How to become an Electro-Technical Officer (ETO)
Nobody starts as an Electro-Technical Officer (ETO). The usual path starts as an Electrical Engineer, a role people enter from work ashore, and reaches Electro-Technical Officer (ETO) at about year 2 to 4 of a yacht career.
The pathFrom no experience to Electro-Technical Officer (ETO). A typical path, not a rule.
Electrical Engineer
Year 0. Pay from about US$5,500 a month. The electrical engineer maintains a superyacht's power generation, distribution, switchboards and electrical systems, usually working under the ETO.
Electro-Technical Officer (ETO)
Year 2-4. Pay from about US$6,500 a month. The ETO keeps a superyacht's electrical, navigation, communications and automation systems running, from switchboards to bridge electronics.
Before you applyWhat an Electrical Engineer needs, from the Electrical Engineer guide
Must have
- STCW Basic Safety Training
- ENG1 medical certificate
- Recognised electrical trade qualification (NVQ/City & Guilds Level 3 or equivalent)
Gets you hired
- MCA ETO Certificate of Competency (STCW III/6)
- High Voltage safety and operational training
- BS 7671 18th Edition
- AEC 1 and 2
- PDSD
Later, for Electro-Technical Officer (ETO)
- STCW Basic Safety Training
- ENG1 medical
- PDSD
- Recognised electrical or electronics trade qualification
Visas
- US B1/B2
- Schengen visa if not an EU national
What counts instead of yacht experienceOur advice
Captains hire an Electrical Engineer for switchboard and distribution maintenance, electrical fault-finding and generator and shore power systems. With no yacht job behind you, show the same skills from work ashore. For an Electrical Engineer, that means your qualifications and the years you have worked in the profession.
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.
- Switchboard and distribution maintenance
- Electrical fault-finding
- Generator and shore power systems
- Reading electrical schematics
- Insulation and thermographic testing
- Permit to work and isolation
- Planned maintenance systems
Your first stepsIn the order we suggest
Get the tickets an Electrical Engineer must hold
You need STCW Basic Safety Training, ENG1 medical certificate and Recognised electrical trade qualification (NVQ/City & Guilds Level 3) before a yacht can put you to work as an Electrical Engineer.
STCW and ENG1: what they are and what they cost →Write a first Electrical Engineer CV
Keep it to one page. Put your tickets and your start date at the top, then your qualifications and your work ashore, with dates.
See a Electrical 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.
Electrical Engineer guide →Step up to Electro-Technical Officer (ETO)
The usual path puts Electro-Technical Officer (ETO) at year 2 to 4. Pay starts from about US$6,500 a month.
How to become an Electro-Technical Officer (ETO) →
QuestionsMore in the green crew guide
Can I become an Electro-Technical Officer (ETO) with no experience?
Not directly. Electro-Technical Officer (ETO) is senior work. The usual path starts as an Electrical Engineer, and reaches Electro-Technical Officer (ETO) at about year 2 to 4.
How long does it take to become an Electro-Technical Officer (ETO)?
The usual path puts Electro-Technical Officer (ETO) at about year 2 to 4 of a yacht career, after Electrical Engineer. It is a typical path, not a rule: time on busy yachts and the tickets you pass move it.
What does an Electrical Engineer earn at the start?
From about US$5,500 a month, by our Electrical Engineer guide. Rotation (often 10 weeks on, 10 off on larger yachts) means a smaller annual figure per month worked, in exchange for paid leave. Charter tips are shared with technical crew on most yachts and can add a month's pay or more over a season.
Let the yachts come to you
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