'Phi It', a former student of W.T.B. With success, he has worked on world-class cruise ships.
PROFILE
Brick – Kiattisak Saekui
“Finish and get a job right away”
With the position
Bar steward
Princess Cruise Line Company
Hello, I’m Kiatisak Saekui, or It for short. I’m an alumnus of the College of Tourism and Hospitality, majoring in Cruise Business Management, Sripatum University. I’m someone who loves to travel, especially abroad. I also love the sea. Working on a cruise ship is what best meets my needs. I have to thank SPU for making my dream come true. Today, I’m working with Princess Cruise Line on the Ruby Princess as a Bar steward.
No. 1 in cruise ships, must be SPU only.
I am a person who really likes language and calculations. But we thought that if we went in the direction of calculations, we would have to live with numbers. We would not be happy with it enough. Until I found a career on a cruise ship that best suited me because I could work and travel on the ship, eat for free, travel for free, and save money to go home.
Importantly, SPU is the first and only university in the country to offer a bachelor’s degree in cruise ships. Many alumni have worked with world-class cruise ship agencies. When we graduate, we have 100% employment and also receive a degree. So I did not hesitate to study here.
>> Brother It's career path on a cruise ship <
After 4 years, I immediately applied for a cruise ship job. At first, I got a job from Asia, but then COVID hit. When I came back this time, I got a job from a giant cruise company, Princess Cruise. The first round required a pre-screen interview with a Thai agency. When I passed, I went for a second round interview. After passing the interview, the next step was to take the Marlin test. The score depended on the criteria of each cruise company. This is the basics. After passing, I waited for a position on the ship to open up. If I got a rotation from the ship, I would have to prepare the documents, which were a lot. I couldn’t explain everything here. If anyone wants to know more, please feel free to contact me. I’m happy to give advice.
Key skills for a cruise ship career
The first skill for working on a cruise ship is language. On the ship, English is used for communication, but the accent varies depending on the country. The second skill is knowledge or experience based on the position you applied for. A cruise ship is like a small city. It has everything, depending on the company, such as a swimming pool, amusement park, race track, cinema, restaurant, etc. There are many jobs, but the jobs that need Thai people the most are restaurants and rooms because Thai people are friendly and smile a lot. This is one of our strengths. The third skill is to be strong-willed. In this case, what would we do if we had to work 7 days a week, no days off, and work on a ship for 6-10 months, with a day off? If we think we have all 3 qualifications, go for it. Don’t let anyone decide our lives. Let’s choose and do it.
Working on a ship pays very well, but you have to trade it for holidays.
Cruise ship work, income including tips is around 30k ++. We get the full amount because we eat for free, stay for free, travel for free. But if we have to think about the holidays we get in exchange, which are definitely not just holidays, but our bodies have to work for 6-10 months, have to be away from home, have to deal with various problems, for me I think it’s worth it because there’s no job that isn’t tiring. And if we’re tired and happy doing it, I think it’s totally worth it.
“Work that has clearer goals.”
I would like to thank Sripatum University very much for supporting me to gain good experiences while studying and helping me develop myself all the time. Now I have a job on a cruise ship. My next goal is to have a million baht. I want to build a house for my parents and I will do my best. I have been through death 5 times because I had brain surgery due to brain cancer 11 years ago. I think that life is short. No one knows when we will part. So I have to stay with what I love and want to do. When I do it, I have to be able to support my family. One day, I might become a manager on a cruise ship in a company in a country. Because I love it and am happy, I choose to do what I love.
Finally, a message to the younger generation
I would like to leave you with the part about time management because if we come to study in the field of cruise ship business management in order to actually work on a ship, gaining experience while studying is just as important as studying. Because if we have experience, we can lead others one step ahead. We will know what it is like to work on a ship because ship work such as restaurants, housekeeping, front desk which require a lot of Thais are all the same as hotels, except it is a bit harder. And we will get the cruise ship work that we really want to do.
