How to become a Deck Cadet
You can start as a Deck Cadet 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.
Deck Cadet
Year 0-3. Pay from about US$1,800 a month. A trainee deck officer on a structured cadetship, combining deckhand work with bridge watches and study towards an OOW certificate.
Officer of the Watch (OOW)
Year 3-4. Pay from about US$4,200 a month. The junior navigating officer on a superyacht bridge, keeping a legal watch at sea and at anchor while still working on deck when needed.
Third Officer
Year 4-5. Pay from about US$4,500 a month. Junior bridge watchkeeper on larger superyachts, holding an OOW ticket and running navigation watches, safety gear and deck crew tasks.
Second Officer
Year 5-7. Pay from about US$5,500 a month. A qualified watchkeeping officer who keeps bridge watches, plans passages and looks after safety equipment on yachts from about 50m upwards.
Before you applyWhat a Deck Cadet needs, from the Deck Cadet guide
Must have
- STCW Basic Safety Training
- ENG1 medical certificate
- Place on an approved cadetship or training programme
Gets you hired
- RYA Powerboat Level 2
- PDSD
- VHF SRC
- RYA Day Skipper or Yachtmaster theory
- Food Hygiene Level 2
Visas
- US B1/B2
- Schengen right to work or visa
What counts instead of yacht experienceOur advice
Captains hire a Deck Cadet for watchkeeping basics, chart and passage planning and tender and toy handling. With no yacht job behind you, show the same skills from work ashore. A background in watersports and boat handling is the closest match, for example work as a watersports instructor.
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.
- Watchkeeping basics
- Chart and passage planning
- Tender and toy handling
- Mooring and line work
- Exterior detailing
- Training record discipline
- COLREGs knowledge
Your first stepsIn the order we suggest
Get the tickets a Deck Cadet must hold
You need STCW Basic Safety Training and ENG1 medical certificate before a yacht can put you to work as a Deck Cadet.
STCW and ENG1: what they are and what they cost →Write a first Deck Cadet CV
Keep it to one page. Put your tickets and your start date at the top, then the work that transfers: watersports and boat handling.
See a Deck Cadet 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.
Deck Cadet guide →Step up to Officer of the Watch (OOW)
The usual path puts Officer of the Watch (OOW) at year 3 to 4. Pay starts from about US$4,200 a month.
How to become an Officer of the Watch (OOW) →
QuestionsMore in the green crew guide
Can I become a Deck Cadet with no experience?
Yes. Deck Cadet is a first job on yachts. You need STCW Basic Safety Training and ENG1 medical certificate, and work that transfers, such as watersports and boat handling, puts you ahead of other new crew.
How long does it take to become a Deck Cadet?
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 Officer of the Watch (OOW) at year 3 to 4.
What does a Deck Cadet earn at the start?
From about US$1,800 a month, by our Deck Cadet guide. Food, cabin and uniform are covered, and many sponsors pay college fees. On charter yachts cadets usually share tips with the rest of the crew, which can double take-home pay in a good season.
Let the yachts come to you
Upload your CV and we build your crew profile from it. Captains and recruiters contact you. Free for crew.