The ultimate guide to becoming superyacht crew

There are a plethora of reasons why more and more people are packing their bags and opting for a career at sea aboard a luxury yacht. After all, few jobs exist where you can be offered expense-free living, (often) tax-free salaries and desirable voyages around the world to exotic locations.

Factor in the meeting of interesting people, the opportunity to enjoy unique experiences and the memories you'll create, the prospect of working as superyacht crew is incredibly appealing.

yacht crew on board

A career at sea is a fantastic way to sample a unique lifestyle for a few years whilst saving plenty of cash for later life. But, of course, there aren’t quite enough superyachts out there yet for everyone to land that coveted crew job. So, how do you give yourself the best possible chance of standing out and securing a role on board?

Here we cover the essential steps and need-to-know information to give you the best possible chance of becoming superyacht crew.

Make sure you can work on a superyacht

It might sound slightly condescending, but, as with many other unique industries, not everyone is quite cut out for this line of work. As luxurious as it can be made to sound, there's a lot of hard, stressful, physically and mentally demanding work to be done as a crew member.

You’re often dealing with very wealthy, powerful owners and UHNWIs (ultra-high-net-worth-individuals) and their families, as well as serving their likely rich-and-powerful guests. Needless to say, they can be very expectant.

The hours – particularly when guests are on board – are typically very long. When you do get the chance to rest, you’re sleeping in shared cabins, away from home for extended periods of time, and personal privacy becomes a rarity. You have to be able to handle this whilst maintaining the high spirits and optimum levels of service.

Then, there are the formalities: Have you got the correct visas? Correct training? Any tattoos? Are you a smoker? These are all important factors that could impact your chances of securing a position on board.

In could you work on a superyacht? we list eight questions to ask yourself before deciding whether a superyacht career is for you.

yachts berthed

Understand the different roles aboard and how you would fit in to them

The term ‘yacht crew’ refers to at least a dozen-or-so different roles on a superyacht. Some are more hospitality-focused, such as a steward or stewardess, while others are more skill-based, such as an engineer.

Whilst you may be planning to enter the industry as a deckhand or junior stew and work your way up, it’s important to understand the roles, duties, and responsibilities of all crew on board. Check out our guide on yacht crew positions and contracts for a complete rundown of what each role entails, as well as the average salary and main responsibilities.

Get trained up!

The marine industry is awash with crew training providers and a range of courses and certifications – some of which are mandatory, such as the ENG1 and STCW, while others will simply help you obtain a more desirable skillset. Find out which training you will need to undertake in our article, The right crew training for the right crew member.

Remember, having additional skills, languages and a busy personal life listed on your CV is a huge help in making you stand out from the sea of other applicants. So, consider which, if any, additional courses may help you in obtaining and succeeding in your chosen role before you actively start looking for work.

Get yourself out there!

Getting the mandatory crew training is a great start in your yacht job search, but is your crew CV as good as it could be? Are you looking for work at the right time and in the right place? Are you sufficiently prepared for your interviews? How does a superyacht crew job interview even play out? It’s important to consider all these things before hitting the dock.

Dubai Harbour Marina

It's logical to start with your crew CV. As with many things in the superyacht industry, there are some key differences between a CV in the corporate world and the marine/superyacht world, so we’ve written our own guide tailored towards writing a CV for work in the superyacht industry.

To find a position on board, it's recommended to move to the yachting hubs and hiring ports of the world, and networking in the local yachtie hangouts to get yourself noticed. The South of France and the Balearics are popular options.

Different yachting hotspots have their peak periods, as we discuss in depth in our How to choose the right hiring port article. Only experienced senior crew are likely to ever be flown out for interviews; so unless that's your forte, you’ll need to make sure you're on the ground in your chosen port, and as accessible as possible to potential interviewers.

Your yachting career will likely begin with daywork: Single, one-off jobs for a bit of cash and a nugget of valuable experience. If you do a good job, you might even get called back for further work. That's how it can all begin!

It’s time to nail the interview!

Job interviews aren’t the most enjoyable of experiences, regardless of the industry you’re entering. It's daunting and obviously rejection is never pleasant.

But, when you’ve gone to the effort of relocating yourself to search for crew work, and you’ve paid good money for multiple training courses and medical certifications, falling at the last hurdle hits even harder.

As a first-time yachtie, expecting a job offer for every interview you attend is unrealistic, but with some simple guidelines and advice, you can ensure you’re as well prepared as you possibly can be.

Much like crew CVs, job interviews can be a little different in the superyacht industry too. We go more in-depth on this topic in our How to succeed in a yacht job interview article, where you’ll learn what’s typically expected of yacht crew candidates at interview, amongst essential tips for the big day. 

Good luck!

There are easier jobs to find in the world than a superyacht crew role – we all know that – but the amazing stories and experiences we hear from past and present crew are a testament to how those who put the hard work in really do reap the rewards. It can take time, but crew recruitment is worth it.

You can take a look at the crew agents listings here on Yachtingpages.com for agencies that can greatly assist in your search for a career in yachting. Alternatively, you can browse crew training companies for courses you'll need to get into the industry.

We wish all prospective crew the very best of luck in their job search!


Read other crew-related articles and guides in our specialist Crew Training and Crew Corner content libraries.

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