There are three stages to the selection process for our Summer Mariner Program:

First Stage: January 31 - March 31
Applicants send in their cover letter and application. We send a postcard to each applicant to let them know their paperwork arrived and is being assessed for suitability.

Second Stage: March 15-April 10
We contact any remaining candidates and interview them to determine suitability.

Final Section: April 10-15
Upon final review, the best candidates are selected and offered positions.

To be honest, most people don't like the hard work required aboard our ships, and a lot of people are simply physically or mentally incapable of doing it. Our vetting process includes psychological screening, a criminal background check, a reference check, and drug testing to help weed out people who would not be a good fit for job—saving everyone a lot of time and effort. It’s expensive for us to train new mariners. We don't want to start training someone just to have them quit after a few days.

If someone does well on one Aleutian trip, we’ll offer them another. If they don't do well, don't want to sail again, or fail the training (all of which can happen), we give them a plane ticket home.

Anyone who does well their first summer can sail with us the next summer, but without the need for the training part next time.