How to become a Yacht Cook
Nobody starts as a Yacht Cook. The usual path starts as a Galley Assistant, a job you can get with no yacht experience, and reaches Yacht Cook at about year 1 to 2 of a yacht career.
The pathFrom no experience to Yacht Cook. A typical path, not a rule.
Galley Assistant
Year 0. Pay from about US$3,000 a month. Entry-level galley crew on larger yachts who prep, wash up, put away provisions and keep the galley clean so the chefs can cook for guests and crew.
Yacht Cook
Year 1-2. Pay from about US$3,800 a month. A yacht cook runs a small galley on yachts of around 20m to 40m, cooking good, honest food for guests and crew, often alongside other duties.
Before you applyWhat a Galley Assistant needs, from the Galley Assistant guide
Must have
- STCW Basic Safety Training
- ENG1 medical
- Food Hygiene Level 2
Gets you hired
- PDSD
- Food Safety Level 3
- Culinary diploma or NVQ in professional cookery
- Ship's Cook Certificate (once eligible)
Later, for Yacht Cook
- STCW Basic Safety Training
- ENG1 medical
- Food Hygiene Level 2
- PDSD
Visas
- Schengen visa (non-EU nationals)
- B1/B2 or C1/D for US waters
What counts instead of yacht experienceOur advice
Captains hire a Galley Assistant for knife skills and prep, galley hygiene and HACCP and stock rotation and storage. 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
- Galley hygiene and HACCP
- Stock rotation and storage
- Dishwashing at volume
- Crew meal cooking
- Taking instruction quickly
- Stamina on long services
Your first stepsIn the order we suggest
Get the tickets a Galley Assistant 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 Galley Assistant.
STCW and ENG1: what they are and what they cost →Write a first Galley Assistant 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 Galley Assistant 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. 4 Galley Assistant jobs are open on SuperyachtRoles.com now.
See open Galley Assistant jobs →Step up to Yacht Cook
The usual path puts Yacht Cook at year 1 to 2. Pay starts from about US$3,800 a month.
How to become a Yacht Cook →
Galley Assistant jobsOpen now on SuperyachtRoles.com. Some ask for experience, so read each advert.
QuestionsMore in the green crew guide
Can I become a Yacht Cook with no experience?
Not directly. Yacht Cook is junior work. The usual path starts as a Galley Assistant, which you can get with no yacht experience, and reaches Yacht Cook at about year 1 to 2.
How long does it take to become a Yacht Cook?
The usual path puts Yacht Cook at about year 1 to 2 of a yacht career, after Galley Assistant. It is a typical path, not a rule: time on busy yachts and the tickets you pass move it.
What does a Galley Assistant earn at the start?
From about US$3,000 a month, by our Galley Assistant guide. Charter tips are shared equally on most yachts and can add $1,000 to $3,000 a month in a busy Mediterranean season. Food and lodging are covered, so most of the salary is saved.
Let the yachts come to you
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