How to become an Electronics Engineer
Electronics Engineer is a role people enter from work ashore, not from a junior yacht job. You need no yacht experience. You do need the qualifications and the background below.
Where you startAnd where it leads. A typical path, not a rule.
Electronics Engineer
Year 0. Pay from about US$5,500 a month. Maintains a superyacht's navigation, communications, satellite and control electronics, fault-finding down to board level on large yachts.
Electro-Technical Officer (ETO)
Year 2-5. 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.
Technical Yacht Manager
Year 8+. Pay from about €62,000 a year. Shore-based engineer who runs maintenance, class surveys, budgets and refits for a portfolio of managed superyachts on behalf of their owners.
Yacht New Build Project Manager
Year 12+. Pay from about €62,000 a year. Shoreside manager who runs a superyacht build from contract to delivery, protecting the owner's spec, budget and schedule at the shipyard.
Before you applyWhat an Electronics Engineer needs, from the Electronics Engineer guide
Must have
- STCW Basic Safety Training
- ENG1 medical
Gets you hired
- STCW III/6 ETO CoC or III/7 Electro-Technical Rating
- GMDSS GOC
- Manufacturer courses (Furuno, Kongsberg, Sperry)
- IPC soldering or equivalent
- Networking certification such as CCNA
Visas
- US B1/B2
- Schengen right to work or visa
What counts instead of yacht experienceOur advice
Captains hire an Electronics Engineer for board-level fault-finding, navigation and bridge systems and marine networking and VSAT. With no yacht job behind you, show the same skills from work ashore. For an Electronics 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.
- Board-level fault-finding
- Navigation and bridge systems
- Marine networking and VSAT
- PLC and alarm systems
- Soldering and cable termination
- Reading wiring schematics
- Planned maintenance software
Your first stepsIn the order we suggest
Get the tickets an Electronics Engineer must hold
You need STCW Basic Safety Training and ENG1 medical before a yacht can put you to work as an Electronics Engineer.
STCW and ENG1: what they are and what they cost →Write a first Electronics 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 Electronics 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.
Electronics Engineer guide →Step up to Electro-Technical Officer (ETO)
The usual path puts Electro-Technical Officer (ETO) at year 2 to 5. 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 Electronics Engineer with no experience?
With no yacht experience, yes. With no professional background, no. Electronics Engineer is a role people enter from work ashore, and you need STCW Basic Safety Training and ENG1 medical.
How long does it take to become an Electronics 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 Electro-Technical Officer (ETO) at year 2 to 5.
What does an Electronics Engineer earn at the start?
From about US$5,500 a month, by our Electronics Engineer guide. Usually tax-free depending on residency. Rotational roles on 90m+ often pay a little less per month but give equal time off, and private yachts rarely add tips.
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.