Becoming a sailor – The YPT story Part 3. If you’ve made it this far then I’ll assume you have read parts 1 and 2 of the story. As we left things I was about to have an interview to work for P&O Cruises as a bartender.
My mum purchased my a suit, I stayed with her fiend in Havant and headed to Southampton for an interview. Did the interview and a few days later got offered the job.
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“How do you get all these cushy jobs” and Becoming a sailor
Obviously I was quite happy to be offered said job and shared the news with friends. Almost all greeted it with the congratulations one would expect, except one guy who proclaimed;
“how do you get all these cushy jobs”.
I replied “I dunno, I moved to Cayman without a job, found one, worked for 2 hours then came back to the UK applied for the job, purchased a suit, turned up at the interview on time, impressed and got offered the job. I have no idea why I am so lucky”.
To me this truly epitomizes the attitudes of many. There are those of us that go for it, and there are others that do not. The later often resent the “luck” of the bold. In life I have always found the harder I work the luckier I get.
Training to work on Cruise Ships
Me and a group of other potential sailors headed down to Southampton for a week of training, hotels food and the like paid for b the company. On our first night there Nick, who would later be my cabin mate asked everyone if they’d like to go for a drink. Everyone said no, I replied “i’ve never been one to shy away from a party”. Party we did.
We arrived at training so hungover the next day that we both received a written warning, BEFORE we’d even started work. Not going to lie I am still fairly proud of that.
My first tour……
I boarded on the same day as Nick in Southampton, we became cabin mates and my life at sea was to start. People have a very romanticized view of working on cruise ships. The reality is very long hours (70 per week) and no day off for 6 months. At least for bartenders. There is also a myth that you can save a lot of money. Well not a myth, but something I at least failed massively to do.
Like everything else I started to get into a rhythm and settling in. At first I had a bit of a reputation of being a naughty boy, so my second stint was in a horrible Coffee Bar under the stewardship of the legendary Papa Raj. He would remove my shore leave for any minor infringement. This essentially led me to 2 months without even getting an afternoon off.
To give him his credit it did install discipline in me. My last stint of this contract essentially had me promoted to running my own bar. I was therefore able to give myself some time off. This was particularly good as we’d now moved from the Med to the Caribbean.
Ironically I was to sail to the Caribbean on October 27th, exactly 3 years after I had first left the UK.
What’s it like to work on a cruise ship?
On a negative you work 7 days a week for 6 months, you are with a very small group of people and it is hard work. On the plus side it is like one very big incestuous party camp. And I had the absolute time of my life.
After 6 months I had 2 months off in the UK, before returning for my second and as it would prove last contract on cruise ships.
Becoming a sailor – the end….
I went back for my second contract. This involved me having a new cabin mate, as well as meeting another guy, Paul who now lives in Hong Kong and whom I am still friends with to this day.
The party continued throughout the Med, in fact the party accelerated if anything. I’ll leave things like this. I was to leave in Rome under somewhat of a cloud. From Rome I was to work my way back to the UK and essentially fond myself back to square one.
Horses and bar work
I went back to living in Kent and working on the horse racing. There were a few highlights of my gambling career. In one week I had a 58-1 and a 66-1 horse come in first. Particularly great as it was at the Goodwood Festival, which coincided with my 25th birthday.
I was though any to antsy to move again, but decided I would find a job in the UK. I ended up moving to work in a hotel in Goring and Streatley on the river Thames. A very posh place that housed George Michael amongst other people.
I was to learn here that bartending in the UK is not quite the vocation it was at sea or in the caribbean. Essentially I was on minimum wage and living like shit in a very shit place.
Leaving the bar
During this time I had read an add for EF English First looking for teachers in China. I applied for the job and was accepted onto their training program. At this point I was still at he bar. I had been seeing a girl who also worked at the bar. She had a boyfriend.
I had asked for Christmas Day off, and had been refused. Drinks were had at the Christmas Party, things were said that shouldn’t have been said. I was thus given Christmas off and every other day off. My brother came and rescued me and I was back at home again.
Training to go to China
I carried on working on the horse racing before before it was time for my training with EF. It was in Manchester and involved me paying for my training, but getting a guaranteed job if I passed. Turns out not doing great at school was a hinderance to teaching English and I passed my the skin of my teeth.
EF would then offer you 3 jobs, one of which you had to take. My first offer was Changchun, but I still had well paying work on the horses. The second offer was Xian. I thought the place looked OK, so said yes.
This was to prove one of the most monumental choices I was ever to make.