Guest Author - Janet Collins

A friend recently retired after many years of working as a biologist for the federal government. Although he has stopped punching the clock, he hasn’t stopped working. In fact, he continues sharing his knowledge of plants and insects with anyone who asks him for information.

In the past year, “Gary” has been a guest lecturer at many community group gatherings. He’s taught members of the local garden group how to grow a bumper vegetable crop, and instructed the local weaver’s and spinner’s guild on how to keep moths out of their wool stash. More recently, he’s mused about lecturing to a wider audience by joining a cruise ship company as an on-board naturalist. What better way, he thought, to combine his love of traveling with his desire to continue educating others about the natural world?

If he does take on such a job, Gary won’t be the only retiree to run away to sea. Cruise lines routinely employ mature individuals for various jobs.

In addition to “enrichment staff” (entertainers, naturalist and other lecturer positions), cruise lines also employ “gentlemen hosts.” That position developed from the industry’s realization that single women greatly out number single men on most cruises. As a result, many female passengers lack a dance partner during those lovely on-board evening events. Solution? Provide partners for them. (No, these are not high-priced gigolos. Rather, gentlemen hosts are goodwill ambassadors for the cruise line – and as with other on-board jobs, getting “involved” with passengers is strictly forbidden.)

While not true paying positions, most enrichment staff positions enable individuals the opportunity to cruise the world for a fraction of the cost of regular passenger fares – and they have the added fun of meeting new people while engaging in their love of entertaining, lecturing, or dancing. Depending on the cruise line and the job involved, perks such as free on-board meals, shore excursions, and other benefits might also be included.

Note that benefits – and job responsibilities – vary widely from one cruise line to the other, so be sure to read the fine print before setting sail.

To find out more about gentleman host opportunities, check out The Working Vacation, the leading recruitment agency for gentlemen hosts worldwide.

For information about on-board lecturer and entertainment positions, consult Sixth Star.

Many cruise lines advertise positions on their websites, too. So be sure to look there as well.