How to get a job on a super yacht as a chef

Getting a job on a superyacht as a chef is a dream job for many people. We are going to share with you how to get a job on a superyacht in an easy to understand format, and for free!

Right now, thousands of chefs around the world are looking to switch their careers from being land-based to working on superyachts. But we all know, it’s not always that easy to get your foot in the door as crew on superyachts. Hopefully, with this helpful free guide to getting your first job in yachting, you are able to join the ranks of thousands of prestigious yacht chefs all over the world!

Contents

---

The first steps for getting a job on a superyacht

1. You need to know the right people.
2. Do all of the right yacht courses.
3. Lay out your CV a particular way.
4. Create meal plans and menus
5. Dockwalk (or not).
6. Interview and do trial weeks with guests.

And hopefully, after all of that has been done right, you will land your first superyacht chef job!

Let’s lay it out and make it easy for you. Let’s get you a job on a superyacht !

Superyacht certificates.

Before you can step foot on a yacht, you need to have the right certificates. These are mostly based around safety on board, whether that’s due to fire hazards, security awareness or food handling. They are all required and MUST be completed before you start applying for work onboard a yacht.

For the full list of the tickets you are required to have to be able to work on a yacht, click here.

It’s important to note, many yacht crew schools are listing a bunch of certificates for the crew to undertake before they join yachting. Keep in mind some of these schools are pushing courses that are NOT actually required by law.

Yes, there are courses that will help you get your foot in the door. But they are not legally required. So sure, if you have the money to throw at those courses, do so. But please do not get sucked into the selling spiel from these companies who claim you HAVE to have done the courses to be a stew or a deckhand.

They target chefs less often, although I have seen a few “yacht chef certificate” courses floating about. Again, these are wonderful if you have the money, or you want to have that insider knowledge before joining a yacht, but they are not mandatory. In fact, we recommend many short “yacht chef” courses. But only as supplementary courses. They are not legally required to start your yacht chef career.

Write your CV correctly.

This cannot be stressed enough! A decent CV will land you a job faster than a rubbish one. It’s obvious. Keep your CV looking professional!

Make sure there are no typos, and that you don’t have any details missing.

A big mistake we see missing from Chef cv’s all the time is not writing “True non-smoker/No visible tattoos”. It’s easy to forget little things like this. But it could be a deciding difference over getting your cv to the top of the pile.

For more on writing a really amazing yacht chef cv, check out our blog post “How to write a killer yacht cv”

If you’re looking for someone to do your CV for you and format it and make sure it ticks the boxes, check out Superyacht CV’s They will sort you out with a great looking CV.

Or to really wow recruiters and stand out as a professional Yacht Chef, consider investing in a personalised website. Superyachtcvs are also experts at creating websites (They created this one too!). So they know what they are talking about when it comes to chef portfolios online. Check out their sample website at www.yachtchefwebsites.com

Dockwalk.

Or not. You decide. To help you understand what dockwalking is, and why you should do it, have a read here to learn more about dockwalking for yacht chefs.

Not everyone has to do it. And pretty much no one LIKES doing it, but it can be a necessary evil. It helps to get your name and face out there quickly. And it can also land you a job on the spot if you are ready to work as a yacht pulls in and needs a temp chef!

Contact crew agents.

You will come to rely on crew agents to help you to get work on superyachts for the rest of your career. Don’t go burning bridges with them as soon as you start out! Some yacht crew agents are better than others. And some are more targetted for various niches on board. If you are looking for work in the galley, we have provided a list of the best agents to use. These all come recommended by yacht chefs on our Instagram page.

It’s all of the best crew agents for chefs in one place and worth bookmarking for later.

Network.

Networking is a huge part of yachting. Everyone knows everyone in this super small and tight-knit community. Make an effort to chat to people at the local yachtie bars. You never know who might help you land your next job. 😉

There are plenty of places online to connect and be inspired by other yacht chefs too.

Check out our Instagram page HERE or connect with the yachtie Facebook groups. The links for these are at the bottom of this post on dockwalking for yacht chefs.

This should have helped explain how to get a job on a superyacht but you may still have more questions. Have a dig around the website, especially in the Green Yachties tab and the Yacht Chef tips.

Reading the weekly yacht chef interviews will also give you a massive insight into the day to day life. And help explain how things are on board a yacht and working on superyachts. Each interview askes them the question: Do you have any advice for yacht chefs entering the industry?

So it could be really helpful to have a good read of their answer to make sure you are on the right page.

Hopefully, through The Superyacht Chef, you are able to connect to other yacht chefs on social media and stay inspired on your journey to getting your first job on a superyacht!

If you loved getting free tips and information on how to get a job on a superyacht, please share this post with your friends!