Fourth Steward / Fourth Stewardess
The fourth steward or stewardess is a junior member of a large interior team. You will usually find the role on yachts of 60m and over, where the interior has five or more crew. It is often a first or second job in yachting. The work is mostly housekeeping, laundry and service support, and you learn the standards of a big boat from the people above you.
The jobWhat fills the day
The job is cabins, laundry and service, in roughly that order. You turn down guest suites, make beds to the boat's standard, clean bathrooms until there are no water spots, and keep the crew mess and crew areas tidy. You will spend long hours in the laundry, pressing linen and guest clothing. On service you set tables, clear plates, run drinks from the pantry and keep the deck bars stocked. You follow the chief stew's systems exactly. Nobody expects you to invent a new way of folding napkins.
With guests aboard, the days run from early breakfast set-up to late turndown and night watch, often 14 to 16 hours, with breaks taken when the schedule allows. Between trips and in the yard the hours settle, and the work turns to deep cleaning, inventories, polishing silver and detailing woodwork. On a 60m yacht the fourth stew covers a bit of everything. On a 100m-plus yacht the interior splits into service, housekeeping and laundry teams, and you may be placed in one of them for a whole season.
Chief stews hire fourth stews for attitude and stamina more than experience. A season of daywork in Antibes or Palma, a background in hotels, restaurants or nannying, and a tidy CV with a clear photo will get you seen. Having STCW and an ENG1 in hand is the minimum. Some bartending, barista or silver service experience helps you stand out. Agents look for people who fit easily into a crew mess, because you will live in a shared cabin for months.
Most people spend one or two seasons as fourth stew before moving up to third. Promotion can come on the same boat when someone leaves, or by moving to a smaller yacht where third or second stew jobs open more often. Use the time to learn wine, flowers, laundry care for delicate fabrics and the chief stew's paperwork. Courses such as GUEST Interior Operations and WSET Level 2 make the case for promotion easier when you ask for it.
Skills captains look for
- Detailed cabin housekeeping
- Laundry and pressing
- Table and bar service
- Working to set standards
- Discretion with guests
- Stamina over long days
A day aboardCharter day, 75m motor yacht, Costa Smeralda, Sardinia
Start in the pantry. Set the aft deck breakfast table, prepare juices and set up the coffee station before the first guests come up.
Clear breakfast with the third stew, then move to the guest cabins as each party leaves for the beach club tender.
Full service on three guest cabins: beds, bathrooms, wardrobes tidied and laundry collected and tagged by cabin.
Run drinks and clear plates for lunch on the sundeck while the second stew leads service.
Two-hour break. Most of the team sleep in the crew cabin or eat in the mess.
Laundry shift. Wash, dry and press guest clothing and table linen ready for dinner.
Turndowns in all cabins while guests are at aperitifs: lights dimmed, slippers out, water and chocolates by the bed.
Support dinner service from the pantry, polishing glassware and running courses.
Late interior watch until the last guests go to bed, then reset the main saloon and hand over.
Pay by yacht sizeMonthly, before tips. Estimates. Bars share one scale.
Charter tips, usually shared equally across crew, can add 10 to 20 per cent of the charter fee to the pot and often double take-home pay in a busy season. Permanent roles add annual leave, flights and sometimes a medical policy. See the Stewardess & Interior Crew salary guide for figures from live adverts.
Tickets and visas
Must have
- STCW Basic Safety Training
- ENG1 or equivalent seafarer medical
Gets you hired
- Food Hygiene Level 2
- GUEST Introduction to Yacht Interior or Interior Operations
- WSET Level 1 or 2 in Wines
- Silver service or barista course
- RYA Powerboat Level 2
Visas
- B1/B2 US visa for Caribbean and Florida seasons
- Schengen visa for non-EU crew working in the Mediterranean
Where it leadsA typical career path
Stewardess & Interior Crew jobsOpen now on SuperyachtRoles.com
Questions crew ask
Can I get a fourth stew job with no yacht experience?
Yes. It is one of the most common ways into the interior on a large yacht. Daywork in Antibes or Palma, good hospitality experience and STCW plus ENG1 will get you interviews.
What is the difference between a fourth stew and a junior stew?
Very little in practice. Larger yachts number their interior crew, so fourth stew tells you there are at least three people above you. Junior stew is a looser title used across all sizes.
Will I only do laundry?
On some very large yachts the newest crew start in the laundry, and it can feel that way for a few weeks. Most chief stews rotate their juniors through housekeeping and service so everyone can cover for each other.
How long before I can move up to third stew?
Usually one to two seasons. If you show good standards, stay for your contract and take courses like WSET Level 2, promotion often comes on the same boat.