Your first yacht job: what you need before you start

A new crew member on the dock with a folder of certificates, yachts behind

Before a captain can take you on, even for a season as a junior deckhand or stewardess, you need a small set of documents. Get these first and every application after that is easier.

1. STCW basic safety training

This is the entry requirement for working at sea. It is made up of four short courses, usually taken together in about a week:

Personal Survival Techniques
Fire Prevention and Fire Fighting
Elementary First Aid
Personal Safety and Social Responsibilities

Most yachts also ask for Proficiency in Security Awareness, a half-day course that many schools include in the same week. Personal Survival Techniques and Fire Prevention and Fire Fighting have to be updated every five years, so keep the dates.

2. A seafarer medical

For UK-flagged yachts, and widely accepted elsewhere, this is the ENG1: a medical examination by a doctor approved by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency. It is valid for up to two years (one year if you are under 18). Other flag states issue their own equivalents. The official list of approved doctors is on gov.uk.

3. Passport and the right to work where the yacht is

A passport with plenty of validity left. Visa rules depend on your nationality, the yacht's flag and where it cruises, and they change. Do not rely on what another crew member did last year: ask the yacht or the agent what they need from you, and read the official guidance of the country concerned.

4. A CV and one reference

You do not need yacht experience to have a good CV. Put down the work that shows you can be trusted on board: hospitality, watersports, trades, childcare, the services. Ask one past employer for a reference. On Crew HQ the referee confirms it by email, which is what a captain looks for.

Put it on your profile

Create your free profile, or email your CV to [email protected] and Crew HQ builds the profile from it.
Add your main qualification and where you are now. These are the first two things an employer filters by.
Store your certificates with their expiry dates on your documents page and Crew HQ reminds you three months before one runs out.
Looking for a course? The training school directory has a map.

Sources: Maritime and Coastguard Agency, MSN 1865 (STCW training and five-year updating) and "Seafarer medical certificates" on gov.uk. Requirements differ by flag state: check with the yacht.

Questions people ask

Is Crew HQ a crew agency?

No. Nobody sits between crew and the person hiring. Employers search, open a profile and get in touch directly. There is no placement fee and no commission, for crew or for employers.

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What makes a profile get noticed?

In this order: your main job title, where you are now, your main qualification, a CV, a photo and at least one reference. Complete profiles are shown ahead of thin ones when Crew HQ suggests crew for a position, and Premium profiles come first.

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Where do I keep my certificates, and who sees them?

On your documents page, each with its expiry date. Crew HQ emails you about three months before one runs out. Storing documents is part of Premium, or comes with a seat on a captain's crew list. They are seen by you, by a captain whose crew list you have joined, and by employers with Professional Membership who open your full profile.

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I have a job. Can I stay on Crew HQ without my crew knowing I am looking?

Set your availability to "Currently employed" and your profile is left out of crew search, or to "Employed, open to offers" to stay findable. With Premium, Stealth Mode lets you look for a new position without your current crew noticing.

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How do I apply for a job?

Open the job on the job list or the job map and show your interest. The employer gets your profile, CV and references. It is free.

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