An exciting (and nerve-wracking) part of getting your first yachting job is getting the call or email to say you’ve been short-listed for an interview. 

You may wonder how to prepare for your yachting interview. In this post I share 5 questions to ask in your interview and why. It will give you a good insight into the yacht you’re being interviewed for.

An interview is as much of a decider for you as it is for the boat to see if you would be suitable for the role. After all, I don’t want you to get on a poorly run vessel so I’m hoping these questions will allow you to sort through and find a great boat. 

Your interview could be with the recruitment agency or with the crew on the yacht such as Chief Stew or Captain. It is also possible that you may do several interviews one with the recruitment agency, one with the chief stew and then one with the captain to get the final approval.

5 Yachting Interview Questions To Ask:

1. How many crew onboard?
   This question will give you a good idea as to if the boat is run with minimal crew. To perform duties to a superyacht standard, yachts need a certain amount of crew. If a yacht is run with not enough crew it means you probably won’t be getting the hours of rest you’re legally supposed to and it can’t afford to pay enough crew so the budget will be tight, which affects crew food, and toiletries etc.

2. Is the role permanent or seasonal? Is the yacht dual Season?
   These questions will determine if you’ll be looking for another job at the end of the season or if you’ll be onboard permanently. There are pros and cons to working on a seasonal yacht – you can travel after the season as you’re usually cashed up and you are not tied to the boat for a long time if you have other commitments however you also can’t get great longevity from a seasonal yacht and this is something highly valued in the industry. It is also worth asking if the yacht is dual-season (using this yachtie language is also a bonus). This means the yacht does both the Med and the Caribbean season and you’ll get to experience both seasons which is a must in my eyes. 

3. What is the longevity like for the crew onboard?
   This is a great indicator of how well run and great a yacht is to work on. If you have crew coming and going all the time with less than a year on board that is a sign that something could be going on with management the owner or the head of department. If the crew have been on for years it shows that the crew like their job. 

4. What activities do the crew do together outside of work?
   This gives you an idea of the crew culture onboard to see if it’s a good fit for you.
   There are different types of crew on superyachts, there are the fit boats and the crew can be found eating really well, gymming onboard, doing hikes in their downtime, and exploring in nature. Drinking is not a priority.  Then there are the party-goers, when guests are off they are hitting it hard, partying in the local bars, back on the boat, rocking up with hangovers at work, and the end goal is to go hard or go home, it’s not unheard of for crew to be using cocaine in these environments. Then there are boats with a well-balanced crew who enjoy each other’s company, enjoy a drink after work and explore the local area on the weekend. Whatever you enjoy doing see if it fits in with what the crew like to do.
   
5. Instead of asking where the boat will go or who the owner is, ask what kind of program does the boat have?
   This question allows you to get an insight into:
   a) If it is heavily used for charter/boss trips, sometimes yachts say they are private/charter yet they only charter once a year because the price to rent the boat is so much. This can affect your salary as generally speaking charter yachts pay crew a little less than private as they factor in tips. So if the pay isn’t great and the boat says “well it’s charter you will get tips”, yet they never charter you’re taking a pay cut for that.
   b) If the yacht has a live aboard owner, meaning you’re ‘always’ on charter.
   c)  If the boat is always at anchor it means access to shore-time is limited as you need to get a tender ashore. This also can indicate that the boat doesn’t pay to be in port, which can mean a small budget however it can also be that the boat is too big to fit in port for example the well-known 162m superyacht yacht Eclipse cannot fit into many ports, so it is always at anchor. 
   d) If it is world cruising meaning you may get to travel to some places which are out of the general ‘milk run’ routes such as Capri and Monaco. I’ve had friends travel to some incredible places on world cruising yachts even as far afield as Antarctica. However, with these world travelling yachts it can generally mean you’re not out socialising and meeting other crew as much as you’re exploring so it really depends on what you want you’re yachting adventure to be like. I will say with the world cruising yachts crew, you will spend a lot of time with your crew so try and get a good idea of what type of people they are, nationalities, hobbies etc. 

Questions NOT to ask in an interview:

1. Who are the owners? The person interviewing you will probably reveal the owner’s nationality, what kind of service they do and if it’s a family-run, business-like or party environment.  With a little research after your interview, I’m sure you can find out more information about the yacht.
   
2. Do I get the weekends off? This is an alarm bell for a Chief Stew as it says a lot about the person interviewing and thinking more about the time off then the work.  All crew get time off yes, and your contract will specifically say how many days and your package details.
   
3. Is there a drug test and how often?
   Drug tests onboard are pretty common, they can be random checks or they can be every time you get back from holidays. Don’t ask this in an interview it says lots about you as a person.
   
4. How much will I get paid?
   I encourage you to let the interviewer bring this up with you. I know it’s a big part of the job however let them tell you all about the job first then tell you the package details. Make sure you get a contract before you join a vessel with your pay details and flight packages, if it hasn’t been organised then you will need to ask about the pay.

Want to learn more about how to get a job on a superyacht? Check out my free eBook “Your First Steps To Yachting” grab it here

Want to build up your stewardess skills with an on-demand stewardess training course? Check out The Seaworthy Yacht Stew Training Course here