How to become a Watersports Instructor
Watersports Instructor 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.
Watersports Instructor
Year 0. Pay from about US$3,500 a month. A superyacht watersports instructor runs the toy programme.
Deckhand / Watersports Instructor
Year 1-2. Pay from about US$3,500 a month. A deckhand who also teaches and supervises guests on water toys, from jet skis and eFoils to wakeboarding and kitesurfing, on charter and private yachts.
Lead Deckhand / Senior Deckhand
Year 2-4. Pay from about US$3,800 a month. The senior deckhand who runs daily deck jobs, trains newer crew and covers for the bosun on superyachts of roughly 50m and above.
Bosun / Boatswain
Year 4-6. Pay from about US$4,000 a month. The bosun runs the deck crew day to day, leading deckhands on maintenance, tenders, watersports and mooring, and reports to the chief officer.
Before you applyWhat a Watersports Instructor needs, from the Watersports Instructor guide
Must have
- STCW Basic Safety Training
- ENG1 medical
- RYA Powerboat Level 2
- RYA Personal Watercraft Proficiency
Gets you hired
- RYA Powerboat Instructor
- IKO Instructor Level 1 or BKSA
- RYA Dinghy or Windsurf Instructor
- PADI Divemaster
- PDSD
Visas
- US B1/B2
- Schengen
What counts instead of yacht experienceOur advice
Captains hire a Watersports Instructor for patient beginner coaching, tender and tow driving and jet ski and Seabob servicing. With no yacht job behind you, show the same skills from work ashore. For a Watersports Instructor, 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.
- Patient beginner coaching
- Tender and tow driving
- Jet ski and Seabob servicing
- Kite and foil instruction
- Risk assessments and briefings
- Deck maintenance basics
- Calm guest manner
Your first stepsIn the order we suggest
Get the tickets a Watersports Instructor must hold
You need STCW Basic Safety Training, ENG1 medical, RYA Powerboat Level 2 and RYA Personal Watercraft Proficiency before a yacht can put you to work as a Watersports Instructor.
STCW and ENG1: what they are and what they cost →Write a first Watersports Instructor 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 Watersports Instructor 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.
Watersports Instructor guide →Step up to Deckhand / Watersports Instructor
The usual path puts Deckhand / Watersports Instructor at year 1 to 2. Pay starts from about US$3,500 a month.
How to become a Deckhand / Watersports Instructor →
QuestionsMore in the green crew guide
Can I become a Watersports Instructor with no experience?
With no yacht experience, yes. With no professional background, no. Watersports Instructor is a role people enter from work ashore, and you need STCW Basic Safety Training, ENG1 medical and RYA Powerboat Level 2.
How long does it take to become a Watersports Instructor?
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 Deckhand / Watersports Instructor at year 1 to 2.
What does a Watersports Instructor earn at the start?
From about US$3,500 a month, by our Watersports Instructor guide. Charter tips, usually 10-20% of the charter fee and shared across the crew, can add USD 2,000-5,000 a month in peak season. Seasonal contracts rarely include paid leave.
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.