The yachting industry has a wide variety of opportunities for sailors looking for an exciting and rewarding career at sea. From skippering or crewing on commercial yachts to instructing at a water sports centre the yachting industry offers rewarding career choices.
Yachting Industry Careers
We’ve put together some helpful information on how to attain your dream job in the yachting industry. Take a closer look at what RYA/MCA qualifications you should hold for each type of yachting job.
The Royal Yachting Association says:
RYA qualifications open doors for everyone from sailing and motor cruising instructors to superyacht captains and military personnel. Our training courses are completed by professionals across the world.
1. Crewing on Commercial Yachts
If you would like to crew on yachts up to 24m in length, many skippers will prefer you to be trained to RYA Day Skipper level. Other courses that may assist you in the yachting industry are the RYA Diesel Engine and Radar courses.
For crew members aiming to work on superyachts, you may need an MCA Yacht Rating Certificate. Qualifications you should hold are the RYA Competent Crew, Day Skipper or Watch Leader. You will also need to attend a STCW training course in sea survival, fire fighting and prevention, first-aid, personal safety and social responsibilities. Yacht Rating training can be found in the Guidance & Regulations section of the MCAs website.
There are many international crew placement agencies online to search for jobs.
2. Skippering Commercial Yachts
The qualifications required are determined by the area in which the yacht is operating. With a Yachtmaster™ Coastal Certificate of Competence you can skipper yachts up to 24m, operating up to 20 miles from a safe haven. The Yachtmaster™ Offshore Certificate of Competence enables you to skipper yachts up to 200gt, 150 miles from a safe haven. With the Yachtmaster™ Ocean Certificate of Competence you can work worldwide. Whichever area you are working in, you must hold the commercial endorsement. Read our blog about the steps involved in attaining your Yachtmaster Certificate of Competence.
Jobs are often advertised in Yachting Monthly, Yachting World, Motor Boats Monthly and Boat International magazines. There are also many crew placement agencies finding staff at all levels of the industry.
3. Delivery Skippers and Crew
Delivery skippers normally operate on a freelance basis within the yachting industry, but there are also delivery companies that co-ordinate skippers and crew. The qualifications required to skipper a delivery will depend on where the delivery will take place and also the nature of the passage. However, the skipper will owe a duty of care to the owner of the yacht and, as such, even for non-commercial passages as a minimum it is recommended that the skipper holds the RYA Yachtmaster™ Offshore Certificate of Competence and should also have a significant amount of experience on vessels of a similar style and size to that being delivered. For longer passages and trans-ocean deliveries it is strongly recommended that the skipper holds the RYA Yachtmaster™ Ocean Certificate of Competence. The higher your qualification and greater your experience the more appealing you will be in the yachting industry.
You can find opportunities for delivery skippers and crew on the RYA Forums as well as on various websites.
4. Flotilla Yachts
There are five main roles within a flotilla company: skipper, RYA instructor, mate, hostess, or engineer. The usual requirement for skippers and mates on flotilla holidays is a commercially endorsed RYA Yachtmaster™ Offshore Certificate of Competence. Tuition is often offered on flotilla holidays, so skippers may also need to hold the RYA Coastal or Yachtmaster™ Instructor qualification. Hostesses and engineers will normally need the RYA Competent Crew rating plus additional specialised training.
Yachting jobs are usually advertised in the media, in particular Yachting Monthly, Yachting World, Motor Boats Monthly and Boat International.
5. Sail Training Vessels
These vessels are normally manned by a skipper, mate and bosun. Paid posts exist for holders of Coastal Skipper and above. RYA Coastal Skippers usually sail as a mate, with skippers being required to hold a Yachtmaster™ Offshore Certificate of Competence or above. On larger vessels, 20m to 24m, mates may be required to hold a Yachtmaster™ Offshore Certificate of Competence. Vessels over 24m usually require STCW 95 OOW (Yachts), Chief Mate (Yachts) or Master (Yachts), depending on the position in which you sail onboard.
There are online forums and crew agencies that advertise for this type of work in the yachting industry.
6. RYA Instructor
Teaching the RYA’s courses can be a rewarding, challenging and fun career or hobby. Check out the RYA website for detailed information on how to become a coach, trainer or instructor in the many different disciplines. The RYA is not just based in the UK – there are centres worldwide.
Use the RYA job page to look for vacancies at RYA Training Centres.
7. Watersports Management
This is a wide ranging area which may include working in commercial training centres, local authority centres, charitable trusts, voluntary groups, holiday companies or sailing clubs with full time staff. It will depend upon the type of services offered as to the qualifications you will need. RYA coaching and instructing qualifications, a degree, youth work or teaching qualifications will be beneficial to have.
Watersports management jobs are usually advertised in the major yachting industry magazines. Vacancies at local authority centres are often advertised through the TES.
8. Workboats and Commercial Craft
Commercially endorsed RYA certificates are widely accepted within the MCA’s codes of practice for small vessels in commercial use, and by local harbour authority by laws. RYA certificates are a nationally accepted standard and are used by charter angling boats, small passenger launches, thrill ride operators, harbour patrol launches, construction site safety boats and corporate charter vessels. In many areas they are accepted as equivalent to local boatman’s licences. Generally, there is an RYA qualification suitable for most workboats of up to 24 metres in length and carrying up to 12 passengers.