Steward / Stewardess
The steward or stewardess is the backbone of a yacht's interior. You clean cabins, press linen, set tables, serve drinks and meals, and look after guests from breakfast to the last nightcap. It is a hands-on hotel job inside a moving vessel. For anyone who wants to run an interior one day, it is the usual first step after junior level.
The jobWhat fills the day
Most days split into three strands: service, housekeeping and laundry. Service means breakfast, lunch and dinner at the table, drinks on the aft deck, and spotting what guests want before they ask. Housekeeping covers cabins, heads and public areas, done to a standard where a fingerprint on a mirror counts as a fault. Laundry never stops, from guest linen and crew uniforms to delicate items that need washing by hand. On most yachts you rotate between these areas week by week, so you learn all three.
With guests aboard, expect 14 to 16 hour days, split shifts and very little time off until the trip ends. Between charters and in the yard the hours drop to something close to 08:00 to 17:00, with deep cleaning, inventory and detailing. Yacht size changes the job. On a 40m yacht with two or three interior crew you do everything, often with some galley help on top. On an 80m yacht you may be one of eight to twelve, with set service, housekeeping and laundry roles.
Captains and chief stews hire for attitude, presentation and stamina first. A hospitality background helps, and hotel housekeeping, fine dining, cocktail bars and private households all carry over well. A wine or barista course, silver service training or a GUEST interior certificate makes a CV stand out in a crowded market. Most hiring happens in Antibes, Palma and Fort Lauderdale in spring and autumn. Many first jobs come from dockwalking, daywork and recommendations. A clean social media presence and a neat, current photo on your CV count for more than people expect.
After a season or two as a steward you can move up to second stew. There you start running a shift, training juniors and handling inventory. Strong seconds become chief stews within a few years, usually on a smaller yacht first. Some specialise instead, moving into head of service, housekeeping, sommelier work or a purser role. The GUEST Advanced and Management courses support each step. Stay a full season or longer on each yacht, because chief stews read a string of short jobs as a warning sign.
Skills captains look for
- Silver service and plated service
- Cabin and heads detailing
- Laundry and fabric care
- Cocktails and barista coffee
- Wine knowledge
- Flower arranging and table styling
- Discretion with high-profile guests
A day aboardCharter day, 55m motor yacht at anchor off Porto Cervo, Sardinia
Lay the breakfast table on the aft deck, warm up the coffee machine and check the guest preference sheet for allergies and favourite juices.
Run breakfast service with the second stew, taking egg orders to the galley and keeping coffee topped up as guests drift in.
Guests take the tender to a beach club, so you make up the master and guest cabins, detail the heads and reset the saloon.
Quick crew lunch in the mess before the guests return.
Serve lunch on the sundeck, then clear and set up the bar with chilled rosé and fresh towels for swimming.
Two hours off on the split shift. Most crew sleep, because the evening runs late.
Press the tablecloths and napkins, refresh the flowers and set a formal dinner table for twelve to the chief stew's plan.
Serve aperitifs and a four-course dinner. A colleague does turndowns while you keep the table moving.
Look after the bar for late guests, then clean down, restock and leave the saloon ready for the morning before going to bed around 01:00.
Pay by yacht sizeMonthly, before tips. Estimates. Bars share one scale.
On a busy charter yacht, tips often add one to two months' salary per season, usually split equally among the crew. Permanent contracts typically come with 30 to 45 days' annual leave, and some large yachts offer rotation. 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
- GUEST Introduction to Yacht Interior
- Food Hygiene Level 2
- WSET Level 2 Award in Wines
- Barista or cocktail course
- Silver service training
Visas
- US B1/B2 visa
- Schengen visa for non-EU crew
Where it leadsA typical career path
Steward / Stewardess jobsOpen now on SuperyachtRoles.com
Questions crew ask
Can I get a stewardess job with no yacht experience?
Yes, but most people start as a junior stew and move to a steward or stewardess role after a season. Strong hotel, restaurant or private household experience can let you skip the junior stage on a smaller yacht. Daywork in Antibes or Palma is the fastest way to get a reference from a yacht.
Are steward roles open to men?
Yes. Male stewards are common, especially on larger yachts and in service-led roles. Captains hire on skill, presentation and fit with the team, and a mixed interior is normal.
How much do tips add?
On charter yachts, guests usually leave a tip of 5 to 15 percent of the charter fee, shared among the crew. On a busy Mediterranean and Caribbean programme that can add the equivalent of one to two months' salary per season. Private yachts with no charters rarely tip on that scale.
What is the difference between a steward and a junior steward?
A junior steward is new to yachts and mostly does laundry, crew areas and supervised housekeeping. A steward is trusted to work guest service, look after cabins alone and step up when the second stew is busy. Expect a few hundred dollars more a month too.