Governess
A governess keeps the owner's children learning while the family lives at sea. The job sits between teacher and senior nanny: you plan lessons, keep pace with a school curriculum, and hold the children's day together on a yacht full of distractions. Most posts go to qualified teachers or very experienced nannies, and most are hired through the family office rather than the captain.
The jobWhat fills the day
The core of the job is education. You deliver lessons, often following the British, IB or American curriculum set by the children's school, and liaise with teachers so nobody falls behind during a long summer in the Mediterranean or a winter in the Caribbean. Outside lessons you manage routines, meals, homework, reading and screen time. Good governesses turn the cruising ground into material: marine biology on a snorkel off Corsica, history in a walk round Dubrovnik.
Life aboard is shaped by the owner's movements. When the family is on, you work long days and are rarely off duty, because the children are your responsibility from breakfast to bedtime. When they leave, you usually leave with them, to London, New York or a house in the Alps. Few governesses live permanently on the yacht. On larger yachts you may sit above one or two nannies, set the timetable and agree water sports and tender trips with the bosun.
Families hire for trust and credentials. Most successful candidates hold a teaching qualification such as a PGCE with QTS, or a Norland diploma with years of private household work. Languages count for a lot: French, Mandarin, Russian or Arabic open doors. Discretion matters more than anything. You will see the family's private life closely, and agencies check references thoroughly, usually two or three long-term placements with high-net-worth families.
Progression tends to happen within private service rather than up the yacht's crew ladder. A governess who stays with a family for years can become head of the children's team, a household manager or an education consultant to the family office. Some move into specialist private tutoring for exam years. Others leave yachting for international schools. The yacht itself is one setting among several, so judge the job by the family, not the boat.
Skills captains look for
- Curriculum planning and delivery
- Child safeguarding
- Second language tuition
- Discretion with UHNW families
- Liaising with schools
- Water safety supervision
- Adapting lessons to travel
A day aboardOwner trip, 72m motor yacht, Costa Smeralda, Sardinia
Wake the two children, aged 8 and 11, and take breakfast with them in the crew-served family dining area.
Morning lessons in the cinema room, set up as a classroom. Maths and English to the school's summer plan, then a French conversation session.
Supervise a swim off the beach club with the deck crew. Lifejackets checked, and the bosun agrees which toys are allowed in today's swell.
Lunch with the children on the aft deck while the parents host guests on the sundeck.
Quiet reading hour and a short project on the local marine life they saw that morning.
Children go ashore with their parents in the tender. You take an hour off in your cabin.
Email the older child's school about a September assessment and update the weekly progress note for the parents.
Supper, bath and bedtime routine. Brief the night stew on any medication or allergies before the parents' late dinner.
Plan tomorrow's lessons around a planned run to Bonifacio, then stand down with the radio on in case a child wakes.
Pay by yacht sizeMonthly, before tips. Estimates. Bars share one scale.
Pay follows the family more than the yacht, and many governesses are employed by the family office on a residence-based contract that may be taxable. Charter tips rarely apply, but generous leave and travel costs are common. See the Spa, Wellness & Childcare salary guide for figures from live adverts.
Tickets and visas
Must have
- STCW Basic Safety Training
- ENG1 medical
- Paediatric First Aid
- Enhanced background check (DBS or equivalent)
Gets you hired
- PGCE with QTS or equivalent teaching licence
- Norland diploma or Level 3 childcare qualification
- PADI Open Water or swim safety award
- Second language teaching certificate
- Food Hygiene Level 2
Visas
- Schengen right to work or visa
- B1/B2 for US cruising
Where it leadsA typical career path
Questions crew ask
What is the difference between a governess and a nanny on a yacht?
A nanny looks after a child's care and routine. A governess is responsible for their education and usually works with school-age children. Many governesses also do nanny duties, but the family hires them for teaching.
Do I need a teaching qualification?
Not always, but most families expect one. A PGCE with QTS, or the equivalent from your own country, puts you ahead of the field. Experienced nannies without one can get governess posts when they have strong references and a good record of tutoring.
Will I live on the yacht full time?
Rarely. Governesses usually travel with the family, so you are aboard when they are and ashore at their residences the rest of the year. Expect to spend a lot of time travelling.
How do I find governess jobs on yachts?
Most come through specialist private household and nanny agencies, or straight from family offices. Yacht crew agencies handle some of them. Keep an up-to-date STCW and ENG1 so you can join a yacht at short notice.