Yacht jobs in the Caribbean have a lot of variety on offer. There are so many types of vessels sailing this area, and quite understandably so, it is right up there as one of our top 10 picture perfect places to work. The islands are home to vibrant and healthy marine and coral life, making it popular for scuba diving and snorkelling. Pristine waters, beautiful beaches, tropical forests, volcanic mountains, rustic beach bars and island vibes are just a few of the jewels of the Caribbean.
The Caribbean and Bahamas are very popular for superyachts, especially during the northern hemisphere winter months: December – May. Although sadly this season is pretty much over due to the current global pandemic due to the Coronavirus. The great news is that if you prepare now, you could possibly be crewing a private yacht in the Caribbean later this year!
What Qualifications do you need?
The bear necessities to qualify for work on board a yacht are two things:
But due to the popularity of this route, we suggest you try and add additional skills, and or experience to your CV that you’re not a total newbie when you get there. Besides considering doing your Interior Crew Training Course – if you’re interested in becoming a steward or stewardess, perhaps also do additional courses for activities provided in this area. Those could potentially be a scuba diving course – or do a course in coral reef marine life of the area – so you have additional talking topics to add to conversations with guests.
When & Where to Go
Vessels generally tend to crew up for the Caribbean season in October/November. They may then hire crew again before crossing to their next seasonal destination, the most popular of which is the Mediterranean and usually occurs in March/April. Why this is important to know is that if you impress on your Caribbean charter, you might just get rehired for the next destination! Most vessels will base themselves out of South Florida, making Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach the most common places for crew to find work.
Visa & Legal Requirements
To work on a boat cruising the Caribbean it is advisable to have both a Schengen and B1B2 visa as some of the Islands still fall under European and US dependency. It is also highly advisable to have many spare pages in your passport for a Caribbean season as there is immigration control and an entry and exit stamp on your passport for every Island.
Speak to us if you’d like to discuss possible courses that could benefit you. Our partner academy is fully ITY & MCA internationally accredited. If you’d just like to get an idea whether a yacht job is really for you, consider downloading our ultimate yacht crew handbook that will give you the ins and outs of yacht crew life, with additional tips to help you get that job on a private yacht.