At the moment, there are more than 15,000 yachts in the world in need of a professional crew, due to the rapid development of the industry from year to year. A career in yachting can be very rewarding and exciting, and it can also be a great opportunity to travel the world and expand your horizons!
Yacht tourism gives a lot of joy, but at the same time requires hard work, the pursuit of excellence and attention to detail. If you are interested to experience an unforgettable trip on a yacht, Ragnar provides exciting travelling experiences and cruise trips to satisfy a deep desire for adventure. Besides, according to Statista, chartering a yacht is the most popular recreational activity.
Below are the most effective tips for starting a career.
Get a Professional Training
Qualified yacht crews are in great demand. The crew members live on board, receive a good salary and have the opportunity to discover a world. Currently, there is even a shortage of good specialists. The most in-demand are captains, navigators, mechanics, chefs, and stewardesses.
A good team must be trained accordingly. All crew members from rank and file to the captain must have an ENG1 medical certificate, STCW-78/95 certificates, take courses on the basics of safety onboard – Basic Safety Training (BST), etc. You will not be able to work onboard a yacht without prior basic training.
Even more important is the correct attitude towards one’s work and good professional ethics. In addition, a seaman of any speciality, if necessary, should be able to replace a member of the deck crew (sailor), which means to know the basic principles of ship management, repair, be able to fight for survivability in case of fire or in case of flooding.
Train your Foreign Languages Knowledge
An important requirement is a sociability and good knowledge of foreign languages, particularly, several European languages, most notably German, French, or Italian. Such job seekers are beyond competition. No less important is the high communication skills.
Choosing a Job Position
To get started, you can join the deck crew, registering for an ordinary position and becoming a sailor, stewardess (or steward), cook, or assistant mechanic. Then, gaining experience and knowledge, you can take the position of the chief steward, coordinating the work of other stewards (stewardesses), or, after completing the relevant professional courses, move up the career ladder, get a position of assistant or even become a captain.
In order to make the right choice and take a position corresponding to your capabilities, you need to really assess your strengths. For example, it is not at all a fact that a woman cannot be a sailor or captain’s, mate. The opposite is also true – there are many men among the cooks and stewards.
Finding Job Offer
There are many ways to find a job on a yacht. In principle, they are no different from finding the most common, for example, office work. Start posting your resume through recruiting agencies on the Internet, and the search for proposals through yacht rent companies.
Certain periods of the year are the most favourable for starting work in this area. For moving to Antibes or Palma, we recommend the end of March / April. In contrast to these two cities, Fort Lauderdale is sunny most of the year, but it also has a peak employment period that is around November each year.
Choosing an Employer
If we talk about employers, then, according to experienced sailors, the most generous and grateful are, of course, the British. Working under the English flag is the most prestigious due to good conditions and high salaries (from 2000 euros). The French and the Germans are also praised. But the opinion of Greek shipowners is low as they value their employees little, and it is hard to work with them and they are often reproached for being too stingy.
Salary
Working on yachts is a highly paid prestigious speciality. There are some differences in the salaries of the crews of motor and sailing yachts. Salaries can also vary depending on whether the yacht is used in a charter with passengers or onboard the owner with family or friends.
There are owners who operate the yacht exclusively as a venue for banquets and practically do not go out to sea, they spend relatively little money on paying the crew, unlike people who travel around the world on their yacht all year round. Crews working on charter yachts sometimes receive a percentage of the charter in addition to the basic salary.
Work Experience
Work experience is, of course, desirable, but not at all required. Without experience, you can take on the most ordinary position – a cleaner of premises or an assistant to a maid. Such work is paid quite little – about $ 600, but with a little experience and showing your best side, you can quickly move up the career ladder.
Ordinary positions are not necessarily low-paid. On ships and yachts, waitresses and stewardesses are most in-demand in the field of service. Their work is considered the most profitable as in addition to the salary, they can receive a tip of 50-100 euros per day.
So, many people think that working on yachts as a crew member is a symbiosis of a well-paid vacation with a sea cruise. To a certain extent, this is true, but at the same time, it is something more. Whether it’s a seasonal activity or a career, sailing can open doors to a new world of exciting adventures, interesting travel, new acquaintances and, moreover, for a very decent wage.
