It is 07:15 in Antibes and there are already nine people ahead of you outside the crew agency. You are holding twenty printed CVs, wearing a clean white polo and shorts, and you have exactly no idea what to say to the first captain you meet. The people who get hired this week are not the most talented. They are the most prepared.
The crew CV
One page. Two at absolute maximum. It is not a normal CV.
- Photograph — top corner, professional, smiling, plain background, white shirt or polo. Not a holiday photo, not a selfie, not sunglasses. This is industry standard and its absence is noticed.
- Personal details — nationality, date of birth, visas held, driving licence, languages.
- Certificates — STCW Basic Safety, ENG1 (with expiry), Food Safety, any GUEST units, powerboat, first aid.
- Yachting experience — vessel name, size in metres, private/charter, dates, role, brief duties. Reverse chronological.
- Relevant shore experience — hospitality, hotels, retail, bar work, childcare, nursing, beauty. Say what it taught you.
- References — named, with contact details, and with their permission.
Tailor it. A 45-metre private boat wants someone flexible; a 90-metre charter boat wants silver service.
The three routes to a job
| Route | How it works | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Crew agencies | Register in person if you can. They screen for captains and hold the good permanent jobs. | Permanent roles, especially with any experience. |
| Dockwalking | Walking the quays, politely offering your CV to crew and captains. Early morning, 07:00–09:00. | Total beginners with no experience and no network. |
| Networking / crew houses | Crew houses, crew bars, Facebook groups. Most jobs are filled by word of mouth. | Everyone, always. |
Dockwalking, properly
- Look like crew: clean white or navy polo, smart shorts, boat shoes, no sunglasses on your head, hair tied back.
- Go early. Crew are on deck from 07:00; by 10:00 they are busy and you are an interruption.
- Never board without being invited. Stop at the passerelle, wait to be acknowledged, ask politely if they need any daywork.
- Be brief, be pleasant, leave a CV, say thank you, and move on. Return politely another day; do not loiter.
Daywork
Paid by the day, cash or invoice, no contract. It is how most people start.
- It gets you aboard, seen, and known — a large share of permanent jobs come from daywork that went well.
- Take everything: turnarounds, deep cleans, silver polishing, provisioning, yard work.
- Do the dull job perfectly. You are being assessed the entire time, whether anyone says so or not.
- Keep a record of every boat you daywork on, and ask for a contact you can use as a reference.
Onboard Notes
- Hiring is seasonal: be in Antibes/Palma from February–April for the Med, and in Fort Lauderdale from October–November for the Caribbean.
- Arrive with money for at least two months of crew house rent and food. Most people who fail simply run out of cash before the season starts.
- Be honest about experience on your CV. The industry is far smaller than it looks and a lie is discovered within one season.
- Answer your phone. Jobs are offered and filled within hours.