Each chapter of The Insiders’ Guide to Becoming a Yacht Stewardess is carefully designed to walk you step-by-step towards finding a great job as a luxury yacht stew. To help you navigate your way through the information, the overall guide is divided into two parts:
- Part I, “The What Industry?” (Chapters 1 to 5), is devoted to giving you an overview of luxury yachting and what makes this industry, and the jobs within it, unique. By the end of Part I, you should have a good grasp of what being a yacht stewardess is all about. If you feel you’re up for the challenge, you will be perfectly primed to begin the process—and that’s where Part II, picks up: the actual “how to.”
- Part II, “Getting Hired” (Chapters 6–11), opens with The Quick Start Guide: The A to Z of How to Become a Yacht Stew. This helpful reference outlines each separate step along the way to getting your first job and tells you in which chapter you will find further information. Use this as a checklist during your search for employment. You’ll find more detailed advice about how to land your first yacht crew job in the Chapters 6-11 that follow.
Part I: “The What Industry?”—Chapters 1-5
- CHAPTER 1: Shhh… I’ve Got a Secret—Luxury Yachting Defined explores what types of yachts exist that can, and perhaps will, employ you in the near future. You’ll gain insight into how big these vessels are, who owns them, how much they cost, where they travel, what they’re like inside, and more important for you, who works on them.
- CHAPTER 2: What Has Yachting Done for Crew Lately?—(a.k.a. The Benefits!) covers what is probably of even more interest to you from the perspective of working onboard, and that is how much money you can make as a yacht stew, as well as what other benefits accompany this job. From the pay to the people and back to the travel, you’ll be exposed to all the perks that make yachting such an exciting and dynamic career path.
- CHAPTER 3: There’s No “I” in CREW—Meet Your Fellow Crewmembers gives you a look at job descriptions for the various other crew positions onboard a luxury yacht. This job involves interacting with and being part of a team, so it’s important that you learn about whom you will work alongside… because on a yacht, you live alongside them as well!
- CHAPTER 4: Around the World With a Silver Tray—What Becoming a Yacht Stew Entails answers what will probably be your most burning question at this point in the book: So what do I have to do in return for all these great experiences and benefits yachting can offer? This is where you are introduced to the actual work. (Hey, the good news was in the previous chapter!) You’ll gain exposure to what your daily duties may include.
- CHAPTER 5: A Stew’s Job Is Never Done—(Beyond The Big Three) offers an even more in-depth look at a yacht stew’s job functions. The focus in this chapter is on host/hostessing responsibilities, household management tasks, and elements of providing overall guest care.
Part II: “Getting Hired”—Chapters 6–11
- THE QUICK START GUIDE: The A to Z of How to Become a Yacht Stew
- CHAPTER 6: The Recipe for a Great Stew—The Skills and Traits Required to Get Hired exposes you to the broad range of skills and personality traits future employers will want you to have. You’ll also read about what previous work and life experiences will make you more marketable as a job candidate (which will be things to highlight on your résumé/CV when you begin putting that together).
- CHAPTER 7: Learning the Ropes—Essential Training for Entry-Level Stews provides information on the training and education that is required of entry-level crew. Along with suggested programs and courses to enroll in, this chapter also offers recommendations for non-mandatory training classes to best prepare you for the work that lies ahead and will increase your chances of getting hired quickly.
- CHAPTER 8: Picking Up Anchor—Choosing and Moving to a Hiring Port covers one of the most important steps to beginning your job hunt, and that is moving to a hiring port. What are your options? How do you choose? This chapter not only provides a list of crew house options in the four key hiring ports around the world—Fort Lauderdale, Florida; Newport, Rhode Island; Antibes, France; and Palma de Mallorca, Spain—but also offers key information on obtaining passports and travel visas.
- CHAPTER 9: Let the Job Hunt Begin!—Crew Agencies, Day Working, and Networking focuses on crew placement agencies, as well as other means for obtaining your first job onboard a yacht. Who do you contact? How do you begin? All of these questions will be answered, along with specific advice on how to look for day work and how you can conduct your job search online. I also include insider advice on how and where to network in the hub hiring ports around the world.
- CHAPTER 10: Fit to Be Hired—Résumés/CVs, Interviews, and Accepting Your First Job! is one of the most important chapters of this guide if you are serious about embarking on a new career in yachting. Here, you will find key advice on how to put together a winning résumé/CV, how to gather references, how to prepare for and handle interviews… and even how to choose which job you want after you’ve become bombarded with employment offers!
- CHAPTER 11: All Aboard—Life “Out There” examines what it’s like to live onboard a yacht. Okay, you’re making lots of money now: How do you save it? And what about “the afterlife”… after yachting? What are your options, and what type of opportunities will you have been prepared for as a yacht stew? Ahhh, not to worry—the future will be very bright, indeed.
A brief Conclusion offers my final thoughts on what it’s like to work as a yacht stew.
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