Charter Broker
Charter brokers sell weeks aboard superyachts to people who want the experience without owning a yacht. You match a family or a group of friends to the right yacht, crew and itinerary, negotiate the contract, and stay with the booking until the guests step ashore. Most of your income is commission, so your book of clients matters more than your job title.
The jobWhat fills the day
The job usually starts with a loose enquiry: ten guests, Croatia, second week of July, around €400,000 a week. You shortlist yachts from the central listings and from what you know of the boats, send proposals, arrange viewings at the Antibes or Fort Lauderdale shows, and negotiate rate, delivery fees and terms. Once the contract is signed, usually on MYBA terms, you collect the charter fee and Advance Provisioning Allowance, pass preference sheets to the captain and chief stew, and deal with any problems during the trip.
Yacht size changes both the client and the money. A 30m yacht at €60,000 a week tends to attract first-time charterers who need APA, VAT and tipping explained. A 90m yacht at €1m a week brings family offices, security advisers and long chains of approvals. The year runs on two seasons: the Mediterranean from May to October and the Caribbean in winter, with Christmas and New Year the most fought-over weeks. Charter shows in Monaco, Genoa, Antibes and Antigua fill the spring and autumn.
Brokerages hire former crew more than anyone else. A chief stew or captain knows how a yacht runs, which crews deliver and what makes an itinerary realistic. Others come from luxury travel, private banking or high-end hospitality and bring their client networks with them. Houses in Monaco, London, Palma and Fort Lauderdale look for languages, discretion and a calm manner on the phone at midnight. Clients will expect you to have been aboard the yachts you recommend.
Most people start as a charter assistant or coordinator, handling contracts, payments and preference sheets for a senior broker. After two or three years you take your own enquiries and build a client list. Your commission split improves as your bookings grow, and repeat clients become your real asset. Senior brokers often move into sales brokerage when a charter client decides to buy. Others move into charter management, where they market yachts for owners instead of finding yachts for guests.
Skills employers look for
- Client relationship management
- MYBA contract negotiation
- Charter fleet knowledge
- Itinerary and cruising ground planning
- Payment and APA handling
- Second or third language
- Discretion with UHNW clients
A working dayTuesday in a Monaco brokerage office, early May
Work through the inquiries that came in overnight from US clients and reply to the two that look serious before their morning starts.
Call the captain of a 55m motor yacht to check availability for late July and whether a Corsica and Sardinia loop works from Calvi.
Build a proposal of five yachts for a family of eight, with notes on crew, cabin layouts and water toys.
Lunch near Port Hercule with a central agent, catching up on which yachts have changed crew this season.
Negotiate delivery fees and a cancellation clause on a MYBA contract for a two-week August charter out of Palma.
Chase the second charter payment and the APA transfer, then send the completed preference sheets to the chief stew and head chef.
View a newly listed 48m yacht on the quay so you can describe her properly to clients.
Head home, with the phone on in case a guest currently on charter in Mykonos needs help.
Go through the itinerary with a client in New York who wants to add Capri to an Amalfi Coast week.
Pay by experienceAnnual salary. Estimates. Bars share one scale.
Brokerages typically earn 15 to 20 per cent of the charter fee, and the broker keeps a share of that on top of a modest base. One large booking can make your year, and a quiet season can halve your income. See the Charter & Yacht Brokerage salary guide for figures from live adverts.
Qualifications
Must have
Gets you hired
- MYBA charter contract training
- RYA Day Skipper
- STCW Basic Safety (useful for yacht visits and ex-crew)
- Second European language
- Full driving licence
Where it leadsA typical career path
Charter & Yacht Brokerage jobsOpen now on SuperyachtRoles.com
Questions crew ask
Do I need to have worked on yachts?
No, but it helps a lot. Former chief stews, pursers and captains are hired most often because they know how a yacht runs and what guests actually get. If you come from luxury travel or private banking, expect to spend your first year visiting yachts and learning the fleet.
How are charter brokers paid?
Usually a base salary plus a share of the commission the firm earns, which is typically 15 to 20 per cent of the charter fee. Juniors are paid mostly salary. Senior brokers with repeat clients earn mostly commission and can take home several hundred thousand dollars in a good year.
What are the MYBA contract and the APA?
The MYBA contract is the standard charter agreement used for most Mediterranean and many Caribbean charters. The Advance Provisioning Allowance, usually 30 to 40 per cent of the charter fee, is paid to the captain up front to cover fuel, food, drinks and berthing. You need to explain both clearly to first-time clients.
Is there a licence or qualification for charter brokers?
Most markets require no licence. Membership of bodies such as MYBA is held at company level and adds credibility, and many firms put new brokers through MYBA contract training. In practice, your track record and client relationships carry more weight than any certificate.