Plank Runner

Ahoy crew. Congratulations on all of you who have successful created an exceptional yacht cv, applied to jobs and now have received an offer! 

I hope this article gets to you before it’s too late because there are a lot of shite boats out there. Trust me you don’t want to work for them! If it’s too late here are some resources to help out though. So before you get all antsy and commit already, let’s make sure it’s exactly what you’re looking for. 

First of all, as a green crew member, I get it. You probably feel like you should take that first offer because you’ve applied to 1 million jobs and finally heard back from 1. 

You’re not wrong. You’d don’t have much leverage to be picky. Plus, depending on your circumstances accepting that first offer might be your only option. However, don’t feel obligated. More opportunities will arise if you continue to put in the work.

Regardless of the circumstances, I’m here to provide you with a list of questions and guidelines to make sure you don’t end up underpaid, overworked and a bottomless pit of hate-or at least the last one.

Questions To Ask Before Accepting A Job:

• What is the program like?
  • Itinerary, trip length, number of crew, number of guests, atmosphere of guests, crew turnover, number of charters booked/season, owner usage, tip share, vacation time, off time, budget, etc.
• Is there a trial period in place?
• Who will I be sharing a cabin with?
• Is there room to grow in this program?
• Do you offer educational stipends?
• What other benefits does the program offer?
  • Health insurance coverage, 401k, flights, bonuses, annual salary increases, etc.
• What does the crew do on their off time? Active, social?
• Does the itinerary change?
• Why is the position available?
• Are there any expectations not listed in the job description for my position?
• What is the watch standard on board & does everyone stand watches?
• How often and by what media will I be paid?

There are no right or wrong answer to most of these questions. It all depends on what kind of program you are looking for. If you want to make some fast cash? Charter. Have somewhat of a social life? A smaller private boat is the way to go. See the world from a port hole tending to guests every need while in corny polo? Then yachting is the place for you.

In all seriousniz, take some time to think about what kind of answers you’re looking for and how important they are to you.

Guidelines & Red Flags:

I grouped guidelines and red flags together because yachting is not one-size-fits-all. “One mans toxic waste is another guys potpourrie” “I don’t know it’s some kind of soup,” once said by THE GRINCH. Sorry, favorite movie. Again, before accepting any position you should consider these factors.

• What kind of questions are they asking you?
• Who are you communicating with? Captain? Department head? Management company?
• How do they sound? Desperate? Genuine?
• Are they willing to work with you on anything? Vacation time, salary, start date, etc?

I once had a Captain and management company non stop contact me to try to convince me to work as a sole stew on a 120 foot 1/10th shared private ownership boat. No tips. New guests and trips every week. Annddd only me on the inside, but don’t worry we’ll have two people out on deck. Huh? I’d love to hear how that makes sense.

Depending on who I talked to I heard two completely different programs. When talking to the Captain his questions to me, included, “What’s going to happen when you make a mistake? You gonna cry?”. My favorite one was, “What would you do if I had to yell at you?”. My face turned into that upside down smiley emoji on the spot. It was impressive. Ya, definitely sounds like the kinda person you wanna work with right? His final desperate attempt included nearly buying me a plane ticket for the next day, before I even agreed to the job. Followed by, “and oh ya and you’d be living with the 40 year old male mate.” Ya, sorry so tempting, but I’m okay.

In this case & others, general red flags include:

• High crew turnover
• Minimal time in-between uses
• Contradicting information
• No formal contracts

Anyways, the point is do your due diligence & ask the tough questions. You are interviewing them just as much as they are interviewing you. The best thing you can possibly do is talk to a current crew member of your department. They can help give you a real inside to what it’s like and hopefully spark a connection.

GET A CONTRACT

BEFORE agreeing to fly out or step foot on board as an official crew member ALWAYS sign a contract. Even before that, any transportation costs should be already covered or reimbursed upon arrival in order to get you to and from the boat. Industry standard.

Most boats before becoming an official full time crew member might want you to agree to a trial period. I highly recommend asking for this if not already suggested. Basically, for a set amount of time anywhere from 2 weeks to 90 days you are a crew member, still covered by insurance but not subject to all benefits. If at any point you don’t jive with the boat, or boat don’t jive with you, anyone can terminate. This reassures crew that they will enjoy the boat they are signing up for and vice versa.

Your contract can be simple but should include everything about position, salary, vacation time, bonuses, raises, tip share, insurance coverage and flights.

Finally, all of this won’t do any good unless you actually, READ THE CONTRACT. THE PERSON WRITING THIS ARTICLE WANTS YOU TO LEARN THE EASY WAY, NOT THE HARD WAY LIKE HER. So don’t be afraid to ask questions or clarify sections as well.

In conclusion, you got this.