Editor’s note: Working as a Superyacht Chef was originally published in June 2019 and most recently updated in May 2022.
A yacht chef is anyone that works on a boat and cooks for guests and crew, guests or just crew. There are around 37,000 yacht crew members employed on the 6,000+ superyachts around the world. That’s not counting smaller yachts and sailboats out there too. So while working as a superyacht chef is undoubtedly niche, opportunities to work out on the water are available.
Types of superyacht chef jobs
As a general rule of thumb, the larger the boat, the more qualified the chef will need to be. But there are chef positions on board where high-end restaurant experience isn’t necessary.
Galley hand
This is a great entry-level position for anyone looking to join the galley (kitchen) department within yachting. Most boats that are over 100 meters will have a galley hand on board. You will mainly be in charge of keeping the galley clean. Everything from pots, pans and floors, to managing cleaning schedules.
You will get a little hands-on experience assisting with crew food, and will get to work closely with crew chefs. Galley hands can get promoted to crew chef when there’s an opening.
Crew chef
This can be another great way to get your foot in the door if you have cooking experience. Boats frequently look for a temporary chef to cover this role when permanent crew chefs take holidays.
In this role you cook for the boat’s crew, either a sole crew chef or working as part of a team, dependant on the overall number of crew on board. Larger superyachts can run with 30+ crew. You are responsible for delivering well-balanced menus that match crew dietary requirements and sustain energy throughout busy work days. Essentially another version of delivering institutional or workplace dining.
Cook/Stew
This dual role can have different meaning dependant on the size of the boat. It can mean that you’re the cook when the boat has guests on board, and for the rest of the time you work as a stewardess maintaining the boat’s interior.
It can also mean you work a split role cooking for guests/crew AND performing stewardess duties whether guests are on board or not. Typically, a full time dual role with this dual responsibility is found on much smaller boats with small guest numbers and crew. Though a sizeable workload, it is a great way to find out which role you prefer if you’re green to the industry.
Sous chef
Like a restaurant a yacht sous chef is one below the head chef, and normally covers the head chef when they are away on holiday. It is a great entry-level position for anyone with solid land-based chef experience looking to break into the yachting industry.
A sous chef will usually be a hybrid role of some cooking for the crew, some cooking for guests and owners when they are on board to support the head chef.
Head chef
The main focus of any head chef yacht job is meeting the exacting demands of the boat’s owner. No two boats are the same in this regard, but a continuous theme will be the delivery of culinary excellence in your work.
It is extremely unlikely that you would land a head chef yacht job without having considerable previous experience of delivering at a similar level on another boat.
This is a trusted and respected position on board. Without references confirming that you are capable of delivering on a yacht to standards expected of ultra high net worth individuals, it’s wise to pitch your search at a lower level and work your way up to the top job!
Read: Taking a Chef Job Working Abroad
Working as a Superyacht Chef:
Qualifications to work as a chef on board
To work on a superyacht you will need entry level paperwork for seafarers. A baseline minimum will be getting your STCW 2010, covering being competent crew at sea, and passing the seafarer’s medical, ENG.1
If you complete a season cooking afloat and enjoy it, it might be a good idea to get your Ship’s Cook Certificate. This is a 2.5-day course designed to test your skills and competency as a chef, so it has value to boats looking to hire that you’ve met a baseline standard.
This is not obligatory if you work on smaller-sized vessels, or superyachts with under ten crew, but it’s a career investment if you see yourself working in the yachting industry for some time.
Where to find chef work on Superyachts
Superyachts move around the globe chasing the best weather to enjoy both summers and winters in the sun. The yachting hub you’ll need to visit to find work depends on when you are looking for work.
If you’re a serious job seeker, you’ll need to pitch up at one of these locations. You will have much greater success trying to land a job in person than conducting your job search remotely.
Yachting is one of the oldest industries in the world and still runs largely in a social context — the more people you meet, the better your chances. Crew housing is a good place to meet other crew and hear about jobs and day work. It’s sensible to budget for being in a location for up to ten weeks, and for some reserve to cover unexpected costs or courses while you’re there.
Working as a Superyacht Chef – Winter season: The Caribbean
Ft. Lauderdale, Florida is America’s yachting capital, and they kick off the winter season with the Fort Lauderdale Boat Show usually scheduled early October each year. Plan to be there in September with your CV and yacht paperwork (STCW & ENG.1) so you’re ready to walk the docks and hand out resumes.
If you don’t have a job by December you should fly to English Harbour, Antigua or Simpson Bay, St. Maarten (a larger community) where many last minute crew jobs pop up to join boats ahead of Christmas/New Year trips.
Summer season: Mediterranean and New England
Most yachts leave the Caribbean in the summer months because of hurricane risk, and because it’s too hot. Summer season in the Med gathers pace in late April, early May as yachts are crossing the Atlantic in April.
The centre of the Mediterranean yachting industry is Antibes, France and Palma de Mallorca, Spain. Newport, Rhode Island, New England is where you will find a smaller summer yachting scene that’s more sailing orientated.
Working as a Superyacht Chef:
Visas and immigration advice for superyacht chef jobseekers
Always check visa and entry requirements for any country you’re visiting. Depending on your nationality, the laws will be different. Generally, Americans visiting Europe get 3 months visa-free travel, while Europeans get 6 months in the U.S. Post Brexit be aware that UK passport holders no longer enjoy the right to work in Europe without paperwork.
While looking for yacht jobs on a foreign-flagged vessel in America is not technically illegal, it’s frowned upon and not something you want to tell immigration officers. Don’t keep evidence of yacht job hunting with you or electronically when you fly into America.
If you’re European, British Australian, Kiwi or South African or any other nationality, keep in mind that the Jones Act in America limits employment on U.S. flagged vessels to Americans. But many American owners register their boats offshore for tax reasons, so you shouldn’t rule out visiting Florida to look for winter season work.
Working with crew agents to find a superyacht chef job
It’s a good idea to register yourself with as many crew agencies as possible. Exposure is key. The first job could come from anywhere. Google ‘yacht crew agents’ and look for recommendations in forums and via yacht crew job boards.
As is the case in any other industry do not pay to register with a crew agent wherever they are in the world, and regardless of any ‘dream first job opportunity’ they get in contact to offer you. EVER.
The industry looks for clean, presentable and conservatively dressed candidates for jobs. It’s wise to cover tattoos, remove face piercings, apply fresh nail polish, trim your beard and tie back your hair too when meeting an agent to discuss roles.
Also bear in mind that on top of presenting your CV, yachting paperwork and an online cooking portfolio – for some roles agents will ask you if you’re prepared to undergo a boat specific medical and testing for drugs and alcohol prior to hire.
Working as a Superyacht Chef
Cooking at sea is demanding and entirely different to cooking on land. A superyacht kitchen – the galley – is specially designed for cooking afloat. The common theme on small to medium sized boats is that your preparation and storage space is much more limited. This impacts on your provisioning and cooking
day-to-day.
You live and work in the same space. Sounds so obvious but green chef jobseekers are sometimes not aware that working on board means living on board when you have guests on. You won’t get to go home.
When the yacht owners are on board, or other people have chartered (aka rented) out the boat for a holiday, you are ‘on charter’. Being on charter means you keep to your work duties, you can’t drink alcohol and you don’t leave the boat other than for work purposes.
As a chef working on a yacht who cooks for guests – not crew – you will need to:
- Be extremely well organised and provision like a ninja to mitigate not being able to get things mid-trip or to think of back-ups/easy swaps for menu plans if items become unavailable or guest numbers mushroom.
- Be a mornings’ person and be able to withstand the pressures of a long day. Even after the last meal service, there’s cleaning and prep to be thinking of for the next day. And if a guest is feeling a little peckish at 3 a.m. it will fall to you to rustle up the midnight feast regardless of whether you were sleeping!
- Be a flexible menu master – your guests are likely to have a number of different requirements – one may be vegetarian, one gluten-intolerant, one kosher. It will fall to you to be creative enough to pull different dietary requirements together into a coherent dining theme for meals guests eat on board.
Superyacht chef job perks
Cooking with the finest ingredients
As a superyacht chef, your food budget per person will be significantly more than is normal. You will get to play and experiment with the finest ingredients. Kobe beef flown in from Japan, truffles flown in from Italy, and saffron imported from Morocco. The main goal of your cooking is to make sure everyone on board enjoys outstanding food.
You can get really creative
A superyacht chef is encouraged to keep guests entertained with diverse, creative menus. It’s expected that you will be creative and deliver your own signature dishes. This is great news if you’re someone who likes to experiment with food. You are free to constantly change things and don’t have to repeat the same dishes over and over again like you would in a restaurant kitchen.
Travel
You will get to travel the world, live rent free on a yacht and see many amazing off-the-beaten-track places primarily the vacation locations of the super wealthy.
Pay
Yachting is a great way to get ahead in the world in terms of earning to save money. You have no living expenses outside of entertainment and investments.
An experienced yacht chef working on an average size superyacht (appx. 50 meters long) can expect to earn around €5,000 a month, while those on larger boats (above 80 meters long) will earn closer to €8,000 a month. On charter trips, guests typically tip 5% – 15% of the weekly charter fee, which is split between crew members. This can mean another $1000 per person, per week, in tips. It’s not uncommon to get an annual bonus, often the equivalent of one month’s salary.
Time off
Superyacht chefs do not have it easy by any means. It’s their job to spend life in the galley making sure everyone on the boat is well fed and happy. You will work longer hours at times than you would in a restaurant, but that time gets rewarded. Chefs are the ones that usually benefit the most.
Every yacht has different standards for time off, but six weeks paid holiday isn’t unusual.
This will usually include a paid flight once a year as part of the holiday package. When you go on to work on bigger yachts of 100+ meters, most chefs will work 2 months on and have 2 months off on rotation.
Read: Chef Working Overseas – Ten Benefits
Working as a Superyacht Chef – In conclusion
Yachting is a great industry to join for anyone wanting to travel and make excellent money while doing it. Working as a superyacht chef is hard work, not 24/7 glamour, but fun and financially rewarding.
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