1. Submit your resume to Plymouth Auctioneering
2. Your resume will be reviewed and appropriate candidates will be contacted for an interview.
3. All candidates who pass the interview process successfully will be invited to the Park West Academy training program at either Park West Gallery in Southfield, Michigan or Miami Lakes, Florida.
4. All invited applicants must complete a background investigation, drug screen, and medical exam. All applicants from any country other than the United States must obtain a C1/D visa. If everything advances without any problems, each applicant proceeds to training as scheduled.
5. Applicants fly at their own expense to the training site. Park West pays for all accommodations, transportation, breakfast and lunch while at training.
6. Each applicant is evaluated at shore side training to determine if they should be assigned to a ship. Park West pays for the trainee's flight to their first ship assignment as an Associate Art Auctioneer.

    

While the majority of candidates receive an official offer of assignment and proceed to a ship, there are occasions where it is deemed that the applicant is not a good fit. This is typically a mutual determination, and candidates who have not moved on have told us the training was some of the best they had ever received and that the experience was invaluable.

While most expenses during initial training are covered by Park West, minimal expenses are required. These expenses include but are not limited to the following:

Pre-Training Requirements:

• Passport
• Medical exam
• Necessary visas (only for non-US residents)

Training Expenses

• Airfare to the training site
• Dinner during training

The costs covered by Park West are:

• Hotel room for duration of training in either Southfield or Miami Lakes
• Breakfasts and lunches during training
• All training and training materials
• Transportation to and from the hotel to the training site
• Flight to your first cruise ship assignment upon passing training

Because Park West caters to an ever-changing demographic of clientele worldwide, candidates with a wide variety of backgrounds have gone on to become very successful auctioneers. Prior auctioneering experience is not required. Knowledge of art history and art mediums is a plus, but is not required. Due to the unique talent and skill-set required of this position, we provide comprehensive training, a paid apprenticeship, and an incredible sales organization with opportunity for advancement to ensure your success.

Successful auctioneers have come from an eclectic background, and many have bridged the gap between skills from a previous career path to becoming an art auction sales professional very well. There is a certain "performance" aspect to being a successful auctioneer, as you must be able to maintain the attention and entertain large crowds of 300+ people. Many former occupations of our auctioneers include.

• Entertainers
• Art Historians
• Teachers
• Attorneys
• Musicians
• Comedians
• Television Hosts
• Entrepreneurs

If you feel that you...

• are somewhat of an entertainer
• are entrepreneurial in spirit
• are a good public speaker
• are competitive and always strive to be #1
• are at your best in a fast-paced and exciting work environment
• enjoy traveling, experiencing other cultures, and taking on a higher level of responsibility
• enjoy enriching the lives of others
• appreciate being rewarded through performance based compensation

...then we would like to hear from you.

Qualified candidates should...

• possess strong public speaking skills
• be extremely outgoing, full of energy and enthusiastic
• be coach able and have the willingness and desire to learn
• have the ability to manage a staff and work in a multi-national environment
• have personable demeanor and professional appearance
• have the ability to work 4-6 months consecutively, worldwide, on a luxury cruise ship
• be proficient in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Power Point)
• have demonstrated sales experience (preferred, but not required)
• have a college degree (preferred, but not required)

Selection is highly competitive, but is not limited to experienced sales professionals. We do extend offers to entry-level applicants with the appropriate qualifications.

No, you do not need to be an art expert to be considered. However, you will need to know the particulars behind each of the artists and works you will represent prior to joining a ship. Park West also gives you incredible resources throughout your training to help you become more knowledgeable about art, aesthetics, art history, art mediums, etc to help further your success. Our successful auctioneers, who all came from a variety of backgrounds, often receive very positive feedback from clients regarding the amount of art knowledge they have shared with them on their cruise.

Anything art related you need to know will be covered during your training course; the comprehensive Park West Academy training course provides the key details needed to sell and present the artwork to clients.

In addition to the art related training, public speaking and world class sales training will be provided.
Check out what many of our recent trainees have to say...

As a professional Art Auctioneer, you will be expected to broaden your art knowledge and master your craft. You must also develop a comprehensive understanding of art history, including extensive study of some of the great masters including Picasso, Chagall, Miro, Dali, and Rembrandt. Part of our program also involves hosting seminars and providing cultural enrichment for our collectors. As Park West brings art to people from all walks of life, we also encourage those with diverse "non art" backgrounds to apply. Through self-motivated study, many of our auctioneers have become entrenched in the cultural richness of the visual arts, more confident in their own aesthetic appreciation of the arts, and have become quite successful. Through their own journey from little art knowledge to developing a strong passion for the arts, our top auctioneers have learned to bridge the gap between the insular art world and everyday people.

All members of the shipboard art department are independent contractors, meaning they are self-employed. This relationship allows for flexibility in managing the onboard business, scheduling, contract assignments, and is the ideal opportunity for the young entrepreneur. Plymouth Auctioneering contracts Art Department staff to sell artwork for Park West Gallery. All members of the art staff must sign an independent contractor's agreement prior to attending training. This document insures that those asked to represent Park West understand the full commitment and responsibilities of being an independent contractor.

Contract lengths range from 4 - 6 months. You will be expected to remain on board for the length of the contract. Between contracts, you are allowed a well deserved and lengthy break. Breaks equate to approximately one week per month spent on the ship. The typical break is 4 - 6 weeks. You are not on the ship during the break.

You will be expected to remain on board for approximately six months continuously. Unlike land based employment, the Art Department will not have entire days off while at sea, weekends and holidays included. However, there will be ample opportunity for you to relax and/or venture off the ship during the many days the ships visit international ports of call.

A fantastic perk of working onboard a cruise ship is the extended vacation period at the end of a contract. These vacation periods do vary in length but frequently last between 4 - 6 weeks.

Plymouth Auctioneering and Park West Gallery work with most major cruise lines, including Royal Caribbean (RCI), Carnival, Norwegian Cruise Lines (NCL), Celebrity, Regent, and Holland America. Park West hosts fine art auctions on approximately 50 cruise ships around the world.

Plymouth Auctioneering places its independent contractors all over the world. In the past, cruise lines operated primarily in the Caribbean and/or Mediterranean markets. Today, ships for which Park West Gallery provides fine art auctions cruise virtually all over the world with destinations located in Alaska, Mexico, Asia, Australia, South America, the Baltic along with new ports arising on a regular basis.

This is unlikely, as you will not have the skill-set necessary to perform at the level expected of our auctioneers. After completing shore side training, successful trainees will advance into the role of Associate Auctioneer. Associate Auctioneers enjoy hands on training while learning to successfully market, produce, lecture, sell and auction fine artwork. This should be considered an extension of training, where you are paid to apprentice. This is typically the most valuable part of training that leads to becoming a successful Principal Auctioneer. In fact, many of our most accomplished auctioneers attribute their success to this invaluable portion of the training.

The Principal Auctioneer position is promoted directly from the pool of Associate Auctioneers currently honing their skills with Principal Auctioneers on cruise ships worldwide. Before becoming a Principal Auctioneer, experience as an Associate Auctioneer with consistently high performance ratings and sales success is required. Succeeding as an Auctioneer is directly related to an Associate's learning, hard work, dedication, and demonstrated success during his training with a Principal Auctioneer on a ship.