Yacht chefs and skippers wanted in the Med

by Media Services on 28 Apr 2005 Enjoying the winter series' and looking forward to Hog's Breath Race Week at Airlie Beach and Premium Race Week at Hamilton Island Week makes this time of year in the office bearable.

Imagine, though, actually make a decent living out of sailing.

Increasingly, rather than being a reality reserved only for elite professional racers, a well paid career on the water is becoming a possibility for anyone with a passion for sailing and a healthy dose of motivation.

Opportunities within the super yacht industry are growing every year. With bigger, faster and more expensive yachts being designed and built, demand is outstripping supply for qualified skippers and crew.

International sail training organisation, Flying Fish, has reported a huge increase in demand by employers looking for newly qualified students.

Specialising in RYA Yachtmaster training, which is the base level qualification for entry into the industry, Flying Fish has a dedicated employment team to help their students find work as soon as they graduate.

‘We are currently advertising over 250 jobs on our website, many of which are from super yacht agencies and private owners in the Mediterranean and Caribbean,’ says Katherine O’Driscoll from Flying Fish Sydney.

‘In addition to international travel, employment packages are great, with most including an excellent base salary, plus a variety of perks.’

‘Qualifications, and internationally recognised ones are the key to finding these positions.’ says O’Driscoll.

Holders of the commercially endorsed RYA Yachtmaster qualification may gain employment on any red ensign commercial vessel up to 200 tonnes.

At present, this amounts to 70% of commercial sail and motor yachts around the world, but should be 100% within the next three years.

Entry level postions with this ticket and STCW95 are usually deckhand or mate positions.

There are also many opportunities below deck for chefs, engineers and stewardesses.

Flying Fish run an internationally recognized yacht chef diploma, which combined with STCW95, enables holders to apply for extremely lucrative positions as chefs onboard these vessels.

STCW 95 is the internationally recognised standard for the required short course qualifications, which include safety and sea survival, firefighting and personal and social responsibility. Anyone considering this type of employment will require this ticket.

Flying Fish is running a four week Yacht Chef Diploma which starts on the 16th May. The company also runs RYA Yachtmaster training and exams throughout the year, in the UK and Sydney, as well as STCW95 training at their centre in the UK.

Full or part time courses are available for complete beginners as well as those with experience.

All Flying Fish students are given password access to the recruitment site and assistance in finding employment.

The majority of work on super yachts is in the Med from April to September and the in the Caribbean for the rest of the year. Opportunities are also available in America.

‘It’s really not just a pipe dream,’ O’Driscoll says, ‘the majority of our students find work at the end of their course.

'Just look at our students who finished their courses in the last two months - we have couples running private yachts in the Caribbean; some are skippering in the Med.

'I heard yesterday from a young man who has just started a job in Italy on a 93ft yacht and absolutely loves it. In his own words – ‘the money’s pretty sweet too!’

For more information, call Sydney 02 9976 6714 or go to: www.flyingfishonline.com