Often, when you begin your career, retirement is the last thing on your mind. However, having a plan or career chart, however flexible, can help you strategise towards achieving your aims. Everyone’s hope is to finally retire with some sort of financial flexibility. When it comes to cruise ship crew, this is even more so.
Working on cruise ships is the forte of the able bodied. The high physical and mental demands of working long hours – particularly in cruise ship chefs jobs – can eventually take their toll. There comes a time when you will need to hang up your boots, and it’s always best to know how to recognise this time and plan for it.
Debts
One of the key factors to consider when thinking about retirement from cruise work is your debts. Perhaps you are paying your children’s college fees or paying back the mortgage on a house. You could even be paying back the loan on a business you set up back home.
If a major chunk of your debts have been paid back, you could look at retiring so you can spend time with your family or run your own business.
Physical ability
As we age, physical work becomes increasingly difficult. Cruise ship chefs jobs particularly can be very demanding on the body. It eases only slightly as you get promoted but the fact remains that your biological schedule is continuously tested with changes in meal timings and sleep schedules to accommodate the pressures of work.
If you develop health issues that could affect your work in the long run, it might be a good time to start thinking of other options.
Mental stress
The working life of cruise ship crew is anything but easy. Long working hours and months of labour without a day off can take its toll mentally. This is because safety cannot be compromised and quality is expected to be up to standards at all times. There is no chance to be lazy or let your guard down.
Many cruise ship crew also share their cabin with another member of staff. Relatively small living spaces can also add to the mental pressure. Stress can be compounded by the kind of colleagues, superiors and company policies you deal with on a daily basis.
Whichever way you look at it, your mental wellbeing should not be at the receiving end of unhappy working conditions simply because emotional breakdowns can cost you more in the long run by laying you off work and perhaps even requiring costly medication.
Family pressures
Cruise ship jobs require you to stay away from home for prolonged periods of time. For those with young families or sick parents, this can be debilitating. Many are able to cope with the pressures of being away, but circumstances are different for each one.
If you are required to be physically present to care for an ailing child or parent, or would like to be more involved in your children’s lives as they grow, it might be time to consider early retirement from cruise ships and find other options, if needed, back home.
Stable shore-based option
Often, cruise ship jobs are a gateway to shore-based employment. By working on a cruise ship, you are able to save more money than you would at a similar position on land. If you have a career path that leads you to opening your own business, you can use your years working on a cruise ship to provide the capital investment for your own business before retiring from cruise life.
Another reason to retire from cruise ship jobs could be a stable shore opportunity with a good company, perhaps with a raise or better benefits, and one that keeps you close to your family.