How to become a Captain on a Viking River Longship

Would you like to be part of the most extensive River fleet in Europe and sail a Viking Longship?
Are you interested in working on an unlimited Swiss contract in 4 weeks on / 4 weeks off rotation?
Do you want to spend six months every year at home and have your work closer to where you live?
Do you like to work with people and be part of diverse teams?
Are you looking for a new challenge ?
If the answer to those questions is yes, you should consider joining Viking Maritime College, where
already in 18 months, you can take the position of First Officer within the Viking Fleet.

You will get a Swiss contract with all its benefits from the beginning of your journey. You will start as a
Second Officer in training with a one-year training program onboard our Training Ship. You will work in 4
weeks on / 2 weeks off system (double-occupancy cabin), and the first 12 months will focus on getting all the
knowledge and practice to become a licensed River Captain.

After 180 days of sailing and completing the necessary exams, you will be promoted to the Second Officer
position and join one of our ships sailing on the Rhine River. After 6 to 12 months, you can finalize two more
exams and, with enough sailing experience, get promoted to the First Officer position. You can choose to
work in 4 weeks on / 4 weeks off system (single occupancy cabin), and you are on an excellent way to
becoming a Viking Captain.

 
By joining the Viking College Maritime program, you will get an unlimited Swiss contract as a Second
Officer in training All the social benefits are paid (pension, unemployment insurance, child allowance,
etc.) You join a training, where a group of Viking trainers will guide you through in-person and online
classes, language learning, maneuvering onboard and in a simulator, learning the Rhine knowledge and
VHF. You will also get German language classes to learn river speak and terms used on the Rhine. During
the program, you will regularly visit other ships and join simulator training in world-leading educational
facilities. If you do not speak German, we will also organize German classes for you.

The whole first year of the contract you will spend only on the training. Viking will cover all costs of
education and official state exams that follow. As soon as you have mastered the maneuvering of the
Viking Longships, you will be joining various ships and learning from our best Captains. The second part
of your training is focused on learning about the stretch of the Rhine River.

Expectations

From the candidates who would like to join the program, we expect the following:

 Min. 500 days experience as part of deck crew on an ocean-going vessel

 maneuvering experience
 Good knowledge of English (German or Dutch is an asset)
 Medical examination and sailor book suited for Inland waterways which can be obtained upon
the start of the contract in the harbor in either Germany or the Netherlands
 Experience on a cruise ship is an asset but not a must

If you are interested to apply, please do so online via our career site, under the 2 nd Officer position:

https://www.vikingcareers.com/job/RIVER-2nd-Officer/538396201/