How to become a Head Chef
Nobody starts as a Head Chef. The usual path starts as a Commis Chef / Fourth Chef, a job you can get with no yacht experience, and reaches Head Chef at about year 5 to 7 of a yacht career.
The pathFrom no experience to Head Chef. A typical path, not a rule.
Commis Chef / Fourth Chef
Year 0. Pay from about US$3,800 a month. The commis or fourth chef is the junior galley role on large yachts, handling prep, crew meals and support for the brigade under the head and sous chef.
Chef de Partie / Third Chef
Year 1-2. Pay from about US$4,000 a month. A Chef de Partie or Third Chef runs one section of a large yacht galley, often crew meals or pastry, under the head chef and sous chef on 70m+ yachts.
Sous Chef / Second Chef
Year 2-4. Pay from about US$4,500 a month. Second in command of a superyacht galley.
Sole Chef
Year 4-5. Pay from about US$5,500 a month. The only chef on board, cooking for guests and crew on yachts of roughly 25m to 50m, and running menus, provisioning and the galley budget alone.
Head Chef
Year 5-7. Pay from about US$7,500 a month. Runs the galley on larger superyachts, leading a brigade that cooks for owners, guests and crew, and managing menus, provisioning and food safety.
Before you applyWhat a Commis Chef / Fourth Chef needs, from the Commis Chef / Fourth Chef guide
Must have
- STCW Basic Safety Training
- ENG1 medical
- Food Hygiene Level 2
Gets you hired
- Culinary diploma or NVQ Level 2/3 in Professional Cookery
- Food Safety Level 3
- Ship's Cook Certificate
- PDSD
- Allergen awareness
Later, for Head Chef
- STCW Basic Safety Training
- ENG1 medical
- MCA Ship's Cook Certificate (or flag equivalent)
- Food Hygiene Level 2
Visas
- B1/B2 for US cruising
- Schengen right to work or visa
What counts instead of yacht experienceOur advice
Captains hire a Commis Chef / Fourth Chef for knife skills and prep, crew meal planning and food safety and HACCP. With no yacht job behind you, show the same skills from work ashore. A background in professional kitchens is the closest match, for example work as a chef de partie.
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.
- Knife skills and prep
- Crew meal planning
- Food safety and HACCP
- Stock rotation and storage
- Working under pressure
- Basic pastry and bread
- Galley hygiene
Your first stepsIn the order we suggest
Get the tickets a Commis Chef / Fourth Chef must hold
You need STCW Basic Safety Training, ENG1 medical and Food Hygiene Level 2 before a yacht can put you to work as a Commis Chef / Fourth Chef.
STCW and ENG1: what they are and what they cost →Write a first Commis Chef / Fourth Chef CV
Keep it to one page. Put your tickets and your start date at the top, then the work that transfers: professional kitchens.
See a Commis Chef / Fourth Chef 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.
Commis Chef / Fourth Chef guide →Step up to Chef de Partie / Third Chef
The usual path puts Chef de Partie / Third Chef at year 1 to 2. Pay starts from about US$4,000 a month.
How to become a Chef de Partie / Third Chef →
QuestionsMore in the green crew guide
Can I become a Head Chef with no experience?
Not directly. Head Chef is head of department work. The usual path starts as a Commis Chef / Fourth Chef, which you can get with no yacht experience, and reaches Head Chef at about year 5 to 7.
How long does it take to become a Head Chef?
The usual path puts Head Chef at about year 5 to 7 of a yacht career, after Commis Chef / Fourth Chef, Chef de Partie / Third Chef, Sous Chef / Second Chef and Sole Chef. It is a typical path, not a rule: time on busy yachts and the tickets you pass move it.
What does a Commis Chef / Fourth Chef earn at the start?
From about US$3,800 a month, by our Commis Chef / Fourth Chef guide. Charter tips are usually shared equally among crew and can add $1,500 to $4,000 a month in a busy Mediterranean or Caribbean season. Permanent contracts typically add 30 to 45 days' paid leave and return flights.
Other paths from Commis Chef / Fourth ChefAll roles
Let the yachts come to you
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