How to become an Assistant Engineer
You can start as an Assistant Engineer with no yacht experience. You need the right tickets, a CV that shows work that transfers, and to be where the yachts hire. This page sets out each step.
Where you startAnd where it leads. A typical path, not a rule.
Assistant Engineer
Year 0-1. Pay from about US$3,500 a month. Junior engine room role on larger superyachts.
Third Engineer
Year 1-3. Pay from about US$4,000 a month. Junior engineering officer on larger yachts, running daily rounds, planned maintenance and engine room watches under the second and chief engineer.
Second Engineer
Year 3-5. Pay from about US$6,000 a month. The engineer who runs the engine room day to day under the chief, keeping generators, machinery and hotel systems working on yachts from 45m upward.
First Engineer
Year 5-7. Pay from about US$8,000 a month. Second in command of the engine room on larger yachts, running daily maintenance, watchkeeping and the engineering team under the Chief Engineer.
Before you applyWhat an Assistant Engineer needs, from the Assistant Engineer guide
Must have
- STCW Basic Safety Training
- ENG1 medical certificate
- PDSD
Gets you hired
- AEC 1 (Approved Engine Course)
- AEC 2
- Engine Room Watch Rating
- RYA Powerboat Level 2
- Trade qualification (mechanical, electrical or HVAC)
Visas
- US B1/B2 visa
- Schengen visa (non-EU nationals)
What counts instead of yacht experienceOur advice
Captains hire an Assistant Engineer for engine room rounds and logs, filter and oil changes and basic electrical fault-finding. With no yacht job behind you, show the same skills from work ashore. A background in marine engineering ashore is the closest match, for example work as a marine mechanic.
Write each job on your CV as what you did, with numbers: how many guests, how many boats, how many covers. Then list every skill below that you can prove.
- Engine room rounds and logs
- Filter and oil changes
- Basic electrical fault-finding
- Pump and plumbing repairs
- Tender and jet ski servicing
- Planned maintenance systems
- Bunkering and fluid transfers
Your first stepsIn the order we suggest
Get the tickets an Assistant Engineer must hold
You need STCW Basic Safety Training, ENG1 medical certificate and PDSD before a yacht can put you to work as an Assistant Engineer.
STCW and ENG1: what they are and what they cost →Write a first Assistant Engineer CV
Keep it to one page. Put your tickets and your start date at the top, then the work that transfers: marine engineering ashore.
See a Assistant Engineer CV example →Create your crew profile
Upload that CV and we build your profile from it. Your name and contact details stay hidden. Captains and recruiters contact you. It is free.
Create your crew profile →Apply and look for daywork
Apply to open jobs and to crew agencies, and take daywork: a few paid days on a yacht is how most first-time crew get a reference.
Assistant Engineer guide →Step up to Third Engineer
The usual path puts Third Engineer at year 1 to 3. Pay starts from about US$4,000 a month.
How to become a Third Engineer →
QuestionsMore in the green crew guide
Can I become an Assistant Engineer with no experience?
Yes. Assistant Engineer is a first job on yachts. You need STCW Basic Safety Training, ENG1 medical certificate and PDSD, and work that transfers, such as marine engineering ashore, puts you ahead of other new crew.
How long does it take to become an Assistant Engineer?
It is a starting role, so the time is what it takes to get the tickets and find the first job. From there, the usual path puts Third Engineer at year 1 to 3.
What does an Assistant Engineer earn at the start?
From about US$3,500 a month, by our Assistant Engineer guide. On charter yachts, tips are usually shared equally and can add USD 1,000 to 3,000 a month in season. Rotation is rare at this level, so expect a permanent post with 30 to 45 days' annual leave.
Other paths from Assistant EngineerAll roles
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