How to become a Sole Chef
Nobody starts as a Sole Chef. The usual path starts as a Crew Chef / Crew Cook, a role people enter from work ashore, and reaches Sole Chef at about year 2 to 4 of a yacht career.
The pathFrom no experience to Sole Chef. A typical path, not a rule.
Crew Chef / Crew Cook
Year 0. Pay from about US$4,500 a month. Cooks three meals a day for the crew of a large superyacht, usually 60m and up, and supports the head chef in the guest galley when needed.
Sous Chef / Second Chef
Year 1-2. Pay from about US$4,500 a month. Second in command of a superyacht galley.
Sole Chef
Year 2-4. 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.
Before you applyWhat a Crew Chef / Crew Cook needs, from the Crew Chef / Crew Cook guide
Must have
- STCW Basic Safety Training
- ENG1 medical
- Food Hygiene Level 2
- Ship's Cook Certificate (MCA or equivalent) on most large yachts
Gets you hired
- Food Safety Level 3
- PDSD
- Culinary diploma or apprenticeship
- Allergen awareness training
Later, for Sole Chef
- STCW Basic Safety Training
- ENG1 medical certificate
- Food Hygiene Level 2
- MCA Ship's Cook Certificate (commercial yachts)
Visas
- Schengen right to work or visa
- US C1/D crew visa
What counts instead of yacht experienceOur advice
Captains hire a Crew Chef / Crew Cook for volume cooking on budget, weekly menu planning and dietary and allergen management. With no yacht job behind you, show the same skills from work ashore. For a Crew Chef / Crew Cook, 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.
- Volume cooking on budget
- Weekly menu planning
- Dietary and allergen management
- Provisioning and stock control
- Baking and bread
- Galley hygiene and HACCP
- Working around guest service
Your first stepsIn the order we suggest
Get the tickets a Crew Chef / Crew Cook must hold
You need STCW Basic Safety Training, ENG1 medical, Food Hygiene Level 2 and Ship's Cook Certificate (MCA) before a yacht can put you to work as a Crew Chef / Crew Cook.
STCW and ENG1: what they are and what they cost →Write a first Crew Chef / Crew Cook 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 Crew Chef / Crew Cook 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. 6 Crew Chef / Crew Cook jobs are open on SuperyachtRoles.com now.
See open Crew Chef / Crew Cook jobs →Step up to Sous Chef / Second Chef
The usual path puts Sous Chef / Second Chef at year 1 to 2. Pay starts from about US$4,500 a month.
How to become a Sous Chef / Second Chef →
Crew Chef / Crew Cook jobsOpen now on SuperyachtRoles.com. Some ask for experience, so read each advert.
QuestionsMore in the green crew guide
Can I become a Sole Chef with no experience?
Not directly. Sole Chef is head of department work. The usual path starts as a Crew Chef / Crew Cook, and reaches Sole Chef at about year 2 to 4.
How long does it take to become a Sole Chef?
The usual path puts Sole Chef at about year 2 to 4 of a yacht career, after Crew Chef / Crew Cook and Sous Chef / Second Chef. It is a typical path, not a rule: time on busy yachts and the tickets you pass move it.
What does a Crew Chef / Crew Cook earn at the start?
From about US$4,500 a month, by our Crew Chef / Crew Cook guide. Crew chefs share in charter tips on most yachts, which can add 10 to 15 percent of the charter fee split across the crew. Rotational contracts on 90m+ usually pay at the top of the band with fewer working months.
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.