Cruise ships based in Hawaii have expressed interest in hiring employees from Saipan, holding orientations and presentations on island as part of their recruitment process.<\/p>\n
Recruiting officers for both the Pride of Aloha and Pride of America\u2014cruise ships owned by Norwegian Cruise Line\u2014were on island for the second time in a span of two months, most recently this past Wednesday, Nov. 3, to scout for potential employees. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re looking for people to come to Hawaii and work on our cruise ship [Pride of Aloha] and another cruise ship coming out in May of next year [Pride of America],\u201d said administrator Mike Bottema. \u201cThese are the first U.S. modern flag cruise ships in over 50 years.\u201d<\/p>\n
According to Bottema, the Pride of Aloha currently has a crew of 850 members in 219 different jobs. The Pride of America, for its part, offers 219 different positions that can accommodate 1,200 crew members.<\/p>\n
The company recently established an office on Guam, which, Bottema said, would result in more visits to Saipan in the future.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re continually looking and hiring and we\u2019ll be back [on] Saipan, in about every month or month-and-a-half,\u201d he said. \u201cWe need a lot of people. We can get as many from Saipan as possible. There is no limit as to how many people we can hire here. There\u2019s a process that everybody has to go through, so some people will fall out.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bottema said their interest in Saipan is due to the island\u2019s main industry\u2014tourism. Also, majority of guests on the ships are from Asian countries, similar to most of Saipan\u2019s tourists.<\/p>\n
During their previous visit a month and a half ago, Bottema said about 90 people applied for jobs, with 30 later being selected for hiring.<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot are going to train in Hawaii,\u201d he said. \u201cIt will be one week training in Oahu or Maryland. Those are the two places, but most likely, people from here will go to Hawaii.\u201d<\/p>\n
The starting salary is about $6.25 per hour. Applicants must be U.S. citizens or green card holders, or citizens of FSM, Marshall Islands, CNMI, American Samoa, or Palau.<\/p>\n
In addition, Bottema said the company pays for medical screening, employment screening, background investigation with the U.S. Coast Guard, training, airfare to get to the training, transportation, meals, room and board, and reimbursement for passports of all employees.<\/p>\n
Bottema and his partners accept individuals with general restaurant or hotel experience, particularly cooks, waiters, and housekeeping. Applications for other positions may also be taken, but would be referred to proper managers for the respective positions.<\/p>\n
The ships, each hosting about 2,500 guests every trip, begins its course in Oahu before making for a seven-day sea voyage with stops at other Hawaiian islands along the way. The trip ends back in Oahu. Guests pay between $700 to $20,000 depending on the type of cabin they occupy on the ship.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a very busy operation, Bottema said. \u201cWe\u2019re sold out until the end of next year in both Pride of Aloha and Pride of America.\u201d <\/p>\n
Norwegian Cruise Line is owned by Star Cruises, which operates about 21 cruise and gambling ships around the world.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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