The chief stew leaves mid-season and you are offered the job. Within a week you are holding a budget you did not set, a rota that has just gone wrong, a crew member who is quietly falling apart, and a management company asking you about the interior section of the safety management system. Nothing in Advanced Housekeeping prepared you for any of that. The GUEST Management level did.
The Management Units
| Unit | Title | The problem it solves |
|---|---|---|
| Unit 36 | Destination, Event & Interior Management | Running an itinerary, an event and an interior department as one operation |
| Unit 30 | Human Resources & Crew Wellbeing | Recruitment, appraisals, conflict, welfare, the parts that keep people aboard |
| Unit 21 | Accounting, Bookkeeping & Budgeting | Interior budgets, provisioning spend, reconciliation, reporting to the captain |
| Unit 17 | Foundation Leadership | Leading a department rather than being the best worker in it |
These lead towards the Yacht Chief Steward(ess) Certificate of Competency, the head-of-department (HOD) level of the framework.
What Management Level Asks For Beyond the Units
At HOD level the supporting requirements broaden significantly. In principle:
- Food Safety Level 3 (a management-level food safety award)
- Advanced Fire Fighting and PSCRB (Proficiency in Survival Craft and Rescue Boats)
- Medical Care — the higher-tier medical training
- an introduction to the ISM Code, because a HOD is part of the safety management system
- substantially more logged sea service, including service at senior level
- a complete, signed Interior Training Record Book
As always: the exact combination and the day counts are set by IAMI/GUEST and subject to revision. Any list — including this one — is indicative. Get the current progression chart from GUEST administration or an approved Training Provider before you book anything at this level, because management courses are the expensive ones.
A Note on Unit 17
Some STCW HELM (Operational) courses are accepted in place of Unit 17 Foundation Leadership. This is real and it can save you a course fee — but acceptance depends on the provider and the current GUEST position, so confirm it with GUEST administration before you assume your HELM ticket covers you.
Also: Old Numbers
Interior management has appeared under different numbering in the past (older charts show Unit 16). If a provider quotes you a number you do not recognise, ask them to map it to the current unit list rather than assuming they are wrong — or that they are right.
Onboard Notes
- Book the leadership and HR content before you are promoted, not after. The week you become chief stew is the worst week to start learning HR.
- The budget unit is the one captains notice. Being trusted with money is how interior departments get bigger budgets.
- Preparatory study only: only an approved GUEST Training Provider can assess you and issue a CoC.