Finding a job on a Superyacht is not always an easy process, and can be confusing if you haven’t had the right support or advice. This is where the Superyacht Recruitment agencies come in.
To make your new career path a little bit easier, we have listed some of the best recruitment agencies who can give you a helping hand and hopefully open a few doors to start this incredible adventure.
Much like how a general recruitment agency operates, a Superyacht Recruitment agency’s job is to find suitable candidates for all positions, from Deckhands to Captains.
They work by utilising their database of contacts and industry relationships to connect the right person with the right boat.
Yacht crew agencies will be able to help find work for all types of positions and experience, from Yacht Captains down to green (new) Stewardesses and Deckhands.
Remember before you register with the Superyacht Recruitment agency you will need to be qualified as a Stewardesses and Deckhands.
What do Superyacht Recruitment agents do?
The primary role of a Superyacht Recruitment agent is to place the best suited candidate onto a Superyacht. A lot of time and money goes into placing candidates, picking the right candidate for the role is essential to ensure the smooth running of the yacht. Agents have a responsibility to new crew to make sure the yacht they are being placed on is safe and the crew are treated fairly. Therefore, almost all the agencies, comply with the MLC (Marine Labour convention) and all advertised jobs and contracts issued comply with the regulations.
A legitimate Superyacht Recruitment agent will ask you to enrol on their database and provide personal details, and you will be asked to upload your CV and qualifications. The Recruitment Agency will complete background checks and may look at your Social media profile. What they won’t do is ask you for any money upfront or pay for any services or advice.
List of the Superyacht Recruitment Agencies
YPI Crew
What they say: YPI Crew was voted number 1 Yacht Crew Recruitment Agency in the world by over 1,000 captains and crew. From our Antibes office in the South of France, we source and recruit the best yacht crew worldwide, from deckhands to captains, engineers, chefs and interior crew.
YPI Crew run the Flying Fish recruitment event in Antibes.
Website: YPI Crew
Phone: Use the contact page
Insignia Crew
What they say: Insignia Crew is a unique proposition, it specialises in drawing its candidates from an elite pool of those who have served in the British Armed Forces, with a particular focus on the Royal Navy, and Royal Marines whose maritime skill sets perfectly match the needs of today’s luxury super and expedition yacht industry.
Website: Insignia Crew
Phone: +44 (0) 7500 888 472
Saltwater Recruitment: Yacht crew agency specialising in superyacht recruitment for vessels anywhere in the world.
Website: Saltwater Recruitment
Phone: +44 (0) 1603 393071
Crew & Concierge: Crew & Concierge is an international yacht crew agency specialising in recruitment of personnel for the maritime industry and private household sector. They work with clients and crew from all over the world assisting them in their recruiting process. You will find their head office in Bristol, Somerset. Their agents travel between Palma, France, UK, US, and the Caribbean Islands meeting crew and clients where they can.
Website: Crew & Concierge
Phone: +44 (0) 7554446925
Quay Crew: Quay crew is a UK-based recruitment Agency, well respected within the industry.
Website: Quay Crew
Phone: see Quay Crews website for Deck or Stew contact details
Wilson Halligan: Another UK-based Agency with an office in Southampton.
Website: Wilson Halligan
Phone: +44 01489 886802
Camper and Nicholson: With offices all over the world, including London and Cannes
Website: Camper and Nicholson
Phone: +33 (0)4 83 14 12 44
Riviera crew: Office in Antibes, they run crew interviews on specific days throughout the week.
Website: Riviera Crew
Phone: +33 (0) 493 340 005
Bluewater : Office in Antibes.
Website: Bluewater Yachting
Phone: +33 (0) 493 34 47 73
Crew Network: Office in Antibes, open Monday to Friday
Website: Crew Network
Phone: +33 (0) 497 21 13 13
Should you use a Superyacht Recruitment Agency
Superyacht Recruitment Agents are by far the best way of finding a job on a Superyacht as both parties benefit if you find a job. Our advice is to register with multiple recruitment agents while in the UK and keep in touch with them on a regular basis. The recruitment agents will provide honest advice on your CV and how you should go about finding that dream job – they are there to help.
Friends and family
If you have friends or family working in the industry now is the time to contact them and see if they know of any jobs that may suit your skills. Yachts love recommendations, especially from crew working in the industry as they understand the role and can reassure the Captain or Chief Stew that they are making the right choice.
Using a range of sources to find work will put you in a great position and signing up to a Superyacht Recruitment Agency is an important part of the process. Because of their good relationships with employers, they are often the first to hear about new jobs, or may even have exclusive access to work that won’t be posted online.
The agency will provide CV advice and interview techniques. After all, it is in their interest to make you as employable as possible, this is how they make their money!
Looking for Superyacht jobs online
As you can imagine there are many Facebook groups, lots of great content, and Superyachts crew post jobs directly onto Facebook. Most Superyacht recruitment agencies will have Facebook and Instagram pages with loads of content. As well as Recruitment agency pages there are many Facebook groups, Antibes yacht crew and Palma yacht Crew are some of our favorites, but there are many more.
Consider signing up to YotSpot
YotSpot is a global jobs board that matches crew and employers, we recommend that crew create a profile on YotSpot as a number of our customers have found work through the site. You can find YotSpot here
