Author Topic: Touring as a Married Couple  (Read 4030 times)

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MidwestSM

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Touring as a Married Couple
« on: Feb 07, 2014, 11:20 am »
My husband and I are at the end of our lease and looking into what comes next for our careers...and our lives together.
We are currently looking into going on a tour or a cruise because we don't have any attachments and we could use the money and experience of working as hard and long as the crews on tours/cruises do. The catch is - How do we get hired on the same show or ship?
Do we apply together? Mention the other in our cover letters? Should we just send resumes so that they get them at the same time and the company will put together that we are married?

Any advice on how or where to apply is really appreciated.
Thanks!

KMC

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Re: Touring as a Married Couple
« Reply #1 on: Feb 07, 2014, 12:50 pm »
All of my comments below are speaking specifically to the cruise market.

Should we just send resumes so that they get them at the same time and the company will put together that we are married?
Never AssUMe these things.  I'd outline it in your cover letter(s) and state specifically you're looking to work together.

This will be a challenge for myriad reasons. 

Let's assume that you are both qualified and are both offered a position (a huge assumption - I don't mean that in a negative way - but a necessary one for the discussion).  The likelihood of an SM and a sound tech opening at the same time on the same ship is very small, and frankly contracts are specifically scheduled to avoid this situation whenever possible - not good to have several key players of your tech team turn over on the same day.  The likelihood of you both being qualified for that same ship if openings do occur at the same time narrows the possibility further.

But, let's assume all of the above works out and you manage to get on the same ship at the same time.  Most cruise lines have different contract lengths for SMs and technicians.  If you are an SM and hubby is a tech, it will be a serious challenge to line your contracts up so you sign on/off at the same time, from both a contract perspective and from the perspective above about not having several key players of your team leave close together.  There can be some flexibility there, but be prepared to be out of sync by 4-6 weeks.  On the ship it becomes another challenge, with cabins/berthing etc. - but that is usually able to be worked around.

It creates a number of headaches challenges for the cruise line which often times can leave employees feeling neglected, insignificant, frustrated, etc... - and it's not out of malice or apathy, it's just the reality of it.  If it was my decision I'd honestly be wary of going down this road with a married couple.  If one or both of you are absolute rock stars from a talent perspective, then a cruise line is going to be more apt to make it happen - but if you're on par with other candidates who don't come with all of the above strings attached then it wouldn't make sense.

I'm not saying this to discourage you, and a married couple definitely has more clout than folks who are dating or in a relationship, just know that life at sea is definitely more suited to single and unattached people. 

All of this said?  I have seen it happen.
« Last Edit: Feb 07, 2014, 01:24 pm by KMC »
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LizzG

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Re: Touring as a Married Couple
« Reply #2 on: Feb 09, 2014, 07:24 am »
As far as touring goes, you have a hard road ahead of you.

I would certainly mention the fact that you would like to tour together in your cover letters.  It's hard to find a touring job in general, especially when you don't have any touring experience, and adding on wanting to be hired as a couple makes it even harder to find a job.  Not to say that there aren't some benefits for a company to hire a couple - saving on rooming costs, employee happiness, etc.  Being a bit flexible would probably be your best bet.

Being willing to do several different jobs on a tour would certainly work in your favor - IE if you're ok working as a PSM or an ASM or as props or as a carpenter, etc. 

If you get hired but your husband does not, is he willing to travel along with you as your 'road husband' or vice versa?  It could help you break into the touring industry, and if a spot happened to open up on your tour that he could fill, he would certainly have an in if the company liked you!

loebtmc

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Re: Touring as a Married Couple
« Reply #3 on: Feb 09, 2014, 05:25 pm »
I've observed locally on three or four tours where couples travelled together. Interesting to note, the only one with a female PSM had a non-theater hubby who came along with the dog cuz this is someone with major cred and years of touring behind her. The others were carps/technicians who brought wives, and those women found ways to be useful. In all cases, when a PA position opened up they got it, and when I met them each were the back-up or 2nd ASM on their tours.

In other words, always in different departments so they didn't report to each other, and usually the guy being the touring ME or carp or prop master or whatever.

Not that it means anything in your case, just interesting to note -