Junior Steward / Junior Stewardess
The junior steward or stewardess is the first step into the interior department. You clean cabins, run the laundry, polish, set tables and serve guests, working to the chief stew and second stew. It is the most common way into yachting, and it is the job where you find out whether the industry suits you.
The jobWhat fills the day
Most of the day is housekeeping. You turn guest cabins round to a five-star hotel standard several times a day. That means cleaning heads, dusting, vacuuming and detailing surfaces that cost more than a house. Laundry takes hours: guest linen, crew uniforms and delicate owner clothing that has to be hand washed and pressed. You also help with service, from setting up breakfast to clearing after dinner, and you take your turn on crew mess duties. At first, getting the detail right matters more than speed. Speed comes with practice.
With guests aboard, days run 14 to 16 hours, split into shifts, and often include a night watch until the last guest has gone to bed. Between charters you work normal hours on deep cleans, inventories and silver polishing. On a 40m yacht with three interior crew you do a bit of everything, and you could be serving dinner in your first week. On an 80m+ yacht you may join a dedicated housekeeping or laundry team and hardly see the guest decks in your first season.
Captains and chief stews hire for attitude, presentation and stamina. Hospitality experience helps: hotel housekeeping, fine dining, bar work or nannying. Nobody will look at your CV without STCW Basic Safety Training and an ENG1 medical. Most newcomers base themselves in Antibes or Palma in March and April, walking the docks and picking up daywork. Others go to Fort Lauderdale in October and November for the Caribbean season. A tidy, honest CV with a professional photo still matters in this industry.
Do one or two full seasons, ideally a full year on the same boat, and you can expect to move up to steward or third stew. A good reference from your chief stew counts for more than any course. Choose a direction early if you can: service and wine, housekeeping and laundry, or admin on the way to purser. Courses such as the GUEST interior modules, WSET Level 2 and Food Hygiene Level 2 help when you apply for second stew jobs.
Skills captains look for
- Cabin housekeeping standards
- Laundry and pressing
- Silver service basics
- Table setting and styling
- Attention to detail
- Stamina on long shifts
- Discretion with guests
A day aboardCharter day, 55m motor yacht, Porto Cervo, Sardinia
Start in the crew mess, then set the aft deck for breakfast and prepare the coffee station before the first guests come up.
Help serve breakfast, then clear and reset. The second stew runs service while you keep plates and drinks moving.
Cabin turnarounds while the guests are out on the tenders. Strip and make beds, clean the heads and detail every surface.
Quick crew lunch in the mess, eaten in shifts so the guest areas stay covered.
Laundry shift. Guest linen, beach towels and a silk shirt the chief stew asks you to hand wash and press.
Two hours off on the split shift. Most crew sleep or call home.
Evening cabin turndowns, then help the chief stew set the table for an eight-cover dinner with a beach theme.
Dinner service and clearing, then washing glassware and silver in the pantry.
Interior night watch, tidying the saloon and looking after any guests still up until they go to bed.
Pay by yacht sizeMonthly, before tips. Estimates. Bars share one scale.
Charter tips are shared equally among the crew on most yachts and can add several thousand dollars a month in a busy season. Permanent jobs usually come with 30 to 45 days' leave a year and flights home. See the Stewardess & Interior Crew salary guide for figures from live adverts.
Tickets and visas
Must have
- STCW Basic Safety Training
- ENG1 medical certificate
Gets you hired
- STCW PDSD
- Food Hygiene Level 2
- GUEST Introduction to Yacht Interior
- WSET Level 1 or 2
- Silver service or barista course
Visas
- B1/B2 US visa
- Schengen right to work or valid visa
Where it leadsA typical career path
Junior Steward / Junior Stewardess jobsOpen now on SuperyachtRoles.com
Questions crew ask
Do I need yacht experience to get a junior stew job?
No. This is the entry-level interior role, and most people hired have never worked on a yacht. Hotel, restaurant or childcare experience makes your CV much stronger, and daywork in Antibes or Palma is the usual way to get your first reference.
What is the difference between a junior stew and a stewardess?
A junior stew is in their first season and is still learning the yacht's standards. They usually spend more time on housekeeping and laundry and less time on guest service. Once you have a season or two behind you and can work without close supervision, you are hired as a steward or third stew.
Do yachts hire men for interior roles?
Yes. Male stewards are common, particularly on larger yachts and in service and bar roles. Some yachts match cabin sharing to gender, which can affect who they hire for a particular vacancy, but the job itself is the same.
How long will I stay at junior level?
Usually one or two seasons. Crew who stay a full year on one boat and leave with a strong reference from the chief stew move up fastest. Changing boat every few months slows you down, because captains read short stints as a risk.