3 Top Tips For Longevity On A Superyacht..

I have recently hosted a podcast with Chief Stewardess & Purser, Elena Oprea who touched on some of the most important characteristic traits to have as a Crew Member and tips to promote longevity onboard. Chatting with Elena inspired me to put together this short LinkedIn article to highlight the three top ways to promote longevity - so thanks Elena!

As a R&P agency we are being asked more frequently by Captains and HoD's to ensure that candidates put forward for vacancies have proven and demonstrated longevity. However, broadly speaking in todays candidate thick market individuals holding such longevity are becoming harder and harder to find prompting the question - why?!

This could be put down to a number of subjective factors so in this article we'll focus on what we can control to promote longevity onboard.

1) The Crew Member - (Understanding WHY you want to be in the industry?)

Before even stepping foot on a yacht it is good practice to understand WHY you want to work in the industry. There is a good chance it is for either the money or the travel (which are both great starting points) but either one of those in isolation or combined will not be enough for a long lasting career. As cliche as it sounds, you need to have a passion for what you do - you need to ENJOY it! If you're a Steward(ess) you need to have a passion for people, communication, top end service and going the extra mile to please; if you're exterior you'll need a passion for sailing & getting your hands dirty; if you're a Chef you'll need a true passion for creating experiences through delivering the finest foods and so on and so forth.. You also need to have a clear goal to focus on when times get tough. This could be to spend (x) amount of years in the industry and to work your way up to Captain or to buy yourself a house etc - whatever is meaningful to you.

The industry can be portrayed as a glamorous lifestyle (which at times it can be) but more often than not it's hard work, long hours and draining both physically and mentally so you will need something more than just a few instagram photos and extra cash in your pocket to get you through.

2) The Yacht -(Owners/Standards/Intentions)

Naturally, the onus of longevity does not solely lie on the shoulders of the Crew Member, but also the Yacht. Does the yacht have a strong management team? Do the owners and management value the team they currently have? Do they really have the intention of building and investing into a long lasting team? These are all questions that need to be addressed as no Crew Member will want to work for/commit to a yacht that is poorly managed and where they do not feel valued.

As a Crew Member it is important to understand and accept that there are likely to be challenges with every yacht in one form or another and no yacht will be 'plain sailing' 100% of the time. You need to ask yourself if you can see yourself working for the yacht in the long term? If not, you need to act upon this sooner rather than later. If its clear you're on a good yacht - fully commit!

3) The Existing Crew - Signs of cracks?

Lastly, its good to make an extra effort to do your research and speak to the existing crew asking them how long they have been working for the yacht and their experience. Do they feel like they are progressing/learning? Do they feel valued?

The reality is that there will aways be things that some are not happy with but generally speaking overall should be happy. Also, a yacht that values its team will not put up with one individual who is always negative and will promptly look for a replacement. With this said, if there are many of the crew who are not happy it's either because there are real issues with the yacht or management are not paying close enough attention and in either case, you should look to act upon this sooner rather than later.

It's worth mentioning that no yacht is perfect - each have their own flaws and there are by far more great boats than bad so remember WHY you're in the industry, DO YOUR RESEARCH & STAY COMMITTED. As many yachties will attest, the rewards will be more than worth it!

To watch the full podcast with Chief Stewardess, Elena Oprea Click Here!