Qualification Help Line
New to the industry and having problems deciding which courses you need to take to get work on the Superyacht's?
Possibly not sure whether it is essential to get that "ticket" everyone is talking about?
Or l
king to upgrade your qualification & get that skipper position!?
Superyacht Crew Academy, past students and current employees on superyachts alike can help you out with their advice and suggestions to help you get the RIGHT qualification... Getting you onto one of these > > >
Getting On Board A SuperYacht
When it comes to life onboard superyachts, nothing is more paramount than the safety of those onboard. A simple accident or fire can be life threatening when the vessel is miles off any given coastline.
... That is why the International Maritime Organisation a division of the United Nations who are responsible for amongst other things, setting international Standards of Training and Certification of Watchkeepers (STCW95) for personnel who work in the Maritime and Professional Yachting Industry. All crew involved in any safety or muster must complete the STCW95 course.
The STCW95 is now a minimum qualification required by crew placement agents and captains, having this certificate along with other MCA recognised deck qualifications will help you qualify for a position on a superyacht.
The team at the Superyacht Crew Academy help in a variety of ways, but is's really each employee's own responsibility. You can read more about this at http://www.superyacht-crew-academy.com
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Thought you guys might be interested in what you should be getting paid, so here are the new salary averages for 2007...
>> http://picasaweb.google.com/SuperYachtCrewAcademy/CrewPublications <<
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I did the stcw95 with superyacht crew academy in June 06 and found the course to be very professionally run and very well informed on all topics.
The northern beaches is a great place to train, in a relaxed and cosmopolitan environment.
Well done to the SCA and instructors i can now with confidence continue on with my professional career training with the megayacht deck course and eventually master of yachts 200tons coastal next year.
The best outcome I am now finding is the crew placement resource offered free of charge by SCA. thanks for your service and attitude.
John w.
9th September 06
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Bounosera
G'day Chris and Deb,
Hope your both well. Things are starting to heat up over in the Med. We've been pretty flatout with charters and have a couple of days down time this week here in Palermo Sicily, which we think is one of the worst places which either of us have been to. So dirty, not much nice to look at and the good old Italian attitude of, "Who cares".
I should say that were busy between charters and photo shoots!! Our boat is the "centrefold" for meet the crew in the next issue of Dockwalk. Pretty embarrasing and we all of had a laugh over it. We'll be holding a signing session upon ur return to Oz for all of those fans.
Hows Clubsail going? We heard some news about some pretty wild storms back there and we saw the BOM marine weather report which at one stage reported 7m Sea on a 6-7m Swell, not bad!
There is absolutely no swell here in the Med. People get worried when the sea is 1-2m and the wind gusting to 20 knots! Pretty amusing
Im doing my OOW at the end of the season, not sure where to do it as yet either in Antibes, Fort Lauderdale with IYT or in Durban. Any recommendations?
Anyway better run, hope your both well and work is busy for you guys. Keep in touch.
Best Regards
Brendan Dean and Beck Hawke
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Hi Brendan and Beck
Great centrefold!
(pics extracted from Dockwalk, Volume 11, No.8)
Good to hear again from you both and that you have landed such great positions onboard.
Congratulations, you make us proud.
Best to go with IYT in Ft. Lauderdale for the OOW.
Keep in touch, all the best
Deb
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Hi Deb,
Long time no chat. Just a quick line to say that I am absolutely loving the industry.
It's everything and more that I though it would be.
Thank you so much for the courses and your support.
I wish you all the very best and I will write more about my adventures when I have a chance.
Wishing you and all at Clubsail SuperYacht Crew Academy every success.
Many thanks ... Sally Alden.
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Hope this message finds you all fabulous. I'm currently in Alaska, and have just had a wonderful week of being very close to grizzly bears and humpback whales. We're on our way to a huge glacier park now, and to see some icebergs. Great life, heh!
Deb - quick question for you - just wondering what you are advising new yacht crew of in terms of income & tax situation for earning income offshore?
Look forward to hearing from you.
Kind regards
Julia
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Dear Chris and Deb,
Well i did end up gettin that job as a deckhand onboard the yacht in New York and i am having a ball. I was wondering whether you could give me the email of the financial advisor that you know in Brisbane which was in the photo copy that was handed out in STCW class.
Thanks so much for your help again,
Luke Prokopavicius
Ps i tried ringing him before i left and no go.
Kia Kaha
Love Life
Luka
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Hey Luke
Way to go!!
Try contacting Professional Investment Services 07 5575 6788
Cheers
Deb Brown
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CV HELP ??
Hello Chris and the Team at Club Sail SuperYacht Crew Academy,
I would just like to say that i enjoyed my STCW95 course that i have just completed very much and i cant wait to further my career in the marine industry.
I have put together a updated version of my cv and i would like your help compiling a professionally formatted resume designed specifically for the industry please. Then would it be possible to help me send it to all the crew placement companies that you have on your database?
Your help would be very much appreciated.
Thank you very much.
Brad Ray
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Hi There Brad
Your CV formatting is looking good, there's a great template in the crew information pack if you have it with you, email back with your updates and i will be glad to forward on for positions.
Keep up the good work
Deb
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Dropping A Line
Thought I would drop you a line and let you know what is happening over here in sunny france. We have been in France for about two weeks now, spent easter in Nice, plenty of people!! and we have now been in Antibes for all most a week, doing the crew agency registration thing!
It is pretty full on registering and checking in, the agencies are not that helpful really. You need to be on their case so they do the running around for you, as they get alot of crew through the door. We have also emailed about 18 local Yacht Brokers and have walked the docks at Monaco, Antibes, Nice and Cannes so far. There are a couple of agencies that are online only and have jobs posted that you can apply 4, JF-recruiting and Crew4crew are pretty good like that. Not all the boats are here yet, so we will wait around for a while.
You were pretty right when you told us about the MCA requirements as the agencies have said that it will be difficult for Kieran to get anywork as a captain here, but he may be able to get work in a lower position under an MCA qualified captain, or on a non red flagged boat, but there are not many of those!
He is speaking to the MCA to find exactly what the equivilencies are for his Master Class 4, but he not really getting any straight answers. It appears (but we are not sure) that he will need to do the Yachtmasters Offshore course, 2 MCA exams and an MCA oral and have 3 years of his sea time accepted so he can get the Officer of the Watch equivilency. Would that be about right?? Can you shed any more light on this for us?? Maybe he should have done the offshore course when I did mine!
The MCA have brought in some some new rules recently and the BLue Water Agency are running a seminar tomorrow night for all crew registered with them,. A guy called Roger Towner is running it, a Chief Examiner from MCA. I can let you know the detail if you like.
Anyhow, hope all is well at Club Sail. Ingrid and Trenthan turned up yesterday and they actually booked the same hotel as us, it's a small world isn't it!
Elissa and Amanda are also due in a few days so it will be good to catch up with them!
Take care
Angela Gosden
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In September of 2006 I undertook both the STCW95 and Megayacht Deckcrew Courses with Club Sail in Sydney, Australia. I had accepted a job working on a Megayacht based in the Mediterranean and I needed the STCW95 qualification before I could commence my employment. However as I had never worked in the yachting industry before and had very limited knowledge of what would be involved I decided to also do the Megayacht Deckcrew Course. This was a decision which I am very glad that I made.
I found the Megayacht Deckhand Course to be very rewarding in a variety of ways. During this course I gained both skills and knowledge in areas including sailing, ropework, tender driving, collision regulations, navigation, weather, charts, boat maintenance, nautical terminology and radio operation. These are skills which have been invaluable since I began working on my yacht. Beyond this though, undertaking this course also gave me a good overview of what to expect when working in this industry and most importantly I was able to walk into my new job with a degree of confidence that I would not have otherwise had.
The course was not only informative though, it was also a really enjoyable experience. I made friends who I still keep in touch with and in this industry it is great to have as many contacts as possible. We had a great time sailing around some beautiful places for the week, learning lots but also having a good laugh.
Working as a deckhand in the Megayacht industry is a very rewarding career, you get to work outside, you meet loads of great people, you get the chance to see places you may otherwise never see and although we work hard, you are well rewarded for it. This is a career that I would recommend to anyone with a friendly disposition, a good work ethic and a desire to travel and see the world. But before embarking on this career I highly recommend that you attend the Megayacht Deckhand Course with Club Sail, you will learn a lot, have an absolute ball doing it and it will make your transition into your new career all that much smoother…
Troy Beames
Deckhand - MY Sarah
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I'm soooo happy to hear that you can take the STCW95 course in Australia. I'm heading to Australia in the next few months and was hoping you can provide me with any contact names and a phone number of the place you took your course.
Thanks a million,
Rema
Thanks
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G'day Rema,
Superyacht Crew Academy are the go for your STCW95 in Australia. They also do a bunch of practical skills courses which i found absolutley essential as a first timeer in the indusrty. SCA's courses are spot on!! Here's their website http://www.superyacht-crew-academy.com/stcw95.html
Regards,
Andy
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So... what to do now?
Hi there
Just sending you an update, Keith and I FINALLY found a team job, Captain and cook/stew, we are running a 25m motor yacht out of Italy, and just had a super busy charter season in the med.
All very exciting, and we were looking forward to spending a while on this boat, and we still may, although today we have learnt that the owner, after having the boat for 12 years or more, has decided to sell and we are en route to the Cannes Boat Show.
So... what to do now? Well.. we have had plane tickets home in October up our sleeve for some time, and now we may just use them and then return to the Caribbean. Not so sure, you know how this industry is, things change in the blink of an eye.
Keep an eye out for our updated resumes, we'll be putting out the feelers soon.
Regards
Rochelle & Keith
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Hi Guys.
Great to hear from you and have your news.
Keep in touch as we are looking for a couple to run a yacht in Bali, may not be what your looking for at this stage. Keith would have to have his Ocean ticket for this one.
Check it out www.yachtpolaris.com
Kind regards
Chris
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Hi Chris!
Keith and I were just discussing him getting his ocean ASAP. What's the time frame for the Bali job?
Great to hear from you! I'll tell him about it.
Rochelle.
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Time frame would be over the next Month, They are look for someone now.
Chris
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Hmmm... I don't think we'll be able to meet that deadline, which is a bloody shame! hahaha, nevermind, hopefully something like that will come up again soon. At this stage it looks like we'll be home in about 5 weeks, for a month. Can you tell us whether you are running a YM Ocean in late october/early november?
Cheer Chris... oh and we've recently made friends with James Barnett, your first YM Offshore student! He's just accepted a job as captain of Christina O, in San Remo. What a great guy, his girlfriend was my cheif stew on White Rose of Drachs, we've all become very good friends.
Look forward to hearing from you.
Rochelle and Keith.
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Its me Esther!
Hi Deb, i guess you remember me emailing you about the sailing yacht i was on, nashira II. Well, i quit last sunday, but on a very good note, as i was crying i coudln't stop! It was a permanent position and unfortunately i couldn't stay...i have been away from home for the past 3 years, travelling, and i have a family wedding next week. So i had to come. i do wish i can work on boats, i miss it already!
I do want to ask you a few questions though. What other positions can a girl apply for? Being a stewardess was ok for me, especially cos i had good crew, but i am quite ambitious, sometimes i used to winge a bit, it gets a bit boring...but work is not that hard...
I wonder what other courses a girl can do...and what other positions can be vacant for girls...maybe a chief stewardess on a bigger boat...
Can you at least outline duties of chief stewardess so that i can have an idea of what to expct? I am 32 years old now...i think if i wanna work on boats i wanna go a bit higher...or else do something completely different. Can you guide m a little bit?
Thanks Deb, and regards to Chris!
Ess
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Hi Essie
Great to hear from you again !!! …… My daily emails flood in with messages from lots of crew to let me know the great times onboard you are having. With your experience now, it’s time to move up the gangplank! To gain a chief stewardess position, you are required to be competent and well skilled in these areas and have worked in the industry for at least a couple of seasons
Our head stewardess trainer, spent many years as a chief stewardess in Europe and would be able to teach you just what it takes to succeed in this responsible position. One of our graduates, Julia, after doing the chief stewardess training, had a few words to say about the adventurous and exciting life she is now leading, http://www.superyacht-crew-academy.com/Stewardess_experiences.html
Alternatively you could go completely on deck and work towards your Master of Yachts 200ton (offshore) qualification. Here is some detail on what the training is all about http://www.superyacht-crew-academy.com/Yachtmaster_Offshore_course.html . this course will gain you a deck position to begin with, and allow you to be promoted easily to a first mate and even captain of a vessel 200tons,
Hope this helps you to decide on where to go next, I’m always on the end of the line for a chat.
Bi for now……Deb.
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Hi Chris and Deb,
Not too sure if you remember me as you must get so many students coming through club sail, I did my STCW and competent deck crew courses with you guys about last November.
Since then I've been working on MY Lady M, a 50 metre private yacht. I also did a one month delivery on SY Timoneer, and a month on a 30 metre Broward called Nautonnier on which I kept my own watch from Nice to Malta, which was great learning curve.
I'm currently in Cairns at the moment day-working and really want to get my yacht master offshore before my girlfriend and I go off to Europe next year.
I just have a few questions ...
Firstly on all those boats above, for various reasons it turned out that I very rarely got to drive the tender. So I'm not that confident on my boat handling skills. Is there anyway I can sort this out? Maybe by doing an extra course or paying for extra tuition?
I would like to do the course in Jan if there is a position available. Do you think this leaves me enough time to study?
Anyway that's where I'm at, I would really like to hear what you think.
Kind regards
Michael
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Hi Michael.
Thanks for your email. Great to hear you are doing so well.
Before you do the Theory for the offshore I would recommend studying up on the Navigation. I know this may be hard while you are working, so what we often do is a one on one, with some practice exercise to prepare you for the course. I highly recommend this as some students really struggle with Nav if they have not done a lot of theory. The Offshore theory is not a beginners course we expect students to have a good depth of knowledge before they start the course.
Good idea in regard with the tender we could do a three hour private, so that you feel confident with coming along side etc
Hope this helps.
Chris.
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Hello to you both,
My name is Clae and I'm very interested in undertaking your STCW 95 and Megayacht Deck Crew training package. What I would like to know is, do I need any amount of time at sea before I undertake them?
I've spent time on boats but don't have a log of hours.
Yours enthusiastically
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Hello Deb,
Long time no chat. I hope this email finds you well and happy.
Well, I did it! I completed my first season as a stewardess in the Med. Actually our owner was Greek, so we had 3 very diverse charters in the Med and spent a good deal of time in the Greek islands, which was fantastic.
What a life expierence!
However I am free and keen to explore my options.
Any advice or guidance would be greatly appreciated.
Wishing you and all at Clubsail Superyacht Crew Academy the very best,
Sally
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Hello all,
I hold a stcw '95 II/1 OOW unlimited DECK ticket, i am 26, having obtained my ticket i have been working in VTS for the last 4 1/2 years. I am thinking about making the move into superyachts.
I would be interested know what duties would be required from me as 2nd mate/ junior officer onboard.
being ashore for so long, would i find it hard going back? what sort of handover period / onboard learning could i expect?
Hard work doesnt bother me, and i like to get stuck into tasks.
Any help and advice would be greatfully received.
(i live south coast of UK)
Thanks
Matt
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Hi Matt
There are three types of Boats you can work on:
* Charter Boats very hard work looking after guests but great money.
* Private Boats Less money but less stress, may get to travel to some great places.
* Then there are expedition boats that go all over the place.
OOW tickets are in great demand.
Your duties can be anything from running the Boat to entertaining the guests, to scrubbing the decks. I don't think you will have a problem going back as long as you enjoy work within a team.
Hope this helps.
Kind Regards
Chris
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Hi, can any one point me in the right direction, I have decided to making yachting my full time career, and will have my yacht masters offshore (RYA) commercially endorsed by mid July this year, I live in South Africa so the yachting seen is not huge, any recommendations on where to start, and what position to look for with a yacht master offshore. I dont mind starting at the bottom and working my way up.
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Hi Jase,
Have a look @ our Frequently Asked Questions Page ( http://www.superyacht-crew-academy.com/faq_for_superyacht_careers_jobs.html ) which will give you a good idea of where the yachting hubs are and what seasons they operate. That is, where to start!
With a RYA commercial yachtmaster, it is very unlikely that you step into a mate's position, especially on a commercial vessel. Assuming you do not have any experience, you will need to start in a deckhand position and, as you say, work your way up as you gain more qualifications and experience.
SuperYacht Crew Academy can also help you out with finding a job. We have a crew placement divison which can find you a job worldwide.
Also check out our crew placemnt page @ http://www.superyacht-crew-academy.com/placement_superyacht_crew.html .
Regards,
Andrew
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Hey Guys
Its Nicholas Soldo here. I completed the stcw95 and deckhand courses with clubsail in march 2007.
Just wondering if i could have the powerboat 1 certificate sent to me and how to go about payment for it? From memory i think it was $60 or sumthing as i completed the exam whilst doing the deckhands course.
P.S. the courses were very helpfull in finding a job, i spent 6 mnths on a boat in the med last year. was great fun and will be doing it again.
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Hello...
Thanks for your time guys...
I was just woundering if you could shed some light on what theory is done in your Master of Yachts 200 tonn Offshore course...
Thank so much
michael
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Hey Michael,
The four broad topics covered in the Master of Yachts 200 Tonnes Offshore are:
1. Metorology
2. Tides and Currents
3. International Rules & Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea
4. Navigation
These topics are fairly in depth and cover much that is not described in the title.
Cheers,
Chris
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hey chris and deb. My name is adam longbottom and i have just recently heard about the wonderfull career of super yachting! I have a questions that i hope you can help me out with. I am a qualified massage therapist and have been in my chosen profession, and the same job for 5 years. I was wondering if people get hired solely for massage or would you get hired as a deck hand that also does massage? any info and help will be greatly appreciated. cheers adam
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Dear Adam
Great to have your contact and interest in the Superyacht industry. Massage therapists are well sort after for their skills by many guests who are on charter especially in the height of the cruising seasons.
To optimise your opportunities of finding a crew position, being multi skilled with an internationally recognised deck qualification plus the stcw95 safety certificates
http://www.superyacht-crew-academy.com/superyacht_deckhand.html will always increase your chances of being hired.
I would also suggest a well formatted and written resume presenting your experience, skills and qualifications to present yourself at your very best for interviews.
Hope this info helps, and if you would like to know more about further crew training, please let me know.
Kind regards
Deb
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Hi There,
Making plans to leave my BORING office job to do a career on the water that 'just fits' my personality.
I've been in a dilemma for so long as I enjoy being married (sometimes) and want to know if i can make super yachts work by spending 3-months away and not years at a time. The salary looks more attractive than deliveries or other work but if these would be more of a fit maybe this would be better.
My question is to anyone who has managed to balance a career in the marine industry and home life, plus earn good money.
Much appreciated.
Dave.
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