Helping Us Help You find a Wierd Job

by Ed Teja

Adventure/travel jobs are, in one respect at least, just like any other job — you have to go after them in a professional manner. Yes people do luck into them. I’ve met people who were backpacking through Venezuela and got jobs as tour guides on the Orinoco. But I know people who were “lucky” enough to get a job with Apple when it was two guys in a garage too. It happens but only fools count on it. You need to make your own luck.

Job seeking starts with basics
Some folks try to get information, about getting out in the adventure world, but their questions show me that they clearly aren’t thinking about how the process works. Often these inquiries are frustrating because they illustrate that people are starting off on the wrong foot.

I want to use a couple of real examples to show what I mean by this. In the first example the job seeker isn’t asking a question that we can help much with.

“I would like to work on a mega yacht. Can you help me about that?”

What can we say that would be of value to this person?

It is a basic tenant of job hunting that you research the job you want, but pursuing a “job on a yacht” is something like pursuing a job in medicine. Do you intend to be a doctor, nurse, administrator, drug salesmen…In this case, what do they want to do on a mega yacht? Is he or she a cook, golfing pro, diving instructor, or just someone who wants to work on a yacht?

There is nothing wrong with that last (not knowing what they want), but before they start looking they need to get an understanding of what the various jobs on a yacht are, and what life aboard is really like. My suggestion for those of you in that boat (pun intended) is to read Crewing Aboard a Superyacht, from virtual cover to virtual cover. It will save you time and missteps. And if it makes you decide that the yachting life isn’t right for you, then you have only saved yourself more time and trouble.

The second kind of inquiry that frustrates us, is of this form:

“I have come to learn that from time to time you provide some people with employment in traveling related jobs. In this connection I like to inform you that I am a professional xxxx in xxxx.

“Now I wish to work in your traveling agency please let me have the complete rules and regulation for employment in your company.”

The major thing wrong with this inquiry is that the person hasn’t really looked at the web site. We aren’t a traveling agency, and we don’t provide employment. He or she has wasted time (theirs and ours) and energy (ditto). No harm done, I suppose, but it is frustrating. And it doesn’t give me hope that this person is on the right track to finding a good job. So this is a corollary to our first problem. This person knows what he/she wants, but isn’t researching the targets. It would be like sending a resume to Tropical Lines (a merchant shipping company) if you want to work on a mega yacht or cruise ship. It hasn’t hurt you any, but it hasn’t done anything for your cause either.

We are glad to help anyone find what they are looking for in the adventure/travel weird job world. We do ask that you think a little more specifically about what you are looking for so that our efforts can be specific and directed. Then you can follow up and get that dream job. They are out there, and they CAN change your life.