How to become a Technical Storekeeper
You can start as a Technical Storekeeper 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.
Technical Storekeeper
Year 0. Pay from about US$4,000 a month. The Technical Storekeeper runs engineering spares, consumables and orders on large yachts, keeping the engine room stocked and the inventory accurate.
Assistant Engineer
Year 2. Pay from about US$3,500 a month. Junior engine room role on larger superyachts.
Third Engineer
Year 3-4. Pay from about US$4,000 a month. Junior engineering officer on larger yachts, running daily rounds, planned maintenance and engine room watches under the second and chief engineer.
Second Engineer
Year 5-7. Pay from about US$6,000 a month. The engineer who runs the engine room day to day under the chief, keeping generators, machinery and hotel systems working on yachts from 45m upward.
Before you applyWhat a Technical Storekeeper needs, from the Technical Storekeeper guide
Must have
- STCW Basic Safety Training
- ENG1 medical certificate
Gets you hired
- PDSD (Proficiency in Designated Security Duties)
- MCA Approved Engine Course (AEC 1)
- Slinger and banksman or crane awareness
- Dangerous goods or IMDG awareness
- Forklift licence
Visas
- C1/D US visa
- Schengen visa if non-EU
What counts instead of yacht experienceOur advice
Captains hire a Technical Storekeeper for inventory and stock control, maintenance software (IDEA, TM Master) and procurement and supplier quotes. With no yacht job behind you, show the same skills from work ashore. A background in marine engineering ashore is the closest match, for example work as a marine mechanic.
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.
- Inventory and stock control
- Maintenance software (IDEA, TM Master)
- Procurement and supplier quotes
- Freight and customs paperwork
- Basic mechanical knowledge
- Hazardous goods handling
- Excel and reporting
Your first stepsIn the order we suggest
Get the tickets a Technical Storekeeper must hold
You need STCW Basic Safety Training and ENG1 medical certificate before a yacht can put you to work as a Technical Storekeeper.
STCW and ENG1: what they are and what they cost →Write a first Technical Storekeeper CV
Keep it to one page. Put your tickets and your start date at the top, then the work that transfers: marine engineering ashore.
See a Technical Storekeeper 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.
Technical Storekeeper guide →Step up to Assistant Engineer
The usual path puts Assistant Engineer at year 2. Pay starts from about US$3,500 a month.
How to become an Assistant Engineer →
QuestionsMore in the green crew guide
Can I become a Technical Storekeeper with no experience?
Yes. Technical Storekeeper is a first job on yachts. You need STCW Basic Safety Training and ENG1 medical certificate, and work that transfers, such as marine engineering ashore, puts you ahead of other new crew.
How long does it take to become a Technical Storekeeper?
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 Assistant Engineer at year 2.
What does a Technical Storekeeper earn at the start?
From about US$4,000 a month, by our Technical Storekeeper guide. Most contracts are permanent with around 45 days' leave a year, though some 120m+ yachts offer rotation. Charter tips are usually shared equally across crew, which can add several thousand dollars a season.
Let the yachts come to you
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