If you want to work on superyachts, the honest version of the story goes like this. You spend a few thousand dollars on training and a plane ticket, you show up in a hub port like Antibes or Fort Lauderdale, and then you knock on hulls and hand out CVs until someone gives you a day of work washing a boat. Do that well, do it for a couple of weeks, and one of those day jobs turns into a season. That first season is the hard part. Once you have it on paper, the rest of a yachting career gets a lot easier.
This guide is written for green crew, meaning people with zero yachting experience who want a real job on a private or charter vessel over 24 meters. It covers what the work actually is, what each department does, what you get paid, the tickets you need before anyone will hire you, where to physically go, how to build a CV that captains read, and the mistakes that quietly sink first-timers. No fluff, no fairy tales about instant six figure salaries. Just the path that thousands of crew take every spring.
Yachting rewards people who are clean, early, fit, and pleasant to be around for months in a small space. The technical skills come later. Your job in the first season is to prove you will not be a problem, and to say yes to the boring work without complaining. Get that reputation and the industry opens up fast. Create your free crew profile on Yacht Service Network before you fly out, because captains and agencies search these profiles when they need bodies fast, and the early ones get the calls.
A superyacht is a large private vessel, usually 24 meters and up, owned by a wealthy individual or a company. Boats in the 30 to 60 meter range make up most of the fleet. Above 60 meters you get full time professional crews of 15 to 40 people. The owner may use the boat six weeks a year, or the boat may run as a charter vessel, meaning paying guests rent it for 100,000 to 1,000,000 or more per week depending on size.
Either way, the boat needs a crew living aboard to keep it spotless, safe, fueled, provisioned, and ready to move on short notice. That crew is you. The pay is decent, your food and cabin are free, and you travel to places most people only see in photos. In exchange you work long days, you have almost no personal space, and during a charter you may run for 20 hours straight with guests who expect perfection.
People romanticize the travel. The reality is that you see a lot of engine rooms, laundry, and the inside of a fender locker. You also anchor off Sardinia, cross the Atlantic, and watch sunrises from a flybridge that costs more than a house. Both things are true at once. The crew who last are the ones who came for the work and treated the scenery as a bonus.
Private boats tend to be calmer. One owner, known preferences, fewer guest weeks, more predictable downtime. Charter boats are busier and more demanding, but tips are real money. A strong charter season can add 10,000 to 20,000 in gratuities on top of your salary, split among the crew. Green crew usually land on whichever boat will take them first. You do not get to be picky in season one.
Every superyacht runs on four departments. Understanding them tells you where you fit, what you will be paid, and how you move up.
Deck crew handle the outside of the boat and everything to do with driving it, anchoring, docking, and water toys. The entry role is deckhand. You wash and chamois the exterior every morning, polish stainless, coil lines, drive tenders and jet skis, help guests on and off, and maintain the paint and teak. It is physical, outdoor, wet, and repetitive. Deck suits people who like being outside and working with their hands.
The ladder from deckhand goes to lead deckhand, then bosun (runs the deck team and the toys), then officer of the watch, chief officer, and eventually captain. Each step needs sea time and Certificates of Competency from a recognized maritime authority such as the MCA. Deck is the classic route to the wheelhouse.
Interior crew run the inside of the boat: guest service, housekeeping, laundry, table settings, cocktails, and detailing every cabin to hotel standard. The entry role is steward or stewardess, usually shortened to stew. If you have hospitality, hotel, or high end restaurant experience, interior is your fastest door in. It is detail obsessed work: you will iron sheets, fold towels into exact shapes, remember which guest drinks which wine, and keep a straight face on hour 18 of a charter.
Interior progresses from junior stew to second stew, then chief stew, who runs the whole interior team, budget, and guest experience. Specialists exist too: service focused stews, housekeeping specialists, and pursers on the big boats who handle accounts and logistics.
The galley is the kitchen, run by a chef. On smaller boats one chef cooks for both guests and crew. Bigger boats carry a head chef, a sous chef, and sometimes a dedicated crew cook. This is not an entry department. You come in as a trained chef with restaurant experience, and yacht chefs earn well because they produce restaurant quality food from a small galley in a rolling sea for guests who could eat anywhere on earth. If you already cook professionally, yachting pays better than most land kitchens.
Engineers keep the machinery alive: main engines, generators, watermakers, air conditioning, electrical, hydraulics, plumbing, and all the systems guests never think about until they fail. The entry route is a junior engineer or a deck/engineer hybrid on smaller boats, but you need engineering aptitude and, above a certain tonnage, formal engineering certificates. People with trade backgrounds (mechanics, electricians, plumbers, HVAC) transition into yacht engineering well. It is a stable, well paid, and always in demand track.
Not sure where you fit yet? Most green crew start on deck or interior because those departments hire people with no marine experience. Set up a Yacht Service Network profile and pick your department so the right captains find you instead of the wrong ones.
Pay scales with boat size, department, experience, and whether the boat runs private or charter. Salaries are usually quoted per month and paid tax efficiently depending on your nationality and where you bank. Below are realistic 2026 monthly ranges for entry and early career crew. Remember your food and accommodation are free, so most of this is savable.
| Role | Department | Typical Starting Pay (per month, USD/EUR) |
|---|---|---|
| Green deckhand | Deck | 2,500 to 3,500 |
| Junior stew / steward | Interior | 2,500 to 3,500 |
| Experienced deckhand | Deck | 3,500 to 4,500 |
| Second stew | Interior | 3,500 to 4,500 |
| Bosun | Deck | 4,500 to 6,000 |
| Chief stew | Interior | 5,000 to 7,500 |
| Sole / crew chef | Galley | 4,500 to 7,000 |
| Head chef (larger boat) | Galley | 7,000 to 12,000 |
| Junior engineer | Engineering | 3,500 to 5,000 |
| Chief engineer (mid size) | Engineering | 7,000 to 12,000 |
| Captain (30 to 50m) | Command | 9,000 to 16,000 |
A green deckhand or junior stew landing a first job in 2026 should expect roughly 2,500 to 3,500 per month. On a busy charter boat, gratuities can add several thousand more across a season. Because you spend almost nothing while aboard, a disciplined first year crew member can save 25,000 to 40,000 in twelve months. That savings potential is the real financial case for yachting, not the headline salary.
Bigger boats pay more per role because there is more responsibility and more expensive equipment. A deckhand on a 70 meter boat earns more than one on a 35 meter boat. Do not chase the biggest boat first, though. Smaller boats give green crew broader experience because you do a bit of everything, and that makes you more employable later.
You cannot legally work on a commercially operating superyacht without a small stack of certificates. These are non negotiable, and no captain will hire you without at least the first two. Budget for these before you count on any income.
STCW Basic Safety Training is the foundational safety certificate for all commercial crew worldwide. It is a five day course covering firefighting, sea survival, first aid, and personal safety. Every crew member on a commercial yacht needs it. There is no route around it. Expect to pay roughly 900 to 1,500 depending on the school and location, and you can take it at training centers in the UK, the south of France, Florida, South Africa, Australia, and many other places.
This is the single most important thing to book first. Without STCW you are not a candidate, you are a tourist. For the full breakdown of what the course covers, how long it lasts, refresher requirements, and where to train, read our detailed STCW certification guide for yacht crew. Book it, pass it, and put it at the top of your CV.
The ENG1 is a seafarer medical certificate that proves you are fit for sea service. An approved doctor checks your vision, hearing, general health, and physical fitness. It costs around 100 to 200 and is valid for up to two years. Captains ask for it early because an unfit crew member is a liability offshore. Certain conditions can complicate or fail an ENG1, so if you have any doubt, get examined before you spend money on other training. Our ENG1 and seafarer medical guide explains exactly what the exam involves, what can fail you, and how to prepare.
If you want interior or galley work, a Level 2 Food Hygiene certificate is expected because you will handle and serve food. It is a short, cheap course, often available online for under 50, and it removes an easy reason for a chief stew to pass on you. Get it if you are heading into interior. It signals you are serious.
Deck crew who can safely drive tenders and jet skis are far more useful on day one. The RYA Powerboat Level 2 is the standard entry ticket and shows a captain you can handle a tender without wrecking it or a guest. A Personal Watercraft (jet ski) proficiency ticket helps too. Neither is legally mandatory to be hired as a green deckhand, but both make you a stronger candidate and often pay for themselves in your first job offer. Budget 400 to 700 for Powerboat Level 2.
Add it up and a realistic green crew starting budget looks like this: STCW around 1,200, ENG1 around 150, plus either a food hygiene certificate (interior) or a powerboat ticket (deck), plus flights, plus four to eight weeks of living expenses in an expensive port while you look for work. Most people arrive with 4,000 to 7,000 in savings to cover the gap before the first paycheck. Underestimate this and you will run out of money right before the offer comes. Do not do that.
Yachting is geographically concentrated. You do not find these jobs from your hometown by email. You go to where the boats are, physically, during hiring season. There are two seasons and a handful of hub ports, and knowing this timing is half the battle.
The Mediterranean summer season runs roughly May through September. Boats work the French and Italian Rivieras, the Balearics, Sardinia, Corsica, Croatia, and Greece. Hiring for the Med ramps up in March and April. If you want a Med summer, be on the ground by late March.
The Caribbean winter season runs roughly November through April, based around Antigua, St Martin, the British Virgin Islands, and the Bahamas, with the US hub in Fort Lauderdale. Hiring picks up in October and November. Many crew chase both seasons back to back and stay working almost year round by crossing the Atlantic with the fleet.
Antibes, France is the heart of the Mediterranean crew scene. Port Vauban and the surrounding area are packed with boats, crew houses, agencies, and the famous crew bars where jobs get passed by word of mouth. If you are doing a Med season, Antibes is where you base yourself. Browse live crew jobs in Antibes on Yacht Service Network to see what boats are hiring before you even land, then use that to time your arrival.
Palma de Mallorca, Spain is the other major Med hub, huge for refit and shipyard work in winter and busy with crew year round. Many crew split time between Antibes and Palma. Palma is especially good for finding daywork during the winter refit period when boats are in the yards getting painted and serviced.
Fort Lauderdale, Florida is the capital of American yachting and the gateway to the Caribbean season. It has the largest concentration of crew agencies, training schools, and boats in refit anywhere. If you are US based or chasing the Caribbean winter, Lauderdale is your starting point. Newport, Rhode Island is a smaller summer hub on the US East Coast worth knowing too.
Pick your season, pick your port, and commit to being there for the hiring window. Crew who arrive in the right place at the right time get hired. Crew who arrive in July, after every boat is fully crewed, sit and wait. Timing beats talent for green crew. Join Yacht Service Network free and set your location and availability so boats in your target port can find you the moment they need someone.
A yachting CV is not a corporate resume. It is one page, it has a professional photo, and it is scanned in about ten seconds by a captain or crew agent who has 200 others in the inbox. Get the format right and you clear the first filter.
One page, always. Photo top corner, clean and professional, looking approachable in a plain polo or crew shirt, not a beach selfie and not a suit. Below it: your name, nationality, visas held, and contact details. Then your certificates listed clearly (STCW, ENG1, and any tickets), your relevant experience, and a short personal section. Captains want to see, at a glance, that you are legal to work, safe, and easy to have aboard.
Green crew panic about the experience section. You do not need yacht time yet. You need transferable evidence that you are reliable and useful. Hospitality, hotel, bar, restaurant, cleaning, construction, mechanical, sailing, watersports, military, and customer service backgrounds all translate. Frame them for the boat: a bartender becomes someone who can run guest service, a builder becomes someone handy with maintenance, a competitive swimmer becomes someone safe and strong in the water. Honesty matters. Captains spot inflated CVs instantly and the yachting world is small, so a bad reputation follows you between ports.
Yachting runs on references. After every job, even a single day of daywork, ask for a written reference and the person's contact details. A captain deciding between two green candidates will call the references. A day worker who left a boat cleaner than they found it and got a glowing text from the bosun beats a stranger with a longer CV. Collect references obsessively from day one. Store them, keep the contacts current, and offer them before you are asked.
Here is the mechanism almost every successful green crew member used to get their first job: dockwalking and daywork.
Dockwalking means physically walking the docks in a hub port, printed CV in hand, politely asking boats if they need daywork or crew. You dress neatly (crew shirt, clean shorts, boat shoes), you go early, ideally 7 to 9 in the morning when crew are already washing down, and you ask the person on deck if they need a hand today or know anyone who does. It feels awkward the first ten times. It works. Most boats need extra hands for wash downs, provisioning, and detailing far more often than they post formal jobs.
Daywork is casual paid work by the day, usually 120 to 180 per day, doing whatever the boat needs: washing, polishing, moving provisions, detailing before a charter. Daywork is how you earn a little cash, get seen by real boats, collect references, and land in the right place when a full time position opens up. A huge share of first jobs come from a boat that hired you for daywork, liked you, and offered you the season. Treat every day of daywork like an audition, because it is one.
In Antibes, Palma, and Fort Lauderdale you can stay in a crew house, shared accommodation full of other job hunting crew. They are cheap, social, and the single best source of job leads because crew hear about openings before agencies post them. Someone gets a job on a boat that needs two more, and suddenly your housemate is your ticket in. Get into a good crew house early in the season.
You will hear that crew agencies are the way in. They are one way, not the only way, and you should use every channel at once.
Crew agencies match crew to boats and are paid by the boat or the owner, not by you. A legitimate agency never charges crew a placement fee, so if anyone asks you to pay to be placed, walk away. You register with several agencies, keep your profile and availability current, and stay on their radar. Agencies favor crew they have met and crew with experience, so early on they may not call much. Register anyway, because when a boat needs a green deckhand tomorrow, the agency calls whoever is fresh in the system. Our guide to yacht crew agencies and how to register walks through which agencies matter, how registration works, and how to stay top of mind.
You do not have to wait for an agency to pick you. Boats and captains increasingly post and search directly, and free platforms let you apply straight to the job with no middleman and no gatekeeper. This is where Yacht Service Network fits. YSN is free for crew, it connects you directly to owners, captains, and marine businesses hiring, and there is no fee and no agency skimming the process. You build one profile, keep it current, and apply to real openings yourself. Post your availability on Yacht Service Network and apply to yacht jobs for free, and run it alongside your agency registrations and your dockwalking. The crew who fill the most channels get hired the fastest.
The winning approach is all of it at once: register with agencies, apply on free platforms, dockwalk every morning, take daywork, and work your crew house network. Do not pick one. In your first season you are running a full time job search, and you cast the widest net you can.
The difference between crew who land a season in three weeks and crew who give up after two months is rarely talent. It is attitude and a few avoidable errors.
Ready to give yourself the best shot? Build your free crew profile now so you are already visible to hiring boats the day you land in port.
Where you can legally work depends on your passport and where the boat operates. This trips up a lot of green crew, so sort it before you fly.
Non US citizens working on foreign flagged yachts in US waters typically operate on a B1/B2 visa, the visitor visa that covers crew of a foreign vessel. It is commonly required for the Fort Lauderdale scene and the Caribbean season staging out of the US. Apply for it well in advance because appointment waits vary by country and you do not want it to be the thing that stops you starting.
The Schengen zone covers most of Med Europe, and non EU crew face the 90 in 180 day rule, meaning you can spend only 90 days in any rolling 180 day window in the Schengen area as a visitor. For a full Med season this is a real constraint, and crew manage it with the correct long stay visas, seafarer provisions, or careful time planning, sometimes spending downtime in non Schengen spots. If you hold an EU passport, none of this applies and you have a genuine advantage in the Med. Know your own situation before you commit to a season, and get proper advice for your nationality rather than guessing.
The short version: match your target season to a place you can legally work. A US passport holder chasing a Med summer, or a non EU crew member assuming they can stay all season in Europe, can get caught out. Plan the paperwork with the same care you plan the training.
Here is how a well run entry into yachting actually looks, month by month, for someone targeting a Med summer.
Decide your department (deck or interior for most green crew). Book and complete your STCW Basic Training. Get your ENG1 medical. Add the food hygiene certificate for interior or the powerboat ticket for deck. Build your one page CV with a professional photo. Sort your visa if you need one. Start saving your runway of 4,000 to 7,000.
Register with crew agencies. Build and polish your profile on free platforms so boats can find you. Book a bed in a crew house in Antibes or Palma. Research which boats are in your target port. Set your availability on Yacht Service Network so you are in the system before you arrive.
Land in your hub port. Move into the crew house. Dockwalk every single morning. Take every day of daywork offered and treat each as an audition. Collect references relentlessly. Keep applying online and checking in with agencies. This is the grind. It commonly takes two to six weeks of consistent effort to land a permanent spot. Do not quit in week three.
A daywork boat offers you the season, or an agency or online application lands you a green crew position. You join, you keep your head down, you work hard, and you build the reputation that makes season two easy. By September you have a full Med season on your CV, a stack of references, and a network. From there you either cross to the Caribbean for winter or take a break with money in the bank.
That is the whole path. It is simple, it is not easy, and it works for people who show up prepared and outwork their doubts. Start your yachting career on Yacht Service Network today and put your profile in front of the boats before the season fills up.
No. Green crew with zero yacht experience get hired every season, primarily onto deck and interior positions. What you need instead is the right certificates (STCW and ENG1 at minimum), a clean one page CV, transferable work history like hospitality or trades, and the willingness to dockwalk and take daywork until a boat offers you a season. Experience helps, but a good attitude and being in the right port at the right time matter more for your first job.
Plan for roughly 1,200 for STCW, about 150 for the ENG1 medical, and 50 to 700 more for a food hygiene certificate or powerboat ticket depending on your department. Add flights and four to eight weeks of living expenses in an expensive hub port. Most green crew arrive with 4,000 to 7,000 in total to cover training and the gap before their first paycheck. Underfunding this is one of the most common reasons people fail, because they run out of money days before an offer arrives.
A green deckhand or junior stew in 2026 typically earns 2,500 to 3,500 per month, with food and accommodation provided free. Charter boats add gratuities that can total several thousand across a season. Because your living costs aboard are almost nothing, a disciplined first year crew member can save 25,000 to 40,000 in twelve months. Pay rises with experience, rank, and boat size.
Target the Mediterranean summer season by arriving in Antibes or Palma in late March, since hiring ramps up in March and April. For the Caribbean winter season, arrive in Fort Lauderdale in October or November. Being physically present in a hub port during the hiring window is the single biggest factor in landing a first job. Crew who show up after the season starts find the boats already crewed.
No. Legitimate crew agencies are paid by the boat or owner, never by the crew. If any agency asks you to pay a placement fee, it is a scam and you should walk away. Register with multiple agencies for free, keep your availability current, and combine them with free platforms, dockwalking, and daywork. Yacht Service Network is free for crew and connects you directly to hiring boats with no fee and no middleman, so you can apply to jobs yourself.
For a prepared green crew member in the right port during hiring season, it commonly takes two to six weeks of consistent dockwalking, daywork, applications, and networking. Some land a season in their first week, others take a couple of months. The people who fail are usually the ones who quit in week three, right before the offer that was about to come. Stay funded, stay disciplined, and outlast the grind.
Choose based on your strengths and background. Deck suits people who like physical, outdoor work, driving tenders, and a route toward the wheelhouse and eventually captain. Interior suits people with hospitality, hotel, or high end service backgrounds who are detail focused and comfortable around guests. Both hire green crew readily. Galley requires an existing professional chef, and engineering suits people with trade or mechanical backgrounds and the right technical certificates.
Working on superyachts is one of the few careers where a motivated person with modest savings and no connections can, in a single season, land a well paid job that pays them to travel the world. The formula is not a secret: get your STCW and ENG1, build a clean CV, get to a hub port before the season fills, dockwalk and daywork until a boat says yes, and treat every early job as the audition it is. Do the boring parts well and the industry rewards you fast.
Start today by putting yourself where the boats can find you. Create your free Yacht Service Network crew profile, set your department, location, and availability, and start applying directly to real yacht jobs with no agency fees and no gatekeepers. The next season is already hiring, and the crew who prepare early are the ones who get the call.