jackotheclown Posted November 13, 2013 Share Posted November 13, 2013 So I finally got a cruise ship gig and I have been told that I have to have a medical (obviously). Its with Carnival and the have set medical practices that you have to go through and I've been quoted £450/500 pounds for mine at a place down in London. Carnival don't reimburse you for this just the visa. I thought this amount was a lot but the agency says its a decent quote, I have the appointment booked for Tuesday next week, if someone can tell me if this is a good/bad deal I will be very grateful! - Jack Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted November 13, 2013 Share Posted November 13, 2013 Why do you need a medical? £500??? taking the P Get a medical from your GP. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyfisher Posted November 13, 2013 Share Posted November 13, 2013 I suppose it depends on what sort of tests they're insisting on. I've had medicals for scuba insurance for £45 and a long time ago for a pilot licence course for not much more. Have you asked your GP if they can do the tests? You'll still have to pay but it might be cheaper. Also, have you tried to get it done in Manchester, which might be cheaper than London? This link suggests that cruise ship employment medicals are 'very extensive' but even so it states: [i]Who pays for the medical? This varies for each position some the applicant has to pay in full, some are part paid by the employer and some the employer pays for it all. The total cost can vary from £130 up to £220.[/i] http://www.cast-a-way.co.uk/faqs.php#medicals If that's correct then your quote is looking expensive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jackotheclown Posted November 13, 2013 Author Share Posted November 13, 2013 Well they have set practices I guess some of the practitioners work with the cruise lines though, so I can't just go to my GP. But yeah £500, sucks.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Les Posted November 13, 2013 Share Posted November 13, 2013 500 quid for a medical When you said cruise ship I thought you were playing in the band not driving the f******r Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve-bbb Posted November 13, 2013 Share Posted November 13, 2013 sounds like cronyism Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyfisher Posted November 13, 2013 Share Posted November 13, 2013 [quote name='jackotheclown' timestamp='1384362751' post='2275728'] Well they have set practices [/quote] What do you mean by 'set practices' though? I can understand they require a specific set of tests, but 'set practices' sounds a bit like a shady closed-shop type rip-off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted November 13, 2013 Share Posted November 13, 2013 You're being ripped off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jackotheclown Posted November 13, 2013 Author Share Posted November 13, 2013 Well i mean like the cruise line I will be working for (Carnival) have a list of clinics I can choose from do have a medical with. I can't just go to my local GP. I'm based in Manchester now and the nearest one is in Blackpool, but with me going down to London anyhow to get my Visa I thought I would tie the two in together. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Les Posted November 13, 2013 Share Posted November 13, 2013 Jacko it is what it is I suppose if you want the gig. Do you have any pre-existing conditions ?? I'm diabetic and couldn't for the life of me see this making a difference but before I chucked £500 at the medical I would be asking the question, if you see what I mean ? Les Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xilddx Posted November 13, 2013 Share Posted November 13, 2013 [quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1384362590' post='2275723'] Why do you need a medical? £500??? taking the P Get a medical from your GP. [/quote] Sounds like a disgraceful rip off doesn't it. It reeks of an exploitative 'strategic partnership'. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyfisher Posted November 13, 2013 Share Posted November 13, 2013 [quote name='Les' timestamp='1384365023' post='2275768'] Jacko it is what it is I suppose if you want the gig. Do you have any pre-existing conditions ?? I'm diabetic and couldn't for the life of me see this making a difference but before I chucked £500 at the medical I would be asking the question, if you see what I mean ? Les [/quote] Very good point . . . . especially with £500 at stake. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
icastle Posted November 13, 2013 Share Posted November 13, 2013 It's certainly a lot of money for a bog standard medical and I think I'd want to know exactly what they're testing for that £500 (plus VAT of course). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTUK Posted November 13, 2013 Share Posted November 13, 2013 It's a rake off ...... Of course they have preferred practioners ..... I think you can ask what is so special about 'their' medical, but I doubt they will be willing to tell you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul_5 Posted November 13, 2013 Share Posted November 13, 2013 [quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1384362590' post='2275723'] £500??? taking the P [/quote] Presumably they'll provide a suitable receptacle though, I'd expect so for that money! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lowdown Posted November 13, 2013 Share Posted November 13, 2013 (edited) Unusual that Carnival don't swallow the cost. Depends on the line/company really, but some do pay these fees. The new Queen Lizzy Theatre, and a ship worth doing. A view from the office. [size=4][/size] Edited November 13, 2013 by lowdown Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobbytodd Posted November 13, 2013 Share Posted November 13, 2013 jeez that's expensive I thought my hgv medical was steep at £130 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kiwi Posted November 13, 2013 Share Posted November 13, 2013 [quote name='jackotheclown' timestamp='1384362751' post='2275728'] Well they have set practices I guess some of the practitioners work with the cruise lines though, so I can't just go to my GP. But yeah £500, sucks.. [/quote] They don't need to be endorsed by the cruise lines to be competent. You only need to be assessed by a competent doctor. You might even have grounds for a professional complaint to the [url="http://www.gmc-uk.org/"]General Medical Council[/url] if you have reason to believe the doctors are profiteering. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dingus Posted November 13, 2013 Share Posted November 13, 2013 Ostensibly at least, the reason for the medical is firstly to see that you are in good shape to fulfil the contract and therefore less likely to pose any potential problems one the cruise work begins, but more importantly than that , you need to have a medical to satisfy the private medical insurance that covers the ship and its' employees. You cannot be insured for any chronic pre-existing conditions under the standard cover provided . and this is potentially very problematic if such conditions are undisclosed and become apparent once you are at sea in the employ of the cruise line , so the insurance company will want some effort at least to weed out potential liabilities. As for costing £500, nothing to do with private medicine is ever cheap , or indeed even reasonably priced. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lowdown Posted November 13, 2013 Share Posted November 13, 2013 (edited) [quote name='jackotheclown' timestamp='1384360870' post='2275702'] So I finally got a cruise ship gig and I have been told that I have to have a medical (obviously). Its with Carnival and the have set medical practices that you have to go through and I've been quoted £450/500 pounds for mine at a place down in London. Carnival don't reimburse you for this just the visa. I thought this amount was a lot but the agency says its a decent quote, I have the appointment booked for Tuesday next week, if someone can tell me if this is a good/bad deal I will be very grateful! - Jack [/quote] I have done a few ships, and Dingus above is on the nail. Although I have not done one for a while, I can't ever remember paying my own fees (however much they were) They were covered by the company(s) Worth a look. [url="http://www.oceanbound.com/medical-exams-for-cruise-ship-jobs"]http://www.oceanboun...ruise-ship-jobs[/url] Edited November 13, 2013 by lowdown Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
machinehead Posted November 13, 2013 Share Posted November 13, 2013 I did a medical a few months back for working offshore. The cost was £150 and the company paid it. I passed. Frank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyfisher Posted November 13, 2013 Share Posted November 13, 2013 (edited) [quote name='Dingus' timestamp='1384371191' post='2275902'] Ostensibly at least, the reason for the medical is firstly to see that you are in good shape to fulfil the contract and therefore less likely to pose any potential problems one the cruise work begins, but more importantly than that , you need to have a medical to satisfy the private medical insurance that covers the ship and its' employees. You cannot be insured for any chronic pre-existing conditions under the standard cover provided . and this is potentially very problematic if such conditions are undisclosed and become apparent once you are at sea in the employ of the cruise line , so the insurance company will want some effort at least to weed out potential liabilities. [/quote] No problem with any of that, a lot of it applies to personal private medical cover as well as company medical schemes etc. [quote name='Dingus' timestamp='1384371191' post='2275902'] As for costing £500, nothing to do with private medicine is ever cheap , or indeed even reasonably priced. [/quote] Maybe, but according to the link I found above and the experiences of many BCers, £500 is looking a lot like a complete pi$$ take. Their rules though, so the OP might not have any choice. Let's hope the job pays really well to compensate. Edited November 13, 2013 by flyfisher Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cupples Posted November 13, 2013 Share Posted November 13, 2013 (edited) Somebody's making a lot of cash! As a GP, there is the option to do private medical work, for which the BMA publish a suggested list of charges, usually a range. HGV medicals, for instance, could be anywhere between £30 to £120 for a reasonably in-depth going over. Things like fostering medicals, which have the potential to be complex and need a lot of detail, especially if there are concerns about child abuse, are usually about £30. This sounds like there is a special 'arrangement' to bleed you of as much cash as possible (Unless they're going to MRI your fingers, or something); and it sounds like you can't do much about it, frankly. Kick up a fuss and complain, write letters to the GMC certainly, but I wouldn't expect that they would then employ you... Edit: I assume that these people will then request access to your own GP-held medical record - if they don't, then it's quite obviously indiscriminate shafting. Edited November 13, 2013 by cupples Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ambient Posted November 14, 2013 Share Posted November 14, 2013 Is there an option to privilege your own medical insurance ? I'm guessing that whoever provides their insurance is also something to do with the recommended place for the medical. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyBob09 Posted November 14, 2013 Share Posted November 14, 2013 I've got a cruise contract coming up too with Royal Caribbean. I've just booked my medical with my local GP and they've quoted £89 but I'm thinking it could end up much more expensive. I gave my forms to the receptionist who didn't really read them and read all involved with it and told me the price. On a subject unrelated to cost, can someone assure me that a prostate exam will be nae bother? I'm dreading that! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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