So last week we talked about why working on yachts is awesome. You’ve done your research, you’ve talked to yachties, you’ve googled the heck out of it, and you’re already following all the influencers on social media… you’re convinced, this is the job for you. So what’s next? Where do you start? Well, with over ten years of running my own International Yacht Crew Agency I have some titbits to share so buckle up.
Let’s start with qualifications: First off get yourself to an MCA recognised doctor to do your your ENG1 – this is a medical certificate which determines if you’re fit to work at sea.
Here in Mallorca you have two options: Dr Amit in the British Medical Centre, Palmanova, or Dr Joh at the Club de Mar Medical Centre in Palma. We always recommend you do this before booking any courses, if you can’t be declared fit to work as yacht crew then you’ll soon find out and save your money.
Then, you’re going to need basic safety training in the form of the STCW 2010 course. This is a 4 dayer, and includes Fire Fighting (fun!), First Aid (useful!), Sea Survival (essential!) and Personal Safety and Social Responsibility (the other one). You might be offered a security module by the seaschool, if so, skip the Proficiency in Security Awareness and instead do the Proficiency in Designated Security Duties full day course. Just trust me on that one – it’s far more sought after than the PSA.
Next, if you’re pursuing the deck route, then do your Powerboat level 2, and if funds allow, Personal Watercraft. That’s it you’re all set. If you’re pursuing engineering, then do the Approved Engine Course. Done.
If you’re pursuing interior roles such as stewarding or cheffing, you’ll need Food Hygiene Level 2. Nailed it.
We have several great training companies in Mallorca where you can get these courses done, Deep Blue Sea Training, Palma Sea School, Bluewater, and the VIP Service School can help you achieve your goals.
Now that’s the bare minimum, you’ve also got to look at your transferrable skills. So let’s say you want to be a steward and work on the interior. If you’ve worked in bars, restaurants, high end hospitality, then you are ready to go go go! If you haven’t, you might want to consider doing a PYA GUEST interior course to give yourself a head start. In all areas there are extra courses but to start with I recommend you do the minimum. Then after a year or so you can decide if you like the industry enough to continue your education. Plus you should have some cash saved by then. Hopefully.
The best way to find your first job on a yacht is to get where the action is. Here in Mallorca the best time to be looking is generally in the Spring, before the Med season heats up and kicks off. The Autumn is also quite a good time to be looking; at the end of the summer season lots of crew move around so new jobs will pop up then before many head over the pond to hit the Caribbean season.
You want to position yourself well; you’ll want to make friends and contacts as soon as possible as jobs for new crew more often than not go through word of mouth. So if you stay at home and just apply online you’ll find it incredibly hard to get anything back. You have to get out there and network … and… the fun part comes next... dockwalking. Yes I’m serious. Probably one of the last industries where you’re still expected to go from one potential place of employment to the next cap in hand (well, CV in hand) and literally ring the bell and ask for a job. On the plus side, at least all those aforementioned places of employment are parked next to each other in port so you can smash out twenty or more in a morning.
I won’t bang on about the importance of a good CV but if you come and find me on social media or the world wide weblet you’ll find a lot more info. For now, I’ll keep this short and sweet and wish you the very best of luck – it’s an awesome industry, you’ll work hard, but you’ll probably play a lot harder, see incredible places and make lifelong friendships. Good luck! See you next week.
Useful contacts
- British Medical Centre
clinic@britishmedicalcentre.com
+34 971 68 35 11
- Club de Mar Medical Centre
info@clubdemarmedical.com
+34 971 703 391
- Palma Sea School
info@palmaseaschool.com
+34 971 100 518
- Bluewater
palma@bluewateryachting.com
+34 971 677 154
- Deep Blue Sea Training
hello@deepbluesea.training
+34 971 902 100
- VIP Service School
info@vipserviceschool.com
619 13 16 33
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