Taking a very proactive approach to crew recruitment, AIDA Cruises uses Instagram Live as its streaming platform for AIDA Job Date, enabling the German cruise line to reach the German labor market and anyone who may be interested in a job onboard and getting to know the company.

Explained Michael Kasten, head of talent acquisition at AIDA Cruises: “With the new and entertaining live format of the AIDA Job Date, potential crew can learn about their future dream job in virtual events and engage with AIDA employees in a relaxed atmosphere about life and work on our ships.

“Employees from the different departments onboard and our Human Resources team are available to answer questions also about the application process and potential career paths with AIDA,” Kasten added.

“We plan to expand these activities further and try new platforms such as Facebook, YouTube and others.

“We are also working on similar formats for English-speaking crew.”

Job candidates in Germany can apply via the AIDA career portal Jobsuche, AIDA Karriere and will be invited to an online recruitment day, Kasten explained.

“Candidates will learn what it means to be a seafarer and what it’s like working and living onboard. An interview will follow the presentation.

“When we have a job agreement with a candidate, we start the hiring process, which includes seafarer training, such as STCW Basic Safety (Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping), in one of our facilities in Rostock or Hamburg, and online training via our e-learning platform TrainMeUp.”

Kasten noted that about 70 percent of the seafarers sailing with AIDA come from Asia, specifically the Philippines, India, Indonesia and Sri Lanka.

The balance comes from Europe, including 25 percent from Germany.

Crew that does not know or speak German are offered language courses in their home countries and training onboard via online tools.

Excerpt from Cruise Industry News Quarterly Magazine: Summer 2022