Working on yachts overseas

It is not as easy as it was 10 or more years ago.

There are now certain STCW Courses that most will need you to complete before stepping onboard, the chances of a green couple getting a crew job straight out are very low.

There is no harm in fronting up and asking but don't arrive with no money to support yourself and expect to work the next day.

When most of us choose crew that we're going to pay, we're looking for people looking for careers, looking for professions, not looking for adventures or vacations with their girlfriends. We're looking for people who grasp the requirements and hard work of the job and who have done something to be prepared for it. We're looking for those who have taken steps to prepare themselves including their STCW courses. There are plenty of "qualified" persons looking for these jobs. I don't see that you and your girlfriend are.

I know that's harsh and you might luck into the perfect situation. Most likely show up at the right time when a crew is shorthanded because someone didn't show. Staying in a crew house, circulating among boaters and crew is probably your best hope and then dock walking. There are those who will hire the next warm body, but even then, you have to do what it takes to meet the minimum requirements of STCW.

Now sailors are a bit more inclined to hire untrained crew with a little sailing experience, but they're a bit less inclined to pay for crew.

The boyfriend/girlfriend part makes it even less open. Below Deck likes shipboard romance, but most captains and chief stews don't want more drama. And don't say there won't be drama. You're young, other young crew, 9 times out of 10 there are issues, perhaps through no fault of you and your gf.

I see your initial post as "here's why we want to do it". Perhaps try again with a post of what the two of you offer a boat, why you should even be considered. If you're serious about your desire then approach it like a serious job. You wouldn't go into another business thinking we know nothing about this business but we think it could be an adventure.

Right now you're among those I include in the grouping of "pass throughs." That group ranges from adventurers to extended spring breakers. At the same time there are many hard working young people trying to break into the industry. Now there are many different type employers. Some are just trying to fill positions for the next trip and 90 days is the extent of time they need you. They're satisfied if you're just adequate. Others are looking for long term employees seeking a career in yachting and who have shown their commitment in that regard.

Back to the couple aspect (and understand we have two great couples among crew members), I'd also ask how serious are the two of you toward each other? How are you going to be going months without sleeping together? How is she going to handle it when one of the other stews flirts with you? What about when others think you two are too busy being a couple and not doing your job like you should or people just tired of seeing you together? What happens when you feel someone is mistreating your girlfriend or when someone is legitimately upset with her?

What can you offer the prospective yacht Owner/Captain that will make you stand out from the herd?

There is a whole lot more to a modern yacht than a PLC although there are a lot of them in use on most.

And you haven't at this point started by taking even a single initiative toward training for a yacht position. Again, all boat owners are different and situations are, but until you've obtained your STCW 95, we wouldn't talk to you. There are two reasons. First, that shows you're at least a little serious. Second, that shows you've made a little investment in yourself and your future.

In reality we would be very unlikely to hire you unless you'd then gained some experience or, at the least, taken some additional courses. For a stew there are Stew training courses. Even other courses to add some additional skill such as massage. Even bartending, drink, or wine courses. For deck hands, there are courses like an Efficient Deckhand course or others like Introduction to Yachting, Tender Operator, Watchstanding, First Aid, Basic Fire Fighting.

Now this typically isn't how it's done although it is how crew companies may work, but picture me sitting at a table with this huge stack of resumes. First run through, all those without STCW 95 gone. Second run, those with experience in one stack, those with more training but no experience in another, those with neither experience nor more training into a third and gone. Now we've just collected the resumes that meet the minimum requirements.

In the real world, here is how our stews/deckhands got started...we don't have separate deckhands. Maria, 20+ years experience now, got started by reading a couple of books on stew jobs and then went to maritime school and took several courses. She knew the cultural and etiquette and five star aspects from the family she grew up in. Also, being bi-lingual was a plus. She got a job quickly through a crew agency. Melissa got her STCW 95, took Basic Stew course and massage. She moved into a crew house. She then went dock walking and saw Maria and a deck hand working very hard to get a very dirty boat clean. She asked if she could help. Maria said "Do you know what you're doing?" Melissa quickly said, "I follow directions well and I do have my STCW 95, took basic stew, massage and am very good at cleaning a house." When the interior was finished, she asked Maria if the deck hand needed help and went to work helping him. At the end of the day as Maria paid her, she found out she had all her credentials plus passport and asked if she could go on a six week cruise immediately and she was hired. Maria fired the no show who had left her in a bind that day. Nikki walked the dock, found the grouchiest old captain, asked if he needed help and before he could really answer started to work. She had no credentials. It was a small boat. At the end of the day he asked her if she could leave the next day for a three week trip to Amelia Island. She never discussed pay, was amazed at the pay and tip at the end, and used that to go to Maritime school. She also took some culinary classes.