You are twenty minutes into a video interview with a promising third stewardess and you hear yourself ask whether she has a boyfriend onboard anywhere, and whether she is planning to have children. It is a friendly question, asked out of habit, in an industry that asks it constantly. It is also exactly the kind of question that is unlawful in many jurisdictions and that tells you nothing about whether she can run a laundry.
Structured Interviewing
Ask the same core questions of every candidate, scored against the same criteria. Unstructured chats reward people who are like you and punish people who are nervous.
- Competency questions: Tell me about a time a guest changed the dinner plan an hour before service. What did you do?
- Technical questions: Walk me through your turnaround for a full-beam cabin. How do you treat a red wine spill on silk?
- Situational questions: A guest asks you for a drink that you know exceeds the alcohol policy. What do you do?
- Team questions: Describe a disagreement with a colleague in a shared cabin. How did it resolve?
Score as you go. Do not compare candidates from memory a week later.
The Questions You Should Not Ask
| Do not ask about | Ask instead |
|---|---|
| Marital status, partners, family plans, pregnancy | Are you able to commit to the full season and the rotation as described? |
| Age or date of birth | Do you hold the certificates required for this role? |
| Nationality or ethnic origin | Do you hold the right to work and the visas this itinerary requires? |
| Religion | Are you able to work the itinerary and hours described? |
| Health, disability or medical history | Do you hold a valid ENG1 or equivalent? Do you need any adjustments to perform the role? |
| Sexual orientation | Nothing. It is never relevant. |
These are not merely etiquette. Discrimination law varies by jurisdiction, but the risk is real and the reputational damage is worse. Ask about the job.
Trials and Daywork
A daywork trial is the single most useful selection tool in the interior. Done well:
- Pay the person properly for the day. Unpaid trials are exploitative and, in some jurisdictions, unlawful.
- Give a real task with a clear brief: a cabin turnaround, a table set, a laundry sort.
- Tell them what you are assessing and how long the trial lasts.
- Watch how they take correction, not just the result. Trainability beats polish.
- Do not use trials as free labour during a turnaround you are short-handed for. Crew talk, and reputations travel.
References
Take at least two references, ideally from a direct supervisor, and speak to them rather than accepting a written note. Ask: what was the role, what were they genuinely strong at, how did they handle pressure and correction, and — the question that unlocks most conversations — would you rehire them? Get the candidate consent first. Understand that yachting references are a small world and that some are given more out of loyalty than accuracy.
Onboard Notes
- Interview with a second person present where possible. It reduces bias and protects you.
- If you would not want the question read aloud in a tribunal, do not ask it.
- Tell rejected candidates promptly and kindly. The third stew you turn down today may be the Chief Stew you want in three years.
- General professional guidance only. Not legal advice; employment and discrimination law is jurisdiction-specific.