Host Academy receives significantly more applications than it can accept. In a typical year, around one in five applicants is offered a place. Being turned down does not mean you are not suited to a career at sea. In most cases it means the documented evidence in your application was not yet strong enough to compete against the pool of applicants for that cohort.

The most common reason is a lack of documented cooking or hospitality experience. Host Academy students cook for real paying guests from day one. We have to be confident in your ability before we put you in that environment, and when the field is competitive, the application with the stronger cooking track record takes the spot.

Other reasons can include an incomplete application, availability that does not fit the cohort calendar, or a concern raised during the initial review that was not resolved.

If the feedback from your application points to cooking experience as the issue, Galley Academy is the most direct route to strengthening it. Galley Academy is a 7-day intensive culinary course designed for people who want to cook at sea but do not yet have the documented kitchen background Host Academy requires.

By the end of the week you will have:

An instructor assessment from one of our own courses carries real weight in a Host Academy application. It is not a guaranteed route in, but it is the strongest thing you can do to improve your chances.

See: I want to join Host Academy but don't have professional cooking experience. Can Galley Academy help?

You are welcome to re-apply for a future cohort. If you do, update your profile with any new cooking experience or training since your last application, and address any specific feedback we gave you in writing. Applications that directly respond to previous feedback tend to fare better on review.

If you would like to discuss your application outcome or explore your options, write to us at info@quarterdeck.co. We are happy to be direct about what would strengthen a future application.

QD Team