How to become a Yoga Instructor
Nobody starts as a Yoga Instructor. The usual path starts as a Steward / Yoga Instructor, a role people enter from work ashore, and reaches Yoga Instructor at about year 2 to 4 of a yacht career.
The pathFrom no experience to Yoga Instructor. A typical path, not a rule.
Steward / Yoga Instructor
Year 0-1. Pay from about US$3,800 a month. A steward or stewardess who also teaches yoga to guests and crew, combining interior service and housekeeping with classes on deck.
Yoga Instructor
Year 2-4. Pay from about US$4,000 a month. A yoga instructor teaches private and group classes to owners and guests on large superyachts, usually as part of the spa or wellness team.
Before you applyWhat a Steward / Yoga Instructor needs, from the Steward / Yoga Instructor guide
Must have
- STCW Basic Safety Training
- ENG1 medical certificate
- Yoga Alliance RYT-200 or equivalent
- Public liability insurance for teaching
Gets you hired
- Food Hygiene Level 2
- GUEST Introduction to Yacht Interior
- PDSD
- WSET Level 1 or 2
- RYT-500 or specialist certificate
Later, for Yoga Instructor
- STCW Basic Safety Training
- ENG1 or equivalent seafarer medical
- 200-hour Yoga Alliance RYT or equivalent
Visas
- US B1/B2
- Schengen right to work or visa
What counts instead of yacht experienceOur advice
Captains hire a Steward / Yoga Instructor for yoga class planning, teaching mixed abilities and adapting for injuries. With no yacht job behind you, show the same skills from work ashore. For a Steward / Yoga 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.
- Yoga class planning
- Teaching mixed abilities
- Adapting for injuries
- Silver service
- Housekeeping and laundry
- Guest discretion
- Wine and cocktail basics
Your first stepsIn the order we suggest
Get the tickets a Steward / Yoga Instructor must hold
You need STCW Basic Safety Training, ENG1 medical certificate, Yoga Alliance RYT-200 and Public liability insurance before a yacht can put you to work as a Steward / Yoga Instructor.
STCW and ENG1: what they are and what they cost →Write a first Steward / Yoga 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 Steward / Yoga 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. 1 Steward / Yoga Instructor job is open on SuperyachtRoles.com now.
See open Steward / Yoga Instructor jobs →Step up to Yoga Instructor
The usual path puts Yoga Instructor at year 2 to 4. Pay starts from about US$4,000 a month.
How to become a Yoga Instructor →
Steward / Yoga Instructor jobsOpen now on SuperyachtRoles.com. Some ask for experience, so read each advert.
QuestionsMore in the green crew guide
Can I become a Yoga Instructor with no experience?
Not directly. Yoga Instructor is mid level work. The usual path starts as a Steward / Yoga Instructor, and reaches Yoga Instructor at about year 2 to 4.
How long does it take to become a Yoga Instructor?
The usual path puts Yoga Instructor at about year 2 to 4 of a yacht career, after Steward / Yoga Instructor. It is a typical path, not a rule: time on busy yachts and the tickets you pass move it.
What does a Steward / Yoga Instructor earn at the start?
From about US$3,800 a month, by our Steward / Yoga Instructor guide. Expect a premium of a few hundred dollars a month over a plain stew salary. Charter tips of 10-15% of the charter fee, shared among the crew, can double take-home pay in a busy season.
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.