Junior Deckhand Yacht Jobs: 5 Tickets and €2,800+ a Month

20 Oct 2026

Updated October 2026

Junior deckhand yacht jobs are one of the two most common ways into yachting (junior stew is the other). Boats hire green deckhands every season, and you don't need a degree or sea time to get hired. What you do need is the right few tickets, to be in the right port at the right time, and to come across as someone who will work hard without complaining. This post covers the deck side only. For every channel where yacht jobs get posted and the general steps to your first one, start with our pillar guide, Yacht Jobs: Where They're Posted and 8 Steps to Your First.

What does a junior deckhand do?

A junior deckhand keeps the outside of the yacht spotless and helps run the deck: washdowns, lines and fenders, tenders and water toys, and guest watersports. It's physical, outdoor work, and on charter it starts early and finishes late. Ads may say "deck hand", "deckie" or "junior deckhand", but they all mean the same entry-level job.

The side garage on the superyacht Ahpo. Launching, recovering and maintaining the tenders and toys stowed in garages like this falls to the deck team. Photo: 102Legobrick, CC BY-SA 4.0.

For an hour-by-hour look at a real deck day, read a day in the life of a superyacht deck dayworker.

The tickets captains hire on, with 2026 costs

Two documents are non-negotiable: STCW Basic Safety Training and an ENG1 medical. Without both, most captains won't consider you. After that, a few deck tickets help you stand out from the other green CVs on the pile.

A yacht tender alongside its mother ship in Rhodes. Driving, fendering and cleaning tenders like this one is daily work for junior deckhands. Photo: Pjotr Mahhonin, CC BY-SA 4.0.

The extras that get you hired. A watersports instructor ticket (dinghy, windsurf, kitesurf, dive) tells a captain you can run the guest toys on your own. For a bigger step, the RYA PWC Instructor course at Seascope costs €950 for 3 days. You need a PWC licence and at least two years of riding experience first. Practical trades count just as much: if you've done carpentry, painting, varnish or fibreglass work ashore, put it near the top of your CV. Our guide to building a superyacht CV before you've stepped on a boat covers how to present it.

What you don't need yet: a Yachtmaster or an MCA Yacht Rating. Both come later, once you have sea time (see the ladder below). Multi-week packages such as UKSA's 3-week Superyacht Deckhand course (£4,500 including accommodation) can help, but they aren't the minimum. A green deckhand with Powerboat Level 2 who can varnish is usually hired as quickly as one who spent thousands more.

If you're in the UK, book your ENG1 early. See ENG1 doctors in the UK, or our ENG1 medical guide for what the exam involves and how long it lasts.

Where yacht deckhand jobs are posted

Deck jobs come through the same channels as every other yacht job. For deck roles, three of them do most of the work.

• Daywork. Most green deckhands get their first full-time job by doing day jobs on a boat first. Captains hire the dayworker who turned up on time and didn't need watching. Start with our green crew daywork guide and the 2026 day rates.
• Dockwalking. Handing out CVs on the quay still works, especially for deck roles. Here's how to dockwalk properly.
• Crew agents and job boards. Register with the crew agencies in your hub (Antibes, Fort Lauderdale) and keep a profile live on Yotspot and YaCrew. Plenty of deck jobs also go round Facebook and WhatsApp crew groups, and a crew house is a good place to hear about them.

Instead of refreshing a dozen groups, you can also check in at your port on Radius for free. Captains and recruiters see verified crew on a live map and contact you directly.

How to land your first deck job

Go where the boats are, when they're hiring. In the Med, that's Antibes or Palma de Mallorca in spring, when yachts crew up for summer. In the US, it's Fort Lauderdale in autumn, ahead of the Caribbean winter season. Our guide to the superyacht daywork hubs has the month-by-month timing.

Be honest with yourself about the cost. You'll pay for a bed in a crew house while you dockwalk, and the first few weeks can be thin. Arrive with your STCW and ENG1 already done and enough money for at least a month. Then do daywork every chance you get, and say yes to the boring jobs.

The deck ladder: from junior deckhand to captain

Each step up the deck department is unlocked by sea time plus a qualification. Pay at each step comes from the UKSA 2025 superyacht salary guide, which reflects the market as of January 2025 and quotes figures in euros. The ranges below are for 45–50m yachts.

Deckhand pay barely changes with yacht size in the guide (€2,800–€3,500 up to 70m, and €3,000+ above 70m). Senior pay climbs steeply on bigger boats. You live aboard, so food and a bunk come with the job and most of that money is yours to save.

MCA Yacht Rating. This is usually the first formal step up. The gov.uk guidance (updated April 2025) asks for six months of yacht service, including two months of actual seagoing time, on vessels of 15m or more. You also need the four STCW basic training certificates and an ENG1.

OOW (Yachts <3000GT). This is the big step from deck crew to officer. HSS's summary of the requirements puts it at 36 months of yacht service, including 365 days at sea on vessels of 15m or more. You also need a commercially endorsed Yachtmaster Offshore or Coastal, the Efficient Deck Hand (EDH) certificate, navigation and radar courses and an MCA oral exam. The MCA's own table lists ECDIS, GMDSS (GOC) and HELM (operational) for this certificate. This is where the Yachtmaster fits: you take it on the way to OOW, not to get your first job. The MCA replaced its rulebook for yacht deck officers with MSN 1858 Amendment 2 in May 2026, so check it before you plan your sea time.

Junior deckhand FAQs

Can you get a deckhand job on a yacht with no experience?

Yes. Junior deckhand is an entry-level role, and captains hire green crew who have STCW and an ENG1, especially if they've done daywork. Boat handling, watersports or a trade make up for having no sea time.

How much does a junior deckhand earn?

The UKSA 2025 guide puts deckhands at €2,800–€3,500 a month on 45–70m yachts, and €3,000+ above 70m. Food and accommodation come with the job.

What qualifications do you need to be a yacht deckhand?

STCW Basic Safety Training and an ENG1 medical are the minimum. RYA Powerboat Level 2 and a PWC licence are the most useful extras.

Is deckhand or stewardess easier to get?

With a hotel or hospitality background, junior stew is usually the easier way in. If you're practical, outdoorsy or bring watersports or trade skills, deck suits you better. See how to become a yacht stewardess to compare.

How long does it take to become a bosun?

There's no fixed timeline. The MCA Yacht Rating alone needs six months of yacht service, and most bosuns have several seasons behind them.

Do you need to be able to swim?

Yes. Be a confident swimmer: deck crew work in and around the water every day with tenders, toys and swimming guests.