Whether you’re interested in working on a superyacht or are a keen charterer curious to know what goes on behind the scenes, finding out what life is like as an employee on a superyacht has likely piqued your curiosity. As with any other occupation, working on a superyacht has advantages and disadvantages, but unlike regular jobs, these perks and sore points are quite unique. As a start, there’s obviously no longer a 9 to 5 structure or home to go back to after a 16-hour day, as staff are often committed to being out at sea for months at a time. In this blog, we list some of the more common pros and cons that come with being employed on a superyacht to get you up to speed with how this unique line of work operates.
The advantages of working on a superyacht
Superyacht job-hunters hoping to hear mostly positive things will be pleased to know that this line of work offers bountiful advantages. But if you’ve just chartered a superyacht from a digital platform like Ahoy Club, you might be wondering what drew the crew into this line of work in the first place. The most obvious perk is the opportunity to travel to far-flung destinations from around the world – tropical beaches, culture-rich towns and bustling cities are all common stops for superyachts, and there are often chances for staff to explore these themselves. Normally seeing such exotic destinations would send someone broke quite quickly, but not on a superyacht! In fact, good salaries and very generous tips are the norm, and when your food and accommodation is provided, you’ll be able to save a lot of cash in a short amount of time. You’ll also get the very unique opportunity to bond with a crew that lives a work-hard play-hard mentality, with the months you spend together ensuring the development of an amazing life-long bond.
The disadvantages of working on a yacht
Despite all the pros, there are a few cons that come with working on a superyacht. Although bonding with the rest of the crew can be a rewarding experience, if you don’t get on with someone, it can be quite stressful. If there are a few people you don’t get along with, you working and living alongside them for twenty-four hours of the day, seven days a week over the course of several months can mean a bad time. The schedule itself on a superyacht can also be unforgiving for those unaccustomed to working 16 to 18 hours a day (meaning off-days are spent sleeping), but it’s important to remember the significant monetary compensation for the extensive hours worked. Finally, if you’re starting work on a brand-new yacht, there’s a good chance that the crew quarters will be quite sparse, or not finished at all, so it’ll take a little bit of sprucing to make it feel a bit cosier – these vessels were built with owners and guests in mind, after all.
Experience the superyacht life for yourself
Even with the small set of disadvantages, working on a superyacht can be an incredibly rewarding experience. After all, there’s no way an expedition across the world in a yacht worth tens of millions of dollars could be forgettable! And if you’re a charterer or superyacht owner, always make sure to remember all of the hard work and time your crew is putting in to make sure you have the best time possible – if there’s one line of work that deserves praise for hard work, it’s this one.
