How to Get a Job as a Superyacht Deckhand

Who This Article is for…

If your dad is a superyacht captain who has outlined the exact career path you need to take and delivered you day working opportunities on a silver platter, then this article isn’t for you.

If you’re one of the rest of us, however, who feel inspired by the adventurous, rewarding, and all-around amazing lifestyle yachting can offer but don’t know exactly how to get the superyacht deckhand job that gives you all that, then read on! This article is definitely for you.

What this Article is About…

I’ll talk about the minimum certifications you 100% need to have, and I’ll also discuss the certificates that, while not totally necessary for your first yachting job, are really nice to have. I’ll talk about where you need to go to find a job, and what you need to be doing when you’re there (hint- it isn’t partying!). And it’s all broken down into three easy-to-follow steps. 

While there (unfortunately) isn't a job offer at the end of this article, if you read through the whole thing, you’ll have a very strong plan and know the exact actions you need to take to secure (drumroll please) your first job as a superyacht deckhand!

Let's get into it.

Step 1: Take Care of the Non-Negotiable, Must-Haves:

1. Entry-Level Qualifications- STCW and ENG1. 

Think- ‘basic training’ and ‘basic medical’. While there are technically some workarounds to this (working on a yacht that doesn’t travel internationally and getting a Norwegian (or other) seafarer’s medical), for 99.99% of us, we don’t need to worry about that; we just need to know that these are the minimum qualifications we need to have to work on superyachts. They are the first thing recruiters and captains will ask about in an interview, and the physical certificates will be checked when you first step onboard.

STCW stands for ‘Standards of Training, Certification, and Watchkeeping’ and is a 5-day course that teaches you the basics of staying safe on a boat. The course covers firefighting, security, and emergency procedures like abandoning ship. It’s available worldwide and is likely to be offered at or near the yachting hub where you end up (more on that later).

Note: Some training centers also offer PDSD (Proficiency in Designated Security Duties) to supplement the PSA (Proficiency in Security Awareness) course that is included in the standard STCW training. It may cost a little more and require a couple of extra hours, but I highly recommend taking it. It is now a requirement on many superyachts.

Your STCW will be valid for 5 years. After 5 years, you need to do a short ‘refresher’ course that lasts 1-3 days (depending on the school).

ENG1 is a medical exam, created by the MCA (the UK maritime authority), but administered by foreign doctors all over the world. There’s a lot of variance on what exactly is included- some doctors require only 30 minutes and hardly check more than your pulse and eyesight, while others take quite a bit longer and require more involved diagnostics. In any case, it’s not usually very hard to pass- it's designed to check if you will be healthy at sea, potentially away from immediate medical care for long periods of time. For most people, this isn’t a problem.

The certificate is valid for 2 years, and the exam has to be completed again once it expires.

2. Visas

Maybe you’re lucky here- you’re American, and you will be automatically issued a Schengen visa upon arrival in the EU, and you don’t need a B1/B2 visa to work/ travel in the States. In that case, you can skip this step.

If you’re not so lucky, however, you need to make a plan for how to acquire a Schengen and B1/B2 Visa. Now you could technically work on a superyacht without these Visas, but you wouldn't be allowed to enter the EU or the US. 

While there are some yachts that don’t ever enter the US or Europe, it does really limit your options when applying for a job. Most superyachts want to see that you have the legal ability to work in these two places. The US is a very common yachting destination and also a location to resupply or do maintenance during a Carribean season. And since the Mediterranean Sea (the most popular yachting destination) is in Europe, superyachts want to see that you have the Schengen Visa or you’re from a country that has it automatically issued to you upon arrival (like the US).

There’s plenty of information available online about how to get these visas, and also professional visa agents for hire who can make this process easier for you.

3. CV (a beautiful, well-thought-out, and engaging one!)

While you could, in theory, get a superyacht deckhand job without a CV, I haven’t seen it happen yet. Everyone’s got one, and common sense and common practice dictate that it's required.

I’ll go through how to get your CV looking the best it possibly can in a later article. Until then, you’ll be able to find lots of templates and tips from other resources online. And just like the Visas, there are superyacht CV specialists for hire that can help you with creating one, or even make the whole thing for you.

My one piece of advice for now, though, is this… tell a story. When I hire, and I look at a CV (especially for green crew), I want to know what in your life has led you to this moment. If I can’t see that from your CV, you probably won’t get an interview. And if you do get an interview, I’ll definitely ask about it again.

Highlight that one technical course in school that made you realize you want to do hands-on work, or that summer you spent teaching watersports that showed you how rewarding a job on the water is. Tell the story of how all your unique experiences have led you to yachting and convince the reader that yachting is just the natural, obvious next step for you and your career.

Step 2: If You Can, Tick Off Some of the “Nice to Haves”

1. Additional Qualifications

Employers want to see that you are good at certain skills that they find valuable- namely, tender driving and basic seamanship. While it's easy to say that you’re an experienced tender driver because you spent a summer driving a wake boat once or twice a week at your grandparents' lake house, it's much better to show a Captain or Chief Officer proof. And this proof comes in the form of a certification from a recognized, reputable organization. At the deckhand level, it's a good idea to have your PB2 (Powerboat Level 2) from the RYA (Royal Yachting Association).

PB2 is a two-day course that covers the basics of tender handling and general seamanship. While it won’t make you a superstar tender driver, it will show a superyacht employer that you at least know your way around a tender and can operate one safely.

If you want to take it up a notch, RYA Dayskipper or even RYA Yachtmaster are excellent qualifications to have. Dayskipper is a slightly longer and more expensive course than PB2, and Yachtmaster is even more involved than that. 

Possible additional qualifications superyachts love to see include PADI Open Water- a basic diving course, RYA PWC or PWCI (Personal Watercraft or Personal Watercraft Instructor), and AEC1 and 2 (the introduction to marine engineering course). (Yes, even in the deck department, we like to see some basic level of engineering/ technical skills).

These courses are very valuable and will help you get a job, but it's important to note that they still don’t come with any guarantees. Plenty of people get superyacht deckhand jobs without them, and you may find that they aren’t worth the cost at this stage in the game. Think of them as the cherry on top of an already strong application. 

2. Applicable Experience

If you have any dayworking or temp experience, then it should go without saying that you will want to leverage those contacts and experiences as much as possible to get your first full-time job. Stay in touch with the crew on those boats (as many as possible, not just the Captain or Chief Officer) and make sure their contact details are on your CV (if they say they are okay with it).

But for most of you reading this, your direct experience is probably pretty limited or nonexistent. And that’s fine. That's where all of us started.

That being said, superyacht employers do still love to see that you have some sort of related experience. Think about the ‘themes’ of working in yachting- hands-on, technical, service-focused, maritime, team-oriented, highly structured, etc., and how your past experiences have proved that you can work well in those areas. 

Did you play on a successful sports team in school? Did you spend your summers as a dockhand in a busy marina? (I personally love it when a new deckhand joins and can already tie knots.) Do you have years of experience as a server or bartender in a high-end restaurant? All of this is great to see because it relates to the work we do on superyachts.

You won’t be able to directly prove that you can do the work of a superyacht deckhand if you haven’t done it before, but you might be able to do the next best thing- prove that you can do very similar work. 

Think about your experiences and how they relate to yachting and a superyacht deckhand’s role. Then, make sure you highlight these on your CV (include them in your story!), talk about them when you’re dayworking, and bring them up when you finally get that interview for your dream boat.

Step 3: Take Action

1. Relocate to a Yachting Hub

I know, this is scary, and it’s a huge leap of faith. But if you want to be successful in your superyacht job hunt, you will need to physically be in a yachting hub like Antibes, Palma de Mallorca, or Ft. Lauderdale (note that you can only look for work in Ft. Lauderdale if you’re American). 

Being present in a yachting hub (at the right time of year- the Med is busiest in the summer months: May- September, while the Caribbean and Ft. Lauderdale are busiest in the winter months: October- March) helps you in several ways.

1. It shows you’re serious.

Anyone can put together a CV and click “apply” to a job posting on YotSpot (more on this later). But putting your life on hold, saying goodbye to friends and family, and potentially spending your life savings on food and accommodation while looking for a job shows employers that you’re hungry for the job. You clearly want it more than someone who isn’t willing to leave the comfort of their couch at home.

2. It connects you with current and future yachties.

Yachting hubs are full of, you guessed it- yachts and yachties. You can dockwalk (I’ll talk about this soon) and physically hand your CV to and engage with yachties every day- telling them you’re eager and ready to work. This is a lot more effective and memorable than just another CV/ application out of hundreds from an online job posting. 

It also connects you with your fellow job hunters. Yes, they are your competition, but it's best for you and for them to work together to find jobs. You can share costs on food and accommodation, share tips on what marinas are best to dockwalk at, and even share dayworking (covered in the next section) leads if you’ve already got work for the day. 

Another note- you’re going to want to stay in a crew house (There are plenty in every yachting hub,  and a quick Google search should show you several good options.) The good crew houses will be owned by former yachties who are still connected in the industry and can provide you with leads. You’ll also quickly gain a lot of helpful knowledge on the ins and outs of the area you’re in. Being in a crew house fully immerses you in the ‘scene’.

3. It makes employing you cheaper and easier.

While the owners of them are millionaires and billionaires, most superyachts are still run like businesses, so costs matter. If you’re already in a yachting hub, a yacht won’t have to fly you out to the job.

Also, it makes interviewing candidates more effective. If a candidate is just down the street from my marina in a crew house, I will be much more likely to tell them to swing by the yacht for an interview. And as you can imagine, a candidate who makes a good impression in person, and who can show up to work the next day without any expensive and complicated flight plans, is much more likely to get the job than a person in a faraway place who only exists to me at the end of a computer. 

2. Get Set up on YotSpot, Facebook, and as Many Crew Agencies' Websites as You Can.

YotSpot is a widely used tool for superyachts to find new hires. It’s a website where yachts can post the details of the job they have available, and applicants can set up a profile that yachts can see once they’ve clicked ‘apply’ on a certain job. I’ve personally used it a lot when I go to hire new deckhands and when I look for a new job myself. 

You also want to register with superyacht crew agencies. There are lots, and you want to register with as many as possible. Note that this will take quite a lot of time- it's a repetitive process where you upload your CV, qualifications, experience, etc., to their online portals, and there is no guarantee that it will pay off. While it does happen, it isn’t especially common for crew agents to put forward a candidate for a permanent position without any experience. They mostly place experienced crew, as they are statistically more likely to succeed in the role than untested, green crew. (Crew agents only get paid if you pass your probation period- usually 3 months.)

That being said, since there is still a chance, you need to take it. It’s a part of doing everything you can to get the job.

Some crew agencies will interview new crew, and if it’s possible to go to their local office, it’s important that you do so to make an in-person introduction.

Here’s a list of some crew agencies to get you started.

Crew Agencies for Superyacht Deckhand Jobs

Facebook is another good tool. There are lots of job postings every day in yachtie Facebook groups. It’s a good idea to monitor these pages closely, as the early bird usually gets the worm (you want to be one of the first ones to apply for a new posting). 

Here’s a list of the groups you should be monitoring. 

Facebook Groups for Superyacht Deckhand Job Postings

3. Dockwalk and Daywork

Dockwalking is a grind, and it's where you really show how much you really want this job. Every day you should go to superyacht marinas and introduce yourself to as many yachts as possible. Give them a copy of your CV or business card and tell them you are looking for a permanent position, but are also available for daywork. Most yachts will tell you they aren’t hiring for permanent positions or looking for dayworkers. But occasionally you will find one that is, so you need to do it. 

Dayworking is short-term, ‘unofficial’  employment, where a yacht will employ you day by day, usually paying you cash at the end of the week or day. You aren’t officially crew, but you do work alongside them, helping with the vessel’s maintenance. It allows you to show a potential employer how amazing you are in real life, while doing the actual job. 

It also gives you this direct experience we talked about earlier. More of this makes you a more attractive candidate. 

(A pro tip for dayworkers in South Florida (West Palm Beach, Ft. Lauderdale, and Miami)- Daywork123 is a great place to get daywork and temp gigs. Check the site at least daily for new postings and make sure you respond to them quickly.)

In Conclusion…

Step 1: Take Care of the Non-Negotiable, Must-Haves:

1. STCW and ENG1

2. Visas (as necessary for your citizenship)

3. CV

Step 2: If you Can, Tick off a Few of the ‘Nice-to-Have’s:

1. Additional qualifications like RYA PB2, RYA Dayskipper, RYA Yachtmaster, PADI Open Water, and AEC 1/ 2

2. Relevant experience

Step 3: Take Action

1. Get your butt to a yachting hub (Antibes, Palma de Mallorca, Ft Lauderdale)

2. Sign up with and monitor Yotspot, Facebook, and crew agencies.

3. Dockwalk and daywork

Step 4: Bonus Step!

Keep your head up and enjoy the ride. Looking for work as a superyacht deckhand is no easy task. It takes a special person to even try, and a very special person to succeed in accomplishing it. That being said, it's absolutely possible for you. 

And while you’re looking for work, pick up a copy of my book- The Deck Manual. It will teach you all the fundamental skills you need to know for your first few years as a superyacht deckhand, and in doing so, make you a significantly better dayworker and eventually superyacht deckhand. I promise you’ll love it- but if you don’t, I'll give you your money back. (Available only for purchases made on Gumroad.com)

I wish you the best of luck, and I hope to see you out there!

-Benjamin Ringrose, Superyacht Officer and Author of ‘The Deck Manual.’