Marine hospitality
A Closer Look at Careers in Marine Hospitality
by freelance yachting journalist Rupert Holmes
The world’s luxury yachts offer excellent career prospects for people who can provide outstanding levels of service to discerning clients.
The ongoing expansion of the superyacht industry has created a strong demand for interior staff – especially stewards and stewardesses – on the world’s rapidly growing fleet of megayachts. Although service industry jobs, particularly in the catering sector, are often seen as low paid and with poor prospects, this is not the case for such crew on superyachts.
Growth in the sector continues, with the British Marine Federation reporting in late September 2008 that superyacht sector in the UK grew by almost 15 per cent in the previous year. Companies remain upbeat about the future with 92 per cent of businesses reporting their prospects as excellent or good.
The federation’s International Commercial Manager Tom Chant, says: "Despite the challenging economic climate felt in 2008, the UK superyacht industry is showing a great level of resilience and indeed success. It is particularly encouraging to see such an optimistic outlook for the year ahead.”
What are the key qualities employers seek from interior staff? “Professionalism in everything you do is vital,” says Jen Errico, author of the book Working on Yachts and Superyachts and website www.yachtingcrews.com. To deliver a top standard of service, even in testing situations she says, “…you need to be able to second guess a guest’s needs, as well as having the organisation and leadership skills – you also need to be someone who can think on their feet and keep their wits about them. The right attitude is important as well – not servile, but not arrogant – and with both patience and a sense of humour.” As the job frequently involves dealing with high-profile individuals, discretion is also a valued attribute.
Working on superyachts
“Employers are very open about what constitutes useful previous experience, providing you can show what you’ve gained from it,” says Emma Baggett, who worked on superyachts of all descriptions for more than a decade before joining UKSA, where her role includes overseeing the Essential Marine Hospitality programme. As an example she cites someone spending a summer running an ice cream van after their A-levels as being able to demonstrate a strong work ethic, experience of a customer-facing role and the knowledge and ability to keep a workspace clean to a very high standard. Anyone with a strong hospitality background or customer facing roles would obviously be in demand.
“They’re looking for motivated focussed people who’ve succeeded in what they’re doing,” she adds. “Drive and determination are essential and you have to be able to take the rough with the smooth, and accept that there can be some hard periods, but in between there will be some really good times.”
Work patterns will vary, depending on whether the yacht is in port, or whether there are guests on board. In harbour you’ll normally work a five-day week, but when guests are around everyone needs to work until all tasks are finished, which can involve long hours, possibly for several weeks at a time. However, this would normally be balanced by time off in lieu during quieter periods, often in stunning locations around the world. This isn't a job for the faint hearted, with very high expectations from your employers and sustained periods of high activity without any break during busy seasonal periods.
What are the key motivating factors, apart from the pay and conditions? “Travel and the opportunity to meet and mix with high fliers and celebrities are obvious benefits,” says Errico. “More important, though, is the satisfaction that when you’re doing your job well you’re making someone’s holiday a success. It’s incredibly rewarding when that’s down to your own hard work.”
Inevitably, with such high-profile client-facing roles in a glamorous industry, it’s attractive, well presented, confident and articulate people between 19 and 35 that are sought after by employers – others can struggle to gain their first employment, even with a good CV.
As with other employment in the superyacht sector, pay is generous, particularly as positions are normally all-found, including food, accommodation (albeit in relatively cramped crew quarters on board), uniform and up to two return flights every year.
According to Antibes and Fort Lauderdale based crew agency, Luxury Yacht Group, a steward/ess will start on around US$ 2,500 per month, rising to around US$ 4,500 for experienced second steward/ess with around three years’ experience (usually tax free).
After another two-three years you can be looking to become chief steward/ess, earning US$3-5,000 per month on vessels of 100-140ft and US$4-7,000 on yachts above 140ft. The largest yachts also employ a purser to undertake many of the administrative, accounting and management duties that are performed by the chief stewardess or captain of smaller vessels.
Equally, cooks and chefs are also sought after, especially those who can show a consistent work record. Monthly salaries start at around US$ 3,000 per month for a cook/deckhand on a relatively small superyacht though to US$ 10,000 or more for an experienced and well-qualified head chef.
Essential training
“Captains are looking for crew with longevity, and that means people who know what’s expected of them,” says Baggett. This means that training beyond the mandatory STCW95 safety qualification is strongly recommended.
UKSA’s Essential Marine Hospitality course is a very intense four-week programme with a broad and comprehensive syllabus for those looking to work as a steward/ess or cook in the luxury yacht sector.
It covers many different types of service, including yacht steward style, silver and butler-style. On the cooking side it will give even those with little or no cooking experience the confidence to start understanding food to a level that allows them to answers guests’ questions. Those who are already good cooks will be able to prepare meals to the high standards expected by charter guests, despite the problems of provisioning a yacht in remote locations. Bar tending and wine appreciation modules include product knowledge of wines, ports and cigars. The programme also includes STCW95, RYA Competent Crew, and Powerboat Level 2 qualifications.
“By the end graduates will have a very good CV targeted at superyachts,” says Baggett. “They’ll know what to wear to create the right impression, what to say in the interview , so they’ll be able to demonstrate to captains that they can fit in from day one. We can’t produce enough people and the demand is such that the right people will find work within two months of finishing their training.”
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