Thinking about a career off-shore? Dreaming of living the high life working on a superyacht? There are a host of different paths you can take; from deckhands and watersport instructors to steward/ess’, engineers and beauticians. Whichever route you decide to take, wilsonhalligan can assist you in your job search at every stage of your career but here we’ve compiled the basics of what you need to know when first starting out.
Basic requirements for working onboard a yacht/superyacht:
A good starting point is to gain your STCW95 & ENG1 medical certificate – an essential requirement for all yacht crew. There are many courses available across the UK – a simple google search will locate your nearest course location.
Depending on the route you choose to take, onshore experience that can help enhance your CV includes:
– Interior roles: Hospitality experience is essential for your CV and is experience that can be gained from a young age.
– Deckhand roles: Watersports experience and general boat handling will go a long way.
– Engineering roles: As well as engineering qualifications etc, alternatively, some engineers enter the yachting industry having worked in the commercial sector previously.
Where to get a yacht crew job
We would always recommend going to Antibes to kick-start the job search and build up your initial experience from the off. Being in Antibes has many advantages such as being in the area for face-to-face interviews and to obtain day work to boost your CV, experience and references.
Try to keep open minded when looking for your first position – a sailing yacht may not be what you had in mind, but you could end up loving it, and finding your career heading in a different direction to what you had thought previously! In our own experience, one job can open the door to many other opportunities and progression, so try not to be too picky about the types of jobs that are offered to you.
If you manage to get day work, this a good time to try and impress. Be punctual, helpful and enthusiastic – even if they don’t have a permanent position on board, having a good reference can do wonders for applying to other yachts.
It is possible to find work from home, however it is easier once you have that initial experience to then use a recruitment agency such as wilsonhalligan to find your next position.
Read more on this subject in our article ‘Do you have to be in a major yachting center to find a yachting job?’ https://www.wilsonhalligan.com/major-yachting-centre-find-yachting-job/ – it is possible to find work from home.
What’s it like working as yacht crew?
There’s no use in sugarcoating it, working in the industry is hard work!! You may go months without a day off, you are away from home for long periods at a time, and yes, you may have to clean a toilet with a toothpick! However, you will also have amazing experiences during this time, some say the best in their life! You will meet interesting people, make friends for life, and travel to new, exotic places.
Our tips for working as yacht crew:
Be prepared to work hard, learn fast and be a good team player – your crew will be your family whilst on board – this doesn’t mean that you have to be best friends with everyone, but show respect and remember that you are there to ensure that the guests have the best possible experience.
The wilsonhalligan team have a wealth of first-hand experience working on board yachts in a number of positions so if you would like any advice or help with your job search, please don’t hesitate to get in touch here.
Alternatively, we are now running live chats on our website every Wednesday where our team will be available to chat with you directly online. Simply visit our website on Wednesday and our live chat will pop up!