Seeking employment
Crewing agencies should never charge you for finding work. Fraudsters looking to take advantage of crew may have a number of different objectives ranging from identity theft to financial theft. Most scams depend on the offer of jobs that require little or no qualifications or training, but which pay high wages, attract large tips or provide terms and conditions above the norm.
You should be particularly cautious if any of the following apply to your recruitment process:Â
- Any requests for payment in return for work, including payments that may be disguised as registration fees or medical costs, for exampleÂ
- Receiving unsolicited job offers by e-mailÂ
- Poorly written job adverts with spelling mistakes or incorrect grammarÂ
It is always good practice to seek professional advice about a job offer if you have reason to be concerned or if this is your first role on board. If you are using an agency, ensure they are MLC-compliant – this should be noted on their website along with their MLC statement.
If you are concerned about anything that could relate to a recruitment scam, contact us at any time:Â
- SeafarerHelp – for all seafarers and their families
- YachtCrewHelp – for yacht crew
Resources
For seafarers:
Always ensure that you go to a government-registered crewing agency for your next contract. Visit the ITF Seafarers website for more information on crewing agents, and visit the ITFShipBeSure website for advice on finding a manning agent, avoiding recruitment scams and ensuring you have the right contract.
- If you are a seafarer from India, the list of registered crewing agencies is available on the Directorate General of Shipping’s website.
- If you are a seafarer from the Philippines, the list of registered crewing agencies is available on the Office of Consular Affairs website
- If you are a seafarer from Ukraine, the list of licensed employment agencies is available on the Ministry of Social Policy of Ukraine’s website
- If you are a seafarer from Bangladesh, the list of approved crewing agencies is available on the Department of Shipping’s website
For yacht crew:
The following organisations can help ensure you identify a fraud before it’s too late and they might be able to help if you do become a victim of fraud through a recruitment process:
