You have paid for the units, passed every assessment and you are still not eligible for the Certificate of Competency. This happens constantly, and the reason is almost always the same: the classroom is only one of three things GUEST asks for. The other two are time actually served and evidence you kept at the time.
The Three Legs of Every GUEST Level
| Leg | What it is | Where it can go wrong |
|---|---|---|
| Units | Assessed training with an IAMI-approved provider | Booking with an unapproved school |
| Sea service and guest-service days | Verifiable time onboard, with days actually serving guests | Never logging it; no signature from the captain or HOD |
| Record book and supporting certificates | The Interior Training Record Book plus regulatory and vocational certificates | Started late, unsigned, or expired certificates |
Supporting Certificates, By Level (Principle, Not Prophecy)
- Entry / Introduction: STCW Basic Safety Training, PSA, a valid ENG1, Food Safety Level 2.
- Advanced: the above, plus Medical First Aid and typically a powerboat / tender qualification.
- Management: the above, plus Food Safety Level 3, Advanced Fire Fighting, PSCRB, Medical Care, and an introduction to the ISM Code — because at HOD level you are part of the safety management system, not just subject to it.
About Those Day Counts
Progression charts publish specific numbers of sea-service days and guest-service days. Do not memorise them from any source, including this one. IAMI/GUEST sets them, and they have been revised. Any figure you see quoted — on a provider website, in a Facebook group, in an old PDF — should be treated as indicative and subject to change. The only safe move is to obtain the current progression chart from GUEST administration or an approved Training Provider before you plan your bookings.
What does not change is the principle: you must serve real time, that time must include real guest service, and it must be verifiable by someone senior who was there.
The Interior Training Record Book
Open it early. Fill it in weekly, not annually. Get it signed by the person who actually watched you do the work — chief stew, purser or captain — and photograph every completed page before it leaves your hand. A record book that catches fire, gets soaked or gets left on a boat you have parted from on bad terms is a career setback measured in seasons.
Onboard Notes
- Keep a personal service log alongside the record book: vessel, flag, tonnage, dates on and off, role, charter weeks, guest days.
- Diarise every certificate expiry twelve weeks ahead. Lapsed STCW has ended more contracts than bad service.
- Verify current requirements with GUEST administration or an approved provider. xplor does not certify anything.