Getting your first job on a yacht takes persistence, grit, and a good sense of humour. You need to be prepared, get your ducks in a row, and be ready to face a few knockbacks without taking it personally. Nobody will tell you it’s easy – because it isn’t. But if you stick with it, it’s absolutely worth it. So, put your big pants on, grab your go-getter attitude, and let’s get to work.

You’ve got your basic qualifications, so what’s next? 

If you can pick up any relevant work experience before hitting the docks, do it. It helps your CV and boosts your confidence.

🧼 Interior roles? Any hospitality job will help. Restaurant, café, bar, or housekeeping – all offer transferable skills like service, cleaning, and time management. Chalet jobs are gold.
🌊 Deckhand route? Watersports centres, sailing, wakeboarding, boat handling – anything on the water gives you a head start.
🛠️ Engineering? If you’ve rebuilt an engine with your uncle or turned a knackered quad bike into a machine of dreams, we want to know. Whether it was paid or not – it counts.

Bonus: you’ll be able to earn and save a bit of money. Why? Because the next step is…

Palma. Antibes. Fort Lauderdale. These are the hubs – and you need to be there in person. If you're already based in one of these ports, congrats, you’re ahead of the game. If not, it’s time to pack your bags, budget for a few weeks of hustle, and get your feet on the docks.

Important: If you're hoping to work in the US, you must be legally allowed to do so. That means holding a US passport or a Green Card. A B1/B2 visa allows you to work on yachts in US waters - but crucially, you must apply for work while outside the US, or you'll risk breaking the law.

If you're planning to head to Europe, make sure you have the correct visa for entry. If you need a Schengen visa, get one before you travel - without it, you won’t legally be allowed to enter or stay.

And if you're from a non-Schengen country and planning to join a yacht in Europe, you’ll also need to apply for a Seaman’s Discharge Book as soon as possible. This document helps prove your status as active crew and is often required for legal embarkation or international travel from the yacht.

Immigration rules are ever-changing, so always check the latest guidance with your embassy or consulate before booking that flight, and keep on top of local regulations.

March to May is your golden window. The Med season is ramping up, yachts are coming out of refit, and captains are building their summer teams. Boats arrive from all over - Caribbean, Indian Ocean, the Pacific - and many need fresh crew.

💡 Antibes = motoryacht heaven
💡 Palma = sailors’ paradise

June to September? Don’t bother. The season’s in full swing, yachts are fully crewed up and well into their programmes with boss and guest trips galore, and hiring slows to a trickle unless there's an emergency replacement (when it’s urgent they’ll only hire experienced crew, not greenies, as the training window has closed and they need someone to hit the ground running). 

October to December is a second chance. Boats return from summer cruising and there’s often a reshuffle amongst crew. It’s not as hectic as spring, but there’s still movement. Some yachts drop to skeleton crew over winter and sit in port just ticking over, some go into hectic yard periods, and others are off chasing the sun. Jobs still appear - you just have to be patient and visible. As winters in the Med are maintenance focused, this is when engineers and deck crew will be more likely to find day work there. 

Antigua is your winter go-to in the Caribbean. From October to December, it becomes a hotspot for winter programmes, especially sailing yachts, and a great place to base yourself.

If you're legally allowed to work in the US, Fort Lauderdale is booming around this time too - it’s a launchpad for many Caribbean-bound yachts. Bonus: Newport, RI is growing in popularity as a summer base for East Coast cruising, especially for sailing yachts. Spring is a good time to sniff around up there.

Antibes can get absolutely saturated with crew in springtime. It’s a bit of a zoo, and while it’s a great place to network, it can also be overwhelming (and disheartening) when you’re surrounded by that much competition. So don’t be afraid to hop on a train and explore other ports along the coast.

Head west to Cannes, St. Tropez, or even cross into Spain. Barcelona, Tarragona, and Vilanova are all worth a look. Or go east to Nice, Monaco, San Remo, Imperia… Yachts are dotted all along this coastline, and plenty of them could be looking for crew.

You don’t need a business degree to understand how important this is. Yachting is a people industry.

Start here:

📱 Facebook: Palma (or Antibes, Fort Lauderdale etc) Yacht Crew Groups – goldmines for accommodation, events, daywork, meeting others, and more
🛏️ Crew houses – good places to meet other newbies
🎉 Crew events – quizzes, beach cleanups, dock BBQs… yes, they count!

Make friends, ask questions, and show up. You never know who’s hiring, or who knows someone else who is.

Sign Up With Reputable Agencies

📌 Research before you hand over personal info (sadly, scammers exist)
📌 Choose trusted agencies with good reputations
📌 Attend local events – some agents run sessions for green crew (I often host a springtime Speed Interviewing session in Palma so come say hi!)

📌 Once you're registered, don’t be afraid to check in regularly. Send your updated CV every time you gain experience. Keep yourself fresh in their minds. Digital networking works just like the in-person kind.

Before you launch into the job hunt, make sure you're not the one who turns up unprepared. Yes, the goal is to land a yacht job – but first, you need to survive life on land. Whether you’re heading to Palma, Antibes, Fort Lauderdale or beyond, here’s what to bring:

✅ Valid passport (check expiry date, and get copies scanned to email/cloud)
✅ Visas (Schengen, B1/B2 etc – whatever applies to your nationality and destination)
✅ Seaman’s Discharge Book (apply early if required)
✅ STCW and ENG1 certificates (physical copies and digital backups)
✅ Up-to-date CV (PDF format, ready to fire off or print)
✅ Printed CVs (yep, some captains still prefer hard copies – keep 10–20 with you)
✅ A working phone with roaming or a local SIM card
✅ Basic international health/travel insurance
✅ Emergency credit card or backup funds – because life happens, and getting stuck with no money in a foreign country is not the vibe

Work Gear

🌊Dockwalking clothes (smart shorts, polo tops, clean comfortable trainers – bonus points for looking yacht-savvy)
🌊Notebook and pen (yes, really – good for writing down leads and boat names)
🌊Small backpack or tote (to stash your CVs, water bottle, sunscreen, and that emergency banana)

Personal Stuff

🎯Weather-appropriate layers (Mediterranean spring mornings can be cold, afternoons scorching, and evenings breezy)
🎯Off duty clothes (because it’s not all work, work, work! Take a few outfits – smart and casual, and a couple pairs of shoes. Don’t forget your swimmers!)
🎯Minimal toiletries (you can buy locally as required before you join a yacht)
🎯Enough money for a few weeks of accommodation, food, and transport – and then some. Research where you’re going to get a better idea of how much you should allow
🎯A good attitude (you’ll need it)
🎯Sense of humour (non-negotiable)

💡 Pro tip: pack light in a soft bag. You might be joining a yacht last-minute and flying out the next day. Dragging a massive suitcase down a narrow passerelle while a chief stew watches you from the aft deck is... not ideal.

 ✨ For more no-nonsense tips and honest advice at every stage of your yachting journey, check out Superyacht Life: How to Start, Succeed, & Stay Sane by Erica Lay - available 1st October on Amazon.