If you’re searching for how to work on a superyacht and don’t know where to start, this guide will walk you through the basics without the fluff.
I get asked this all the time.
Usually in a DM that starts with something like,
“Hi hun, random question…”
or in real life over coffee when someone says,
“So I’ve heard about yachting… how do you actually get into it?”
And honestly, it makes sense to be confused. If you Google it, you’ll either be told it’s the easiest job in the world, or you’ll be shown a long list of courses that quickly starts to feel overwhelming.
So this post is basically the answer I give friends when they ask. The calm, realistic version. No hype, no scare tactics, and no pressure to spend money you don’t actually need to spend.
Just a clear starting point and an honest explanation of how it usually works.
If you’re completely new and still figuring out whether yachting is even something you want to pursue, I’ve written a longer reality-check in So… You Want to Work on a Superyacht? Read This First.
Jump straight to what you’re looking for
Wondering if working on a superyacht is for you?
This is for you if:
- You’re curious about working on superyachts but aren’t sure where to begin
- You’ve seen bits online and want something more grounded than the glossy version
- You like things explained clearly and practically
- You’re open to starting at the bottom and learning as you go
This might not be the right fit if:
- You’re looking for a guaranteed job timeline
- You expect it to be mostly sunsets and champagne
- You’d struggle with long days, shared living, or being new to an industry
Yachting can be brilliant, rewarding, and a lot of fun. It can also be demanding and very hands-on, especially at the start. Both things can be true at the same time.
Quick context so you know where this is coming from
I’ve worked in the interior department on large superyachts for over a decade, and I’m currently a Chief Stewardess on a 100m+ yacht.
Over the years I’ve hired junior crew, trained stewardesses onboard, and helped hundreds of people rework CVs that were holding them back.
I’ve also seen how easy it is to spend a lot of money on the wrong things before you’ve even started. Yachting is already an expensive industry to get into, and I don’t think anyone should be paying for courses or add-ons just because they’ve been told they’re “essential” when they aren’t.
So throughout this post, I’ve tried to be really clear about what genuinely helps, what’s optional, and what you can safely leave until later. If I’m straightforward at times, it’s only because I’d rather you spend your money where it actually makes a difference.
I’ve also shared more of what I’ve learned over the years in 10 Things I’ve Learned From Over a Decade Working on Superyachts.
Step one – the courses you actually need
Let’s strip this back.
You do not need 47 certificates to start working on yachts.
STCW Basic Safety
This one is non-negotiable. Everyone needs it.
It’s basic safety training required to work at sea. Fire, first aid, sea survival, all that stuff.
- In most places, it’s usually 5 days
- In South Africa it’s often 10 or 11 days for the same content, usually delivered differently or split across more modules.
Some schools bundle extra bits in, some charge separately. Always check what’s included before you book so you don’t pay twice.
This lasts 5 years, and then you’ll need to do a refresher course.
PDSD – Proficiency in Designated Security Duties
This one is a bit annoying because the rules aren’t black and white.
Technically, it’s only required if you’re assigned security duties onboard. In reality, on a lot of yachts – especially bigger ones – most crew are, so it gets asked for a lot more than people expect.
Sometimes it’s included with STCW, sometimes it’s an add-on. Either way, it’s quick, not expensive, and having it just removes another reason for a boat or agency to say no.
If you’re choosing between schools, I’d pick one that includes it so you don’t have to think about it again.
Food Hygiene Level 2
If you want to work as a steward/ess, definitely do this.
Technically, not every single yacht has it written in stone as a requirement. In real life though, most boats expect interior crew to have it, and plenty of agencies will ask for it. If you don’t, you’re just making things harder for yourself for no reason.
Most people do it online in a couple of hours and that’s absolutely fine. A few boats prefer a classroom version, either in person or on Zoom, but the online one done in your own time is accepted by the majority.
The medical exam – ENG1 vs SAMSA
You’ll need a seafarer medical. This is where people get mixed messages.
ENG1:
- Accepted everywhere
- The least hassle long term
- More expensive
- Lasts 2 years.
SAMSA medical:
- Legally valid under certain flags
- Common for South African crew
- Some boats are still fussy about it, even when they technically shouldn’t be
The honest advice:
If you can afford an ENG1, it makes life easier. If you can’t, a SAMSA medical can still get you started, just know you might be asked to redo it later.
No drama, just reality.
Extras courses that are useful (but not required)
Crowd and Crisis Management
This one causes confusion.
It’s not required for all yachts, but it’s often requested on very large yachts and passenger yachts.
You don’t need it to start. It’s just one of those “nice to have later” things, and depending which boat you get a job on, you might get asked to do them.
What you do NOT need (and where people often overspend)
This is the part where people tend to get confused – and often oversold to.
There are a lot of courses marketed to new yacht crew.
Some are genuinely useful.
Others are… enthusiastic about being labelled “essential”.
So let’s be clear.
You do not need the following to start applying for jobs:
- Powerboat Level 2
For Deckhands, YES, you need this. Not required for steward/ess roles. - Jetski licences
Again, great for deck. NOT needed a a Stewardess.
Sidenote about jetski licneses: You do not need a jetski licence to work as a stewardess. It’s a deck qualification, not an interior one. On most yachts, interior crew wouldn’t be driving jetskis for work even if they had the licence.
There are a small number of deck/stew roles on smaller boats where it might be useful later on – but those jobs are far less common, and it’s still not something boats expect you to have when you’re applying. If you already have it, fine.
If you’re being told it’s essential for stewardesses, it isn’t. - “Yacht starter packages”
These often bundle together things you don’t need yet, or at all. - A stewardess course to be considered for a job
Plenty of people are hired without one.
Stew and Deckhand courses can be helpful. They’re good for confidence, basic onboard knowledge, and understanding how yachts work day to day.
What they are not is a golden ticket.
Having a course on your CV does not guarantee a job – especially now, when so many junior crew have done them. On its own, it rarely makes you stand out.
What actually makes the difference is:
- relevant work experience
- a CV that shows who you are, not just what courses you’ve taken
- and presenting yourself like a real human someone would want to live and work with
Education is a great thing.
Learning is a great thing.
You just don’t need to spend thousands before you’ve even stepped onboard.
If anyone is telling you that a specific course is the thing standing between you and a job, take a pause and ask yourself whether it’s genuinely required – or whether it’s simply what they’re selling.
A quick but important side note: pick a lane when you apply
This comes up a lot, and it matters more than people realise.
When you’re applying for jobs, don’t say things like:
“I’m looking for a deckhand or stewardess role” or “I don’t mind what department.”
If I’m hiring for interior, I’m looking for someone who wants to be interior.
And Chief Officers hiring deck crew are looking for people who want to be on deck.
Saying you’re open to anything doesn’t make you more appealing – it usually does the opposite. It suggests you’re not particularly invested in the role, and that you’ll leave as soon as something else comes along.
Pick the department you actually want to work in and tailor your CV to that role. You’ll come across as far more focused, and far more hireable.
Your CV is where most people go wrong
Once you’ve got your certificates, you can start job hunting. That doesn’t mean you’re competitive.
Everyone applying for junior roles has the same courses. What makes the difference is your experience and how you present yourself.
Relevant experience matters
For stewardess roles, this includes:
- Hotels, housekeeping, cleaning, laundry, Air Bnbs
- Restaurants, cafés, bars
- Coffee making, wine service, hosting
- Anything fast-paced and guest-facing
If you’re coming from hospitality or land-based work, I break down exactly how to frame that properly in How to Write Your Land-Based Experience for a Yacht CV.
For deck roles:
- Manual labour
- Painting, cleaning, varnishing
- Mechanical or technical work
- Carpentry or maintenance
Having courses does not mean you’ll walk straight into a job. Anyone who tells you that is lying.
Personality actually matters (especially for juniors)
This is a big one.
Junior crew are mostly personality hires. You’re going to live and work very closely with people. That matters.
Please don’t write:
“I’m motivated, organised, dynamic, passionate and have an eye for detail.”
Everyone writes that. It means nothing.
Instead, think:
- What do people genuinely say about you and your personality?
- What do people compliment you on?
- Are you calm under pressure?
- Are you active and love to exercise?
- Are you upbeat when it’s busy?
- Do you always have a big smile for everyone?
- Do you have a great sense of humour and can bring the banter?
- Are you a quick learner who only needs to be shown things once?
- Do you just get on with things without moaning?
- Or are you easygoing and can get on with everyone?
- Are you super creative? In what way?
If yes, say it.
It’s far more interesting – and far more useful – than a list of generic buzzwords.
But say it in normal language – say it how you’d actually say it in real life!
NOT AI, boring LinkedIn vanilla vibes because you will absolutely shoot yourself in the foot otherwise.
Also, be specific about what you can do. Don’t just list soft skills.
Say what you can ACTUALLY do.
Flower arranging.
Coffee making.
Wine service.
Turn-downs.
Laundry systems.
Basic carpentry.
General handyman jobs.
Specific beats vague every single time.
The profile section at the top of your CV is especially important. I go into that in detail in How to Write a Yacht CV Profile That Makes Captains Say “Hell Yeah”.
Applying for jobs – where to look
Sign up directly with agencies. Don’t just rely on job boards.
Well-known agencies include:
- TYS Recruitment
- Seven Seas Recruitment
- Bespoke Crew
- SuperYacht Crew UK
- Quay Crew
- Lighthouse Careers
- YPI Crew
- Hill Robinson
Also use Yotspot. It’s basically a big jobs board where recruitment agents AND boats can post jobs and look for crew. So actual boats can find you directly.
It’s great, but don’t just rely on it alone. Make sure you actually sign up to the agencies directly too.
I’ve also written a more step-by-step version of this, including what I’d personally focus on if I were starting again today, in How to Get a Job on a Superyacht: 13 Honest Things I’d Do Today.
Cover letters – short, human, to the point
A good cover letter:
- Is brief
- Is relevant to the role
- Doesn’t repeat your CV
Include:
- Who you are
- What role you’re applying for
- What you can bring to the role (like, what ACTUALLY can you bring over other people???)
- One line about your personality
- Where you’re currently based
- Your certificates
- Your availability
The sentence about the final three points literally just needs to say.
“I have all certificates in order, along with a valid X visa. I’m currently based in X, and available immediately.”
That’s it.
Please don’t say you’re passionate about yachting if you’ve never worked on a yacht.
And please don’t mention growing up near the sea.
Nobody is hiring based on that.
People want to know that you’ve got something you can bring to the team that makes them think “ahh they sound awesome! Would love to have them onboard, they’ll fit right in!”
Facebook groups – still useful if you use them properly
Facebook is still very much used in yachting, especially for jobs, daywork, last-minute roles, and getting a feel for what’s happening in different hubs. (Day work is exactly what you think it is, work, but just on a daily rate. Usually paid in cash and you don’t usually stay on the boat).
If you search things like:
- Antibes yacht crew
- Palma yacht crew
- superyacht crew jobs
you’ll find plenty of active groups where jobs and daywork get posted regularly.
They can be a useful part of your job search, just not the only part.
A couple of sensible tips:
- Avoid posting your full CV publicly. It’s better to share a short intro and say your CV is available on request.
- Take a quick look at who you’re messaging before sending documents, just to make sure you know who you’re speaking to. There are lots of scams around, so be sure it’s a legit person/ profile.
- Check the email address you’re sending to, places like France, the local authorities can share fake jobs to try and catch people looking for work there illegally. So if the email ends in .gov – that’s a fake job trying to catch people out!
- Keep things professional. A short, clear message goes much further than a long ramble.
Used well, Facebook groups can be a helpful way to spot opportunities and connect with people, especially when you’re starting out. Just treat them as one tool alongside agencies, job boards, and networking, rather than relying on them alone.
Dockwalking – what people mean when they talk about it
You’ll hear the term dockwalking a lot when you start looking into yachting, so it’s worth understanding what people are actually referring to.
Dockwalking basically means going down to marinas where yachts are based, walking the docks, and handing out your CV or introducing yourself to crew in the hope of picking up daywork or a job. Usually somewhere like Palma De Mallorca in Spain or Antibes in France.
Years ago, this was a really common way to get your foot in the door. These days, it still happens, but it’s not quite the magic solution it’s sometimes made out to be.
A few things to be aware of:
- Dockwalking without the correct visa isn’t allowed, so it’s important to understand the rules where you are.
- Some people do still find work this way, but many others spend weeks or months doing it with very little return.
- It tends to work better for short-term daywork than permanent roles, especially now that most hiring goes through agencies.
Some people choose to try it alongside applying online, others skip it completely. There isn’t a single right approach. The main thing is to know what it involves and make an informed decision rather than assuming it’s a guaranteed route into a job.
Networking and your online presence – the quiet stuff that still matters
A lot of yacht jobs don’t come from formal applications alone. They come from being visible, recognisable, and easy to place.
LinkedIn is surprisingly useful here. It’s worth setting up a proper profile, following agencies, and connecting with people in the industry.
Jobs do get posted there, and even when they aren’t, it helps recruiters put a face to a name when your CV lands in their inbox.
It’s also worth being aware that your social media is often the first thing people look at out of curiosity. You don’t need to sanitise your life or suddenly become polished – just be mindful that it contributes to a first impression, whether you like it or not.
Think of all of this as background support. It’s not the main strategy, but it does help everything else work a bit more smoothly.
A calm reality check before you start
It’s worth going into yachting with your eyes open.
The industry is more competitive than it used to be, especially at entry level. Some people do find jobs quite quickly, others take a bit longer, and occasionally it just doesn’t fall into place in the way they expected.
The things that tend to make the biggest difference are fairly simple:
- having some relevant experience behind you
- a CV that actually sounds like a real person
- realistic expectations about how long it might take
- and a lot of patience at the start
There isn’t a guaranteed timeline, and that’s normal. If someone is promising you a job by a certain date, it’s worth being cautious. Most people who do break into yachting get there through a mix of preparation, timing, and sticking with it.
If you want a clearer picture of what the lifestyle actually looks like once you’re in it, I talk about that honestly in What It’s Really Like Working on a Superyacht: The Honest Reality of 2 Months On, 2 Months Off.
If you want help with your CV
This is the part most people struggle with.
There’s a lot of CV advice online, but very little of it is written specifically for yachting. Most of it is generic, outdated, or focused on ticking boxes rather than actually helping you stand out when everyone has the same certificates.
You can piece things together by reading tips and examples – and I’ve shared a lot of those on the blog – but it usually means trawling through multiple posts and still feeling unsure about whether you’ve done it right
If you want everything in one place, I’ve put together yacht-specific CV templates and a full written guide that shows you exactly how to structure your CV and how to showcase you properly.
It’s based on what I’ve seen work when hiring and training crew, not generic CV theory.
They’re not essential – but they do make the process much clearer and quicker.
They’re there for people who want clarity, structure, and a much quicker route to a CV that actually helps rather than holds them back.
The bottom line
Getting into yachting isn’t about doing everything or trying to tick every possible box straight away. It’s about focusing on the right things, in the right order, and not spending money where it doesn’t actually help.
Start with the basics, be realistic about how it works, and give yourself a bit of time to find your feet.
That’s really it.
Want to go a bit deeper?
If you’re still curious about working on yachts, I’ve written a lot more about what the job is actually like – from CV tips and hiring advice to pay, expectations, and day-to-day life onboard.
You can browse all of my yachting posts here:
→ Superyacht Life & Careers
They’re all written with the same aim – clear, honest information without the hype.
