Ah yes, this is just another way to show just how different working in the yachting industry is from working on land. Not only are you allowed to work as a couple in the yachting industry, you can also apply for jobs as such – crazy! In fact, some boats prefer to have couples onboard in place of single crew members.
This especially reins true on smaller yachts that don’t need as many crew. Rather than two strangers, yacht owners may prefer to have a full-time couple living and working together onboard. The reasoning behind this is instead of having crew members leave the yacht to go see their significant others, they are already there together. This also typically ensures longevity of staff on the boat – something all captains and/or boat owners strive to obtain.
Searching for Yachting Jobs Together
If at first you feel it will be difficult, why not try going to a crew agency and applying through them. They are reputable sources linking you directly to yachts who are looking for couples, or anything specific for that matter. Captains, chief stews, first mates, head chefs, engineers can all have established relationships with these crew agencies and in turn can hold high merit to their words for recommending certain couples who they’ve already met with and checked out.
That being said, it has been done without help. Just make sure to apply for the job together in person, or email. If you are searching for a job together, some yachts would consider including the length of your relationship important when listing all the other small facts on the top portion of your CV; citizenship, age, etc.
Working and Living with Others
Once you’ve landed a job together, it’s important to maintain a healthy relationship while working together. Working and living so closely with others can put a strain on your relationship, so its important not to break the family-mentality that the crew as a whole has by including your couple dramas in the mix.
Work On A Yacht? Here are a few things to help maintain a great working and endearing relationship.
Establish Boundaries – this one is important. Know when you’re both going to far and make sure to include where a good time and place is to have couples moments/arguments/affection etc. This will not only help your relationship but will ensure the rest of the crew feels comfortable around you both as well.
Take Time for Yourselves – this one can be overlooked when working on a yacht together, but it doesn’t make it any less important. Sometimes your schedules will not match up, and sometimes it will – so make use of this time when it does. That being said, do not allow yourselves to overlook your ‘relationship’ with the rest of the crew either. Take time to do your couple things, but don’t do it so often that the rest of the crew is left out and it starts to put a strain in your working relationship with the entire yacht.
Don’t Get Caught Up With the Drama – OMG, did we just go there. Yes, believe it or not it will happen to all couples no matter how many times we repeat ourselves and no matter how much you say ‘I hate drama and avoid it at all costs’. Do not let yourselves get caught up in crew drama, and by all means do not be the one who starts drama with the rest of the crew.
Working On A Yacht – Things to Remember
You are working closely with a bunch of people, of all ages from all over the world. Yachting is a very social line of work, and that being said, overly jealous couples will not find this easy, and nor do we recommend it. Be sure to have a solid couple foundation before attempting this, while it does work for several people, it also does not work for many.
