best time to find yacht jobs

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Best Locations and Seasons to Land a Yacht Job

Yachts normally operate seasonally. During these times, there is plenty of opportunity to find a position aboard a luxury or superyacht, no matter your level of experience. There are several different yachting hubs from where you can launch your career – usually the most beautiful places in the world! To ensure that you secure your spot on deck, it’s important to know where to be and when. 

Can you get a job from home?

The short answer is, no. Crew members are often picked up with very short notice, sometimes even on the same day of applying! The captain of the vessel usually conducts the interview and will want to meet with you in person, so you have to make yourself physically available in these main hiring ports. Book short-term accommodation, as you hopefully won’t be at this location very long before getting a job on a luxury yacht! The process could take a week, if you’re very lucky, but sometimes up to two months – be sure to budget accordingly! Perhaps consider doing other jobs like waitressing on land while you wait for a yacht job.

Top yacht crew hiring ports 

Best for newbies.

The six locations below are the hiring hotspots and will offer far greater access to quality job opportunities for those individuals freshly entering the industry:

• Sails Marina, Fort Lauderdale, Florida
• Rybovich, West Palm Beach, Florida
• IYCA Port Vauban, Antibes, France
• Port de Palma, Palma de Mallorca, Spain
• Port Vell, Barcelona, Spain
• Newport, Rhode Island

Second-Tier Yacht Crew Hiring Ports / Locations

The following is a list of what we’ll term “secondary” options for worthwhile hiring ports. Mega-yachts pass through these destinations, but not in vast numbers or as frequently as with the list above. These places, however, have STCW-recognised training schools, or at least some crew-recruitment agencies in the area, so you can get take your STCW certification and register with a placement service before heading to where more boats are located (if you have not already qualified in South Africa):

• St. Martin/St. Maarten in the Caribbean
• Dubai, United Arab Emirates
• Sydney, Australia
• Auckland, New Zealand
• Antigua in the Caribbean
• San Diego, California
• Viareggio, Italy

Third-Tier Yacht Crew Hiring Ports / Locations

While these may not be the key spots for easily finding a position, the destinations below can be considered a third tier. Experienced crew tend to do okay basing themselves here, but we do not recommend them for entry-level job hunters. For some individuals, however, these spots may be the only option due to proximity and the inability to travel far:

• U.K.— London, Southampton, and Dover
• The Netherlands
• The Bahamas
• South Africa

Other ports to consider:

• Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
• Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
• Phuket, Thailand
• Galle Harbour, Sri Lanka
• English Harbour, Antigua

The Mediterranean 

Ports: Spain, Italy, France.

The best time to be in the Mediterranean is March/April/May/June. Plenty of ports are extremely accessible during this period as trains constantly run the entire length of the French and Italian Riviera. This means that you could simply go from port to port to meet captains and crew. September, which nears the end of summer in the Northern Hemisphere, is also a good time to find employment as an entry-level crew member. We recommend heading to Antibes in the South of France.

Some yachts will be looking for crew to complete the Atlantic crossing from the Mediterranean to the USA or the Caribbean. Yachts are often registered offshore, therefore, working on board a Cayman Islands registered yacht in the USA, is not considered illegal by Maritime Law. You cannot, however, work on US flagged vessels without a legal US Passport, US Working Visa, or Green Card. Chat to us for advice regarding the visa requirements for working on board any of these luxury yachts.

Fort Lauderdale, Florida is a popular port to find work. Visas for entering the USA have become more challenging to attain, however, so this option isn’t the simplest. Most yachts will go into a Shipyard period once or twice a year for maintenance, which is a great time to look for daywork. This varies, but many yachts will complete their maintenance periods from February – April in the USA.

The Caribbean and Bahama Islands

This is one of the most beautiful routes in the world – understandably making it one of the most popular . Super yachts sail to the Caribbean and Bahamas from December to May, the Northern Hemisphere winter months. Most vessels are based in South Florida, making Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach the places where most people find crew work. We recommend finding ways of boosting your skill set before applying for any positions, as it will help you stand out from the many people keen to land a job on vessels sailing this route. Consider getting a scuba diving licence or growing your knowledge of the local marine life. 

Getting Placed From South African Ports

Getting placed directly from South Africa is a little harder for newbies, as most vessels hire only more experienced crew. Locations of travel from South African ports include: Indian Ocean (Mauritius, Maldives / Seychelles) and South Atlantic (Brazil, Caribbean). Best time for work is December through March and May through July.

Necessary Qualifications

To qualify for work on board a yacht, you will need to complete:

• The STCW Basic Safety Training course, and
• An ENG1 or seafarer medical certificate

To work on a boat cruising the Caribbean it is advisable to have both a Schengen and B1B2 visa as some of the Islands still fall under European and US dependency. It is also highly advisable to have many spare pages in your passport for a Caribbean season as there is immigration control and an entry and exit stamp on your passport for every Island.

Speak to us if you’d like to discuss possible courses that could benefit you ; our academy is internationally accredited. If you’d just like to get an idea whether a yacht job is really for you, consider downloading our ultimate yacht crew handbook that will give you the ins and outs of yacht crew life, with additional tips to help you get that job on a private yacht.

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1. what are the basic requirements you need to be eligible to work in the yachting industry, 2. what is the stcw and why do i need it, 3. what is the eng1 medical certificate, 4. what land based experience will help me find a super yacht job, 5. what are the different departments onboard, 6. what crew training is required for me to work as a junior deckhand.

• Yachtmaster/Coastal Skipper Theory
• Yachtmaster/Coastal Practical
• Specialist Super Yacht Training Course (Deck Hand Training Course)
• RYA Power Boat Level II
• RYA Personal Watercraft Course
• RYA Competent Crew Certificate
• RYA Day Skipper Theory and Practical Certificates
• VHF Radio Operator’s License

7. What crew training is required for me to work as a junior stewardess?

• Stewardess Course
• Proficiency in Designated Security Duties (PDSD)
• MCA Food Safety Level 2
• RYA Powerboat Level 2

8. How do I book my training courses?

9. how do i get my first job on a yacht, 10. are these courses worth it, or am i just wasting my money, 11. will i get hired for my first job from south africa, 12. what is daywork, 13. what are the best locations to get a yacht job, 14. how much can a motor yacht stewardess or deckhand earn, 15. what are the negatives of working on a yacht, 16. what are the positives of working on a yacht, 17. is working on a super yacht for everyone, 18. what is the minimum age to work on a yacht, 19. is accommodation provided when i am completing my yacht training in cape town.

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The best times to find work on a superyacht

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The best times to find a job in yachting to give you the best chance at scoring work! 1. At an international event such as a boat show

2. When the yachts are in season

3.  When there’s a change over of crew (generally at the start and end of a season)

All of these times are when work is the most prominent with jobs onboard. 

So why is there more workaround when there is an international boat show or large luxury event? If a boat is for sale or up for charter it will be participating at the boat show to show off to potential buyers and charter agents. 

When a yacht is getting ready for boat shows you can imagine it needs to look amazing! So it’s all hands on deck with often short turnarounds and extra hands needed its a prime opportunity to get some day work and help out onboard where needed. 

Popular boats shows and events include the Miami International Boat Show in February ,  The Cannes Film Festival and Monaco Grand Prix in May, Sanctuary boat show on the gold coast Australia also in May, The Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show (Otherwise known as FLIBS) held in late October, and the Antigua Charter Yacht Show in December. I suggest doing a search online to find out more if you’re looking for work and an upcoming boat show or event is happening soon in the yachting hubs or close to where you’re based.

Now for the yachting seasons… the most important time to look for work! 

Med Season (Mediterannean Season)- April/May – September/Oct The med season generally begins late April/early May when yachts are preparing for summer charters and events like the Cannes Film Festival held in May. In the lead-up to the season, there will often be opportunities for day work and permanent positions as vessels crew up for the season. Caribbean season Late November marks the beginning of the Caribbean season, with the Antigua Charter Yacht Show kicking things off in early December. Popular spots for yachts in the USA/Caribbean include Fort Lauderdale (Main yachting hub), West Palm Beach, Antigua, and St Maarten.

Dual Season Yachts (yachts that do both main yachting seasons)  

The majority of dual-season yachts will begin their crossing back to the Med Feb/March to get ready for the summer season in the Mediterranean . Some yachts remain in the Caribbean as late as May. It all depends on the charters booked, owner preferences and schedules.

Yachting Seasons in Australia

The Whitsunday season including Great Barrier Reef charters generally run from April to November. From November to late January/February it is the busy summer season in Sydney.

Finding work at the beginning and end of a season is also prime time to look for work onboard. Yacht crew work all season, some leave some stay, some want a break and some will go and do training, therefore, positions become available.

Don’t leave it too late though when the season is all done – especially if it’s the med season as you could miss your opportunity to jump on a boat that is destined for the Caribbean or the states. The dual-season yachts leave soon after the season wraps up which can be anywhere from September- to October. 

Want to know the three best times to find a job in yachting to give you the best chance at scoring work?

Are you wondering how to get a job on a yacht? How to find work as a yacht stew or deckhand?  

Check out this episode! Yachting is seasonal, there are boat shows and events when more yacht crew are needed, and there’s a change over of yacht crew at the beginning and end of a season. It’s about timing it right to maximise job opportunities in the yachting industry. 

Want to learn how to get a job on a yacht? Tools here >> The Yachting Kickstarter Guide Learn all the skills needed to become a professional Yacht Stewardess: Course here >> The Seaworthy Yacht Stewardess Online Training Course 

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Yacht Crew Hiring Ports Part 2: When to Go to Get Hired

March 23, 2018 By Julie Perry

In Part 1 of this series on yacht crew hiring ports , I covered worldwide locations where yacht crew must move to find work on a superyacht. While I listed the Tier 1, 2, and 3 destinations for getting hired quick, my advice for entry-level crew is that they should choose one of the top four hiring ports (Tier 1), which include Fort Lauderdale, Florida and Newport, Rhode Island in the U.S. and Antibes, France and Palma de Mallorca (Spain) in the Mediterranean.

Antibes, on French Riviera — with the fortress in the distance. Antibes is the major yachting hub in the Mediterranean.

With those four top hiring ports in mind, that leads us to the next important question: when?

What Criteria Do You Use to Choose a Hiring Port?

Aside from your proximity to the destination and what restraints, if any, your travel budget may pose, the two main factors to consider when choosing a hiring port are:

• what yachting season coincides with your job-hunting schedule (and you are better off planning your job hunt according to the yachting seasons, rather than just heading wherever is most convenient when you feel like it).
• what visa requirements you face, which for U.S. citizens is a non-issue.

Seasonal Decisions

When referring to the industry’s main seasons, we look at what times of the year a MAJORITY of yachts converge upon the same geographic cruising areas. While it is true that luxury yachts are constantly on the move and can end up in ports all over the world (this is why I say it’s not impossible to find work outside of the main hiring ports), consider seasonal trends to increase your chances of getting hired.

The question to ask is: “What do most yachts do, and when do they do it?”

There are two actual cruising seasons you will hear discussed in this industry: summer and winter. The months on either side of the summer and winter seasons—what in layman’s terms are known as spring and fall—are most often referred to by yachting professionals as the time when yachts are “getting ready for the summer season” (April–mid-June) and “getting ready for the winter season” (September–mid-December).

These two off-shoulder seasons, also referred to as “down time” for yachts, serve as transition periods when yachts are changing locations, heading into shipyards for repair or maintenance, and provisioning for the next cruising season’s big string of charters. This is usually the time when current crew take their vacations.

And pay attention here: These transition months are also the peak time periods for finding jobs, as this is when crew changes will most likely occur.

So where do the yachts end up during these transition periods? Well, naturally, the industry’s cruising seasons are dictated by when and where the weather is warm and pleasant. In the South of France, the port of Nice (pronounced like “niece”) is nice, but not necessarily in late November.

A couple main events that coincide with these time periods are Antigua Race Week in late April (after which time most yachts head back to Fort Lauderdale for transitioning over to summer season plans) and the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show at the end of October, when you can be guaranteed there are tons of yachts in town.

Fort Lauderale, Florida is known as “The Yachting Capital of the World”. It hosts the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show each year at the end of October / beginning of November. This is a peak hiring time for yacht crew.

Other big superyacht industry events during such transitional periods are the Monaco Yacht Show in late September, which could offer a last chance to hop on a yacht in the Mediterranean that is heading back across the Atlantic for Caribbean winter cruising, and the Antigua Yacht Charter Show in early December that tends to kick off the winter season in the Caribbean.

Here below I break down these various cruising seasons (where yachts travel when) and follow it up with a useful table to summarize the peak months for finding work in the four main hiring ports: Fort Lauderdale, Antibes, Palma, and Newport. Read on…

Summer Season

During the summer months (May to early September), most yachts either travel across the Atlantic Ocean to cruise around the Mediterranean Sea OR they head up the northeast coast of the United States to areas such as Newport, Rhode Island; Martha’s Vineyard and Cape Cod in Massachusetts; and New York City and Sag Harbor in New York. Some also venture up the West Coast of the United States to visit Alaska, though typically only in June, July, and August, given that the temperatures are best those months.

Between Summer and Winter

As the summer draws to a close, usually in mid-September to early October, many yachts will finish up their cruising season and head into transitional phase. (That means a peak hiring time.) Yachts already located in the Mediterranean may opt to go into a shipyard somewhere in Europe. Unless they have a good reason to be there, though, most boats clear out of that area and head back across the Atlantic. Yachts that were in the U.S. Northeast for the summer will also migrate back down south, nearly always stopping off somewhere in South Florida before departing again for the winter season, usually to the Caribbean. And, yachts that ventured to Alaska will do one of a few things: head down the West Coast to winter in Mexico, head elsewhere across the Pacific Ocean, or transition over to South Florida, in preparation for Caribbean cruising.

Winter Season

During the winter months (late November through March), most yachts cruise to the islands of the Bahamas and the Caribbean, including St. Martin/St. Maarten, Antigua, the Virgin Islands, and St. Barts. Those that do not head there are based in Florida during these months, are in a shipyard elsewhere (such as Europe), or follow an atypical itinerary and are located in parts of the world such as Australia or the islands of the South Pacific. If you are seeking employment for the Caribbean season and have not found anything out of the Lauderdale-based agencies by early December, it is recommended (at least for experienced crew) that you look into heading to the Caribbean to find work. (And if you are thinking of heading to St. Martin / St. Maarten, see the final note at the bottom of this post.)

Peak Times to Find Yacht Crew Jobs (‘Tis All in the Seasons)

The chart below summarizes the peak times to find yacht crew jobs according to location, with notes beneath to explain further:

• No = As an entry-level job seeker, don’t try it.
• Good = A decent chance, but you may find yourself either a bit too early, or too late, for prime hiring season. In the case of Fort Lauderdale, many of the agencies will be hiring to send crew down to the Caribbean during January-February (that’s how it happened for me: hired in Lauderdale to join a boat in San Juan, Puerto Rico), so this is why they have received the rating of “Good.” Otherwise, the yachts hanging around Florida during these months are more than likely having repairs done and are not hiring.
• Great = Your odds are increasing. In fact, for months and locations where I have noted the hiring possibilities as “Great,” if these months are followed by a month rated “Outstanding,” you may actually choose this “Great” month to arrive in town. This will give you time to complete your STCW training , an interior training course , and to get some day-work experience under your belt so that you can be networked and poised to grab the jobs that become available during the months marked as “Outstanding” times to find permanent positions.
• Outstanding = Be here during this time for the best chance to find a job.

If you have not yet read Part 1 of this series on Yacht Crew Hiring Ports, you can find that here .

Or simply pick up a copy of my book, The Insiders Guide to Becoming a Yacht Stewardess , which devotes six full chapters on how to get hired as superyacht crew. This information will be useful for anyone trying to obtain work on a yacht, whether you are looking for an entry-level yachting position as a deckhand, steward or stewardess, chef, or even an engineer.

Final Note: If you are “green” (a novice to the industry), and you haven’t found work in Fort Lauderdale by mid- to late December, you will likely receive advice from other crew in town that you head to the island of St. Martin / St. Maarten to continue your job search down there. Please take heed:

Experienced crew report that St. Martin/St. Maarten and Antigua make great bases for finding work at the start of the holiday season in mid- to late-December, through February; however, I encourage you to exercise caution if heading to these areas alone. Connect with crew agencies ahead of time for an honest assessment of the job market. I also recommend traveling with another person and not making your intentions for job-hunting known when you speak to immigration officials at the airport. Go with a return flight booked (that you can always cancel), and make sure you’ve arranged your accommodation in advance. Do your research.

Current yacht stewardess, Kate Chastain (who also assisted with research for the 2nd edition of this book) says this about job hunting in St. Martin/St. Maarten:

It is not a port I would necessarily recommend to a green stew. It is “illegal” to dock walk (although I’ve done it many times after learning some tricks), and passengers with one-way tickets into the island are often stopped at customs, questioned, and not released until a departing flight (which you can cancel later) is purchased. I wish I had known to be careful on the island when I went there during my first year in the industry and found myself in customs, passport being held. I was then horrified when I realized how DIFFERENT it was from looking for work in Fort Lauderdale. Now that I know what to expect, I have returned looking for work two years in a row with no problems. For someone new to the industry though, it is not advised.”

So be cautious.

Meanwhile, if you wish to take a few steps back and get a better idea about the superyacht industry—what its all about, who owns and travels aboard megayachts and superyachts, where they travel, and even what they’re like inside—feel free to download Chapter 1 for free here .

[…] Above I tell you where you need to move to get hired. The next question you’re probably asking is “when?” Sure enough, that’s what I talk about in Part 2 of this series on Yacht Crew Hiring Ports. […]

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