A superyacht is defined as a yacht that is at least 24 meters (80 feet) long. Superyachts are synonymous with luxury and glamour, affording owners, charterers, and their guests the freedom to travel the world with complete privacy.

A private superyacht is typically a vessel controlled and operated by the owner and their family and friends.

A charter vessel is run as a business. The vessel is rented (chartered) out to clients for a designated period of time. In 99% of cases, charter yachts also have an owner who uses the vessel. When they are not using it, chartering is a way to offset the operation costs.

Working on a superyacht offers a unique working environment like no other. In recent years, various social media channels and TV shows have showcased the fun, exciting side of yachting. While this can be true, yachting is also an extremely professional industry with lots of rules and regulations that must be strictly followed. 

In the past, working one or two seasons as a 'working holiday' was normal, and can be a possibility for junior crew.

However, vessels are becoming increasingly larger, with stricter regulations being enforced. Yachts are looking for prospective crew members with good land-based work history, who are genuinely looking for a career. Yachting is a fantastic career, not only will you see the world, it can also provide you amazing opportunities that a land-based role cannot.

The captain & officers operate the yacht from the bridge/wheelhouse. On some smaller yachts, the captain may use the bridge as an office during the normal working day. The number of officers employed on a vessel will vary depending on the yacht size and operations, with roles changing accordingly. Generally, the officers work with the captain to ensure the safe and effective operation of the vessel, while complying with regulations and requirements set out by law.

Deck crews may consist of a bosun and deckhands and are essentially in charge of the outside of the vessel. They have varied duties and assist the captain and officers in the vessel's operation. It is not uncommon for some deck crew to have specialised roles, such as deck/carpenter or deck/fitness instructor.

Typical deck crew duties may involve:

• Ensuring the external areas of the vessel are immaculate at all times, including maintaining the teak decks.
• Performing lookout duties on the bridge and taking part in anchor watches.
• Performing safety checks and inspections on deck and lifesaving equipment.
• Performing regular drills for emergencies.
• Tender driving and operating water sports.
• Crane operations.

Engineers operate and maintain yacht machinery and all other essential equipment onboard. Their typical working day can include following the vessel's planned maintenance schedule, repairing equipment, ensuring the internet is operational for guests, and producing potable water using the ship's desalination equipment. With this department, the list goes on and on!

Chefs are responsible for preparing fresh and daily-changing meals for guests and crew. The number of chefs on board depends on the size of the vessel. One major difference between a restaurant chef and a yacht chef is additional roles a land-based chef may never have performed. These may include pot washing, galley deep cleaning, managing galley accounts, provisioning, and sourcing food whilst the vessel continuously travels.

The interior crew has several main roles and then additional roles as the vessel increases in size.

These include:

• Maintain the daily running of the interior.
• Keep the interior clean, organised, and attend to high-end furnishings with specialist care.
• Laundry for crew and guests, including tableware, linen, swim towels, and galley items.
• Provide food service to an extremely high standard. This can vary from family style or buffet service, nationality-specific service styles, to high-end multi-course degustation menus.
• Beverage service: cocktails and wine service, barista-style coffees and loose-leaf tea, fresh juices and other specialised drinks.

As a steward(ess) progresses in their career, they will be given additional management responsibilities, eventually progressing to the level of Purser. A pursers role may be predominantly office-based. It includes accountancy, provisioning, itineraries as well as organising the captain and vessel administration. 

In addition to these roles, interior crew may be hired for additional skills and qualifications such as spa services, fitness and yoga instructors, nurses/paramedics, and tutor/au pairs.

Superyachts are well-known to travel between the Mediterranean and the Caribbean. In some cases this is true, but in reality, yachts travel all over the world to incredible destinations. Including French Polynesia, Mexico, Antarctica, Alaska, the Northwest Passage, Norwegian Fjords, and Southeast Asia. This list is endless!

There are three types of employment contracts aboard yachts (excluding temporary crew):

Seasonal: This is when a vessel only operates for a single season. For example the vessel will operate in the summer season in the Mediterranean, after spending the winter season in a location without guest use. It is normal for these vessels to hire extra crew for the on-season and reduce crew size for the off-season period. A seasonal contract will be for a designated period. In yachting employment contracts are called Seafarers' Employment Agreements (SEA).

Permanent: This is when a crew member is employed all year by the vessel and their only time off the vessel will be their annual leave.

Rotational: This is where you work for a specified amount of days and then get a specified amount of days off - usually days off are paid. The amount of time can vary but full rotation is usually 2 months on / 2 months off and awarded to senior crew members with lots of experience. Occasionally larger vessels offer rotations to junior crew, such as 3 months on / 1 month off.

This is sometimes forgotten about but is a huge part of the yachting industry both during preparation periods and during the season for various reasons.

A day worker is just that - a person who arrives on the vessel in the morning and leaves in the evening. All yacht departments use day workers and they generally perform tasks that the regular crew of the vessel may not have the time to do. It is by far the best way to gain experience and grow your network of contacts as a green crew member. For this type of work, you are normally paid daily but if you have multiple days on the same vessel, you may get paid weekly.

Temporary contracts differ from day work as they are normally filled by more experienced crew and could be for various reasons such as the regular crew member is sick, has a commitment they cannot change, or the position is vacant and the vessel employs someone until an ideal candidate is found.

The MLC (Maritime and Labor Convention 2006) stipulates the limits on hours of work and rest. Maximum hours of work shall not exceed:

14 hours in any 24 hours
72 hours in any 7 days

or

Minimum hours of rest shall not be less than:
10 hours in any 24 hours
77 hours in any 7 days

Yes, if you have a Seasonal, Permanent, or Rotational position you will accrue holidays as you work onboard. The number of days you will get will be stipulated in your Seafarers Employment Agreement (SEA).

Days off are slightly different when working on a superyacht. You may be lucky enough to get regular days off, but during a season this is highly unlikely. Yachts are extremely busy workplaces and regularly have short turnarounds between trips, with lots of tasks to complete before the next trip commences. It is not unusual for yacht crew to not have a day off for weeks or in some cases months, with some busier charter vessels often going whole seasons without any downtime.

This is a very hard question to answer as yachting is not for everyone. It is a physically and mentally demanding industry with individuals often performing mundane tasks repeatedly, while living and working in small, confined places with people of various nationalities and backgrounds. Some of the things newer crewmembers struggle with include:

• Homesickness and missing partners and loved ones.
• Missing important events such as weddings, birthdays, holidays.
• Sharing a cabin with someone they don’t know.
• Only having access to the food the chef prepares.
• Lack of time for hobbies and exercise during busy periods.

If they are relevant to yachting, then yes. If you are a pilates instructor, carpenter, plumber, diving instructor, or have any other practical skills, they can not only be used they can help get your CV to the top of the pile! Sometimes you may even get a better salary or package.

There is now a vast array of courses to get you into yachting. If you have done these courses then great but the essential entry courses are:

ENG1 – this is a medical assessment rather than a course but it should always be step 1. You must find an approved doctor and get this completed before anything else. If you do not pass this then chances are yachting is not going to be for you.

STCW95 – This is often sold as one course but it covers 4 subjects:

• Personal Safety & Social Responsibility
• Fire Prevention & Fire Fighting
• Elementary first aid
• Personal Survival techniques

Some positions onboard will require other qualifications, even for entry-level roles, such as chefs and engineers.

You may have heard people talking about yachting hubs – this simply means where there is a lot of superyacht activity. Here are the main locations: 

• Antibes, France – the centre of yachting in the Mediterranean, this is where most people start their yachting journey in Europe.
• Palma, Mallorca – extremely busy with yachts exploring the Balearic Islands
• Barcelona, Spain – busy, but the main marinas are gated so not a popular area to dock walk.
• Antigua, Caribbean – the Caribbean season often kicks off here with the yacht show. Most boats are fully crewed by the time they arrive here.
• Fort Lauderdale, USA – the main yachting hub for most of the USA yacht crew
• West Palm Beach, USA – another hive of yachting with the famous Rybovich shipyard

A crew house is similar to a hostel but it's where everyone stays for the same purpose - to find a superyacht job. Like hostels, it's usually a shared environment with two or more people sharing a room and bathroom. It can be a cost-effective option when first arriving in a yachting hub. It's also a great place to network, with your hosts often having great connections to the local yachts. 

First of all, a soft foldable bag is essential – not a solid suitcase. Storage space is limited in crew cabins so you should pack light and only bring the basics such as:

• Computer or tablet and an unlocked smartphone that will accept a local SIM card
• Personal items like toiletries (basics are generally provided by the boat), contact lenses, spare glasses, etc.
• Sunglasses (and a spare pair)
• Workout clothes
• Suitable clothes for various situations such as relaxing in the crew mess, going out for dinner, etc.

Yes, yachting is a fantastic career!

Yachting is a unique industry that has an unusual working environment with a combination of high guest expectations and long working hours. You are living and working in a small area with crew members of different backgrounds and nationalities, which can at times be challenging.

So needless to say this is not the industry for everyone but in our opinion the perks far out way the negatives. Yacht crew have the opportunity to:

• earn higher wages than on land, while getting increasingly generous leave allowances as they progress in their careers,
• have general living costs paid for by the vessel,
• travel to places most people will never get to see,
• make friends from all over the world and explore different cultures,
• progress at your own pace, following your program of continuous professional development.

In short, you get out what you put into yachting. Some people who are driven, motivated, and complete all available training will get promoted accordingly and have incredibly successful careers. Crew members who put in minimum effort and don’t invest time and money into their career development simply don’t do so well.