Getting your first job in yachting can feel a bit like trying to prise open the door of a bank vault with a teaspoon.

So how can you increase the odds in your favour?

Are you trying to open the right door?

One of the reasons it can be hard to get into yachting is that so many people are trying to do so at the same time. It’s not difficult to see why. Superyachts are glamorous and luxurious.

You get to travel to some of the best locations in the world, your day-to-day living expenses are covered and you’re paid a healthy salary, possibly tax-free. But plenty of competition for jobs is not the main reason it’s hard to get into yachting.

The truth is, not everyone is suited to life on board a superyacht and many people are sifted out at the recruitment stage. While superyachts are glamorous, working on board them isn’t. The hours are long and the job is physically and mentally demanding.

On top of which, while guests enjoy luxurious private accommodation spaces, you’ll most likely be bunking up with a crew mate in a space not much larger than a cupboard in one of the boat’s guest suites. Such tight quarters create their own mental stresses.

Sadly, these stresses can be made worse by bullying and other anti-social behaviour by crew mates on board. In these circumstances, superyachts can be lonely and miserable places, far from the support of friends and family.

Finally, there are the yacht owners and guests. These are the world’s monied elite, for whom everything is available, anytime, anywhere. You’ll be at their beck and call 24/7, something made far worse with the introduction of voyage WhatsApp groups that give guests direct and immediate access to crew. 

There is nowhere to hide anymore from those demands for instant service. While you’re on board, your life is totally in service of theirs.

Maybe you’ve just read all that and thought to yourself, “I’m not sure I’m cut out for superyachts.”. The reality is that although a career in yachting can provide you with great experiences and is a golden opportunity to build up a significant amount of wealth for yourself, it’s a tough life.

So be honest with yourself. Are you absolutely sure you want that job on a superyacht?

You have to be 100% certain before you step foot on board. Because if you’re not, chances are the recruiter will sense it and reject you. And if they don’t pick up on it and you do land a job, you won’t last long. You’re far better off using your talents for something more meaningful and personally satisfying.

Yes, I want a job on a superyacht

If you’re completely sure this is what you want, then you have to start stacking the odds in your favour. The superyacht industry is very looks-orientated. So you have to be neatly turned out, well-groomed and physically fit. If you have tattoos, cover them up. Remove any facial ironmongery. Keep your hair tidy and conservative. 

Men should be clean shaven. Dress the part. Knee-length shorts and a polo-necked shirt is always a safe combination, in muted colours. And that still may not be enough. 

You won’t have to look hard to find someone who, despite being better qualified, was passed up for a job or a promotion on a superyacht in favour of someone who fit the physical profile better. And by ‘physical profile’ we mean they were good-looking. It’s a hard truth, but that’s the nature of the industry.

So help your odds of success by presenting yourself well.

Be your own ‘plus one’

You might think you need some previous maritime or sailing experience to work on a superyacht. While it won’t hurt, it’s not strictly speaking necessary. Especially if you’re looking to break into the industry and are starting off on the bottom rung.

A sparkling personality and confident disposition will get you a long way. And you may already have many useful skills that will be appealing on a superyacht. Crews are often relatively small, so anyone who can multitask is going to be popular.

Having any of the following skills means a yacht is basically hiring more than one person:

• scuba diving/dive master
• yoga instructor
• personal trainer
• cheffing/cooking (useful for helping to prepare crew meals)
• massage
• small motorboat experience
• medical and first aid training
• hair and make-up
• hospitality experience
• any language in addition to English

And there are plenty of other skills that will appeal to a yacht.

Have your papers in order

If you want to work in yachting, you’ll need three pieces of paper.

Firstly, you need to pass Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping (STCW). It’s fairly easy to do so. The course is offered in many places around the world and usually lasts about a week. You need to do this before you even think of starting to look for a job in yachting.

Employers will expect you to have your STCW cert. Full stop.

Secondly, you’ll have to prove that you are medically fit to work on board a yacht. To do so, you’ll have to pass an ENG1 medical examination. An employer will arrange this for you, but it’s far better if you have already passed one.

It shows you are serious about getting a yachting job. It also shows prospective employers that you have initiative and are proactive, rather than reactive. These are important qualities in superyacht crew. Like STCW training, ENG1 medical examinations are offered in many maritime centres around the world.

The final piece of paper you’ll need is your CV. And you’ll need it in both paper and digital format too. PDF is good. English is the maritime language, so your résumé should also be in English. And we should mention here that if you’re not a native English speaker, you must be fluent in it regardless.

Go where the work is

It’s virtually impossible to get a job in yachting remotely if you’re totally new to the industry. You can’t sit behind a computer at home and hope to land a job. You need to go where the boats are. The biggest concentration of active superyachts is in the Mediterranean in the northern hemisphere’s summer and in the Caribbean in the winter.

Our advice is to either go to Palma in Majorca, Barcelona in Spain, Monaco, San Remo in Italy or, probably best, the Antibes/Cannes area in France, no later than late-March. You can reach all of the yachting ports on the Cote d’Azur and many in northern Italy from Antibes/Cannes, which makes it an ideal place to look for a job.

Be prepared. You might be looking for work for several weeks. So make sure you have the money you’ll need for food and accommodation while you’re job hunting. If you can, have at least enough money to cover you for six weeks.

Be visible to the yacht physically

Once you arrive at your chosen job-seeking location, put yourself about. The prime tried and tested way of getting a job in yachting is to go dockwalking. That’s exactly what it sounds like. Get to the dockside early, 7AM or so, and go along the yachts moored there and ask whether they need help for a day. 

Day work is a valuable way into the industry. Dockwalk every single morning. And if you’re in a central location like Antibes, you can switch your focus so that you’re not exhausting the same quayside all the time.

Apart from the dockside, there are two other great physical locations for aspiring yachties. Crew houses are not only a fabulous place to stay during your job hunt, they are also great networking hubs. It’s here that you’ll make valuable connections and hear of opportunities.

The other place to look to network is in bars that yacht crew go to. In fact, these are good places to pick up a part-time job if you’re allowed to. What better place to be than on the other side of a bar serving and talking to a steady stream of superyacht crew when you’re looking for a job on a yacht?

Lastly, don’t forget to register with as many crewing agencies as you can.

Don’t forget your digital footprint

In addition to the physical world, make sure you are visible in the digital space too. But make sure you’re visible in the right way. Your social media feeds are a reflection of your character and personality. Don’t post anything that could put a superyacht off. And go back through your feed and remove anything that you feel could be taken the wrong way or put you in a bad light.

Sign up for the dedicated superyacht crew groups on Facebook. You’ll find a raft of them dedicated to superyacht crew in particular locations as well as groups for superyacht crew from particular home countries.

You’ll need to apply to be let into many of them, but the administrators are actively looking to help yacht crew, so you shouldn’t have any problems joining them. Once in these groups, you’ll be able to ask for advice and you’ll also see the occasional job pop up.

Generally, the groups and members are supportive, and they can be a terrific boost for you and your job search.

You got an interview

If you are invited to attend an interview, here are some tips to give the best account of yourself. Turn up on time and fresh. Give yourself plenty of time to get to the interview. You don’t want to arrive flustered and out of sorts because you cut it fine.

Have all your paperwork with you: CV, STCW, ENG1, along with any certificates and relevant supporting material for additional skills you think are relevant. The same goes for legal documents such as your passport, visa and work permits.

Make sure you highlight your extra skills at an appropriate moment during the interview. Don’t assume the interviewer is aware of them.

Remember at all times that the interviewer is looking for someone with energy, a smile and confidence. Be honest. If you don’t understand a question, ask for clarification. And be clear about why you want to work on board a superyacht.

Ideally, be clear about why you want to work on board the yacht that’s interviewing you. It shows you’ve taken the time to research the boat.

Our final piece of advice

Landing your first job in yachting isn’t easy. So stick at it. Perseverance is one of the key characteristics of successful superyacht crew. Your chances of success will increase if you press on while others fall away.

There are no guarantees, of course. But the longer and more persistent you are, the better your odds will be of getting that coveted job on board a luxury superyacht.

Good luck.