During the interview process for Steiner there is a very lengthy but very informative presentation that is given by the regional recruiter, which in my case was a lovely lady by the name of Angela. The presentation went on for around about an hour and a half but crammed so much information in that I was a little afraid I’d missed some, but I shall do my best to put down everything I made notes on.
I’m not entirely sure why this kind of information isn’t more freely available on the internet as it would help to dispel so many of the rumours and disseminate the back-stabbing that surrounds the Steiner Corporation.
Steiner runs cruise ship spas for over 160 cruise ship companies with an average fleet size of around 35 vessels per company. There are also 65 land-based spas that are connected with Steiner, not to mention the countless hundreds of elemis franchise spas there are out there, which shows the scope of opportunity that becomes available to you once you embark upon a career with Steiner.
Once you are successful in your Steiner interview and go on to training you will have an exam to sit (as previously mentioned) which will test your product knowledge and other information that is found in your pre-learning pack as well as having to give a presentation to the board of directors of Steiner.
This presentation will be based on a colleague and what you have learned about them and it will decide which ship company you will be placed with. When preparing for your presentation think about the ship companies that you want to be placed with and consider the qualities that the directors will be looking for when placing individuals with that brand, for instance a Disney spa therapist will likely be very bubbly, with an effervescent personality and a huge smile, whereas a celebrity cruise therapist will be a little more demure, immaculately put together with a clear and concise presenting voice. How you come across in this presentation has the capacity to affect not only how much you enjoy your contract but also how much you earn, as the more luxurious the ship, the higher the capacity for earning money is likely to be. As well as deciding the ship you will be placed on it will also decide the course in which you will do your specialist training and, therefore, the treatment that you will be performing the most on the ship. Each therapist specialises in one type of treatment and this becomes their ‘signature’ treatment, that will be performed back to back on sea days, though on port days if you are working you are usually allowed more flexibility.
When going into training pack everything that you will need on the cruise ships as you won’t be able to return home between your academy experience and your embarkation to the ship. Although technically training can last as long as 12 weeks it is unlikely to range further than between 3 and 5 weeks, depending on your own performance and how many places become available on the ships at which times. You are usually given the details of your ship and travel itinerary on a Thursday or Friday and will usually fly out on a Saturday, as this tends to time in with most cruise embarkations.
In terms of training the official timetable that I was given was Monday through Sunday (7 days per week), from 9am to 5.30pm, though this is liable to changes, so don’t make any plans that aren’t easily re-arranged whilst at the YMCA. It’s also worth noting that guests have very limited access at the YMCA and are only allowed in the downstairs bar.
In terms of travel time don’t expect a nice settling in period once you reach your ship. Typically you will land fairly late on in your port of embarkation, spend a night at a hotel which is pre booked by Steiner and then travel to meet your greeter at a pre-arranged time the next morning. After a small tour and allocation of your room they aim to have you in work by 2pm on your 1st day on ship. Pretty fast paced, so you’re likely to fare better if you are forewarned, and a good first impression will likely help you a lot!
The hours expected are as follows;
Maximum of 14 hours working in 24 hours
Maximum of 70 hours working in 7 days
Minimum of 10 hours rest in 24 hours
Minimum of 77 hours rest in 7 days
There are usually 2-3 sea days per cruise though this will vary, you are entitled to 1.5 days off in a 7 day period and this will always be given on a port day.
Once on the ship you have your own treatment room and everything in it becomes your responsibility, including the cleaning and re-stocking of products and equiptment.
The most commonly asked question is about pay with Steiner, and it’s important to note that there have been some big changes this year. Pay is still mostly commission based on both retail and services, with each therapist taking no commission on the first $35 of the day for both. Put simply if you sell a $65 product you only take commission on $30 dollars of it…after that you get commission on every product you sell that day. The same goes for services and the $35 pre commission is on both, not shared between the two. Services commission is set at 2% minimum where retail is set at 9% minimum so selling products is where the money is at! There is also an auto-gratuity of 15% on every service which goes directly to you via the spa, any additional tips will be received in cash and are yours to keep as well.
You will be set targets to reach per cruise and these are in monetary values. Targets are combined for both services and retail and often, hitting or exceeding these targets will earn you special treats like short shifts of a little extra time off.
There is also a basic salary that has now been introduced, but it’s a little weird so I’ll explain it long term. If, in a 30 day period you as a therapist do not earn $1000 from your commission and auto-gratuity alone then Steiner will make up the shortfall so that you have earned $1000. If, in a 30 day period you as a therapist do earn $1000 from your commission and auto-gratuity alone then Steiner will pay you an extra $77.36 in basic salary, on top of whatever you have earned yourself.
On your first contract Steiner will always pay for your flight out to join the ship, however they will only pay for your return flight home if you complete a full contract, so keep this in mind when the going gets a little tough. You will be covered for dental care (except cleaning and cosmetic) and will have free health care while on the ship, though this doesn’t cover extreme sports and other such fun you may get up to in your down time! All beauty, massage, nail, and hair treatments are free for Steiner staff, as well as gym membership and (some) classes. It is however a good idea to buy products where you can and tip your therapist/stylist as they are making no money otherwise and that’s just rude.
Outside of the Steiner strong hold you also get a 25% discount on drinks in the passenger area and items in the mall as well as a minimum 50% discount on shore excursions.
A visual breakdown of all the costs involved with procuring your place on board a Steiner ship is found below and is accurate for late summer 2013.
That’s all I can really think to tell you, hope it’s helpful!
massageonthehighseas 