STCW Basic Safety Training, some only after a successful interview, and a few do not ask hotel crew for it at all. Every crew member needs Security Awareness. Check your line with us before you book.

At a SAMSA accredited centre. We book yours at a centre in the Port of Cape Town, at its published price, and the centre invoices you directly. Its core courses run every week. The centre issues the certificate, and we make sure nothing slips through the cracks.

A medical examination by a SAMSA approved doctor that confirms you are fit to work at sea. Cruise lines will not take you without a valid one. A standard SAMSA medical costs about R2 650, and some lines want their own medical with blood tests, about R7 700, so ask us before you book one. It is not part of any of our packages.

A valid passport, a police clearance, a seafarer medical certificate and your STCW safety training. Many itineraries also need a US C1/D crew visa, and your Seaman's Book is applied for once you have a job offer. Our STCW page lists every one, in the right order and with what each costs.

No. Our certificate of completion confirms you completed our training. It is not an STCW certificate or a government qualification, and we never pretend it is. The certificates that carry legal weight come from accredited bodies, such as the SAMSA accredited centre that runs your STCW.

With a Career Training Course you get the checklist and can ask us anything along the way. Set Sail does it with you: we book your STCW, get your police clearance in days through our agency and time it, and prepare your Seaman's Book application so it is ready to lodge if you are offered a contract. An academy member guides you one on one from the day you enrol.

Career Training Courses cost R2 500 to R3 500, and each course page shows its price. Set Sail, the full career package, is R27 072,82 in total (R15 500 to us, the rest to the training centre and SAPS). Set Sail Light is R9 273,51 in total (R7 500 to us, the rest to the training centre and SAPS). Each package page shows exactly what it includes, and what it does not. There are no surprise add ons after checkout.

Card or instant EFT through PayFast at checkout. Payment is once off and your access opens as soon as it clears.

More than just the course, and we are upfront about that. Your STCW is paid to the training centre and your police clearance to SAPS, not to us, and your medical, passport and visa are your own costs too. Our STCW page has the main costs to get to sea, in one place, so you can plan before you commit.

No. What you pay for a course is the course. The other costs of getting to sea, such as your documents and STCW, go to the people who provide them, and our STCW page shows the main ones before you commit.

Yes. Payments are handled through a secure checkout, and we never see or store your card details.

We want you enrolled because it is right for you, not because you felt pressured. Our refund terms are set out plainly on the Refund Policy page, with no fine print.

You apply directly to the lines and their official recruitment partners, the same channels the crew already onboard came through. Your course prepares you for the role, and Crew Ready adds an expert CV review and a mock interview before you apply.

The major international lines all recruit hospitality and service crew through official channels. We do not claim ties to any line, and you should be wary of anyone who does. We prepare you to apply through the real doors.

No. We are not a recruiter and we never charge for placement. We help you get your CV, your documents and your interview ready, and you apply yourself. That is the honest and legal way it works.

Yes. Every course comes with the CV builder and the interview guide for your role. Crew Ready adds a person: an expert reads your CV and sends written feedback, then runs a mock interview with you. Crew Ready is included in Set Sail and Set Sail Light.

A genuine service attitude, the right documents in hand, and someone who understands the reality of the work and still wants it. We build all three, which is what makes a candidate stand out.

It depends on how quickly you complete your documents and STCW, and on the lines' hiring cycles. We give you a realistic timeline up front rather than a fantasy one.

It varies by role, line and ship, and for most service roles a good part of it comes through tips. Your food and cabin are covered, so your living costs at sea are low and a large share of what you earn can be saved. The early roles start modest and grow as you move up, and our free career planner shows the range for each role, with tips, as at October 2026.

Long hours, shared cabins, months away from home, and hard but genuinely rewarding work with people from all over the world. Our training is honest about all of it, so you board prepared, not surprised.

Most hospitality contracts run for several months at a time, often around six to eight, followed by a break at home before the next one. The exact length varies by line and role.

Long days are normal, often split across service periods, and you work most days of a contract. It is demanding. People who go in expecting a holiday do not last, and those who go in prepared thrive.

Often yes, around your shifts. When your schedule allows you can go ashore, which is one of the real perks of the life. It is not guaranteed every stop, but it happens.

You share a cabin with a crew mate and eat in the crew mess, both provided at no cost to you. It is compact living, which is part of why your expenses stay low.

Yes, and this is the real draw. With food and accommodation covered and few daily costs at sea, many crew save a large share of what they earn across a contract.

Ships are structured, supervised environments with clear rules and support onboard. The harder part for most people is the distance and the time away, which is exactly why we prepare you for it before you go.

You can reach us on WhatsApp when something is not clear, on the course content or on the road to getting hired. We would rather you ask than guess.

Yes. Message us on WhatsApp or through the contact page and a real person answers, no pressure and no scripted sales pitch.

You have your certificate of completion and your role training done. From there you move on to your documents and STCW. On Set Sail, an academy member guides you through all of it, one on one.

Yes. Standards and expectations at sea move, and we update the material so what you learn matches what the lines actually want now.

Message us. If it is not on this page we will answer it straight, and we will probably add it here for the next person.