Steward / Yoga Instructor
A steward/yoga instructor does a full interior job and teaches yoga as well. Most of the day goes on service, housekeeping and laundry. Around that you fit a sunrise class on the sundeck or a private session for the principal. Owners who practise every day hire for this pairing because one person covers both jobs, which saves a crew cabin.
The jobWhat fills the day
The interior team will count you as a full member. You turn cabins, serve lunch, run the laundry and do night duty like any other stew. The yoga comes on top of that. There might be a class at 07:00 before breakfast service, a stretching or breathwork session at sunset, and private one-to-ones when a guest asks. You plan sessions around the charter schedule, keep mats and props clean and stowed, and adjust each class to whoever turns up, from a fit owner to a guest with a bad back.
With guests aboard, the yoga side can be anything from no classes at all to two a day. On a 40m yacht you may be one of two or three interior crew, and you teach only when asked. On 70m and above, with a proper gym or spa deck, the job leans further into wellness, and you may share a timetable with a spa therapist or personal trainer. Between charters you might run crew classes, which captains like for morale and for keeping backs healthy. In the yard you are simply a stew who cleans and does inventory.
Captains and chief stews look at your interior CV first. A Yoga Alliance 200-hour certificate on its own rarely gets you the job, because guests may never ask for a class. The strongest candidates have a season or two as a stew, an RYT-200 or higher, and teaching hours logged ashore. A specialism such as yin, vinyasa or prenatal can help with particular owners. You also need a calm manner, discretion and the confidence to correct the posture of the person who pays your salary. Those matter as much as the certificate.
People move on in one of two directions. Some stay on the interior ladder and work up to second stew, then chief stew. The yoga qualification makes them easier for captains to remember. Others go further into wellness. They add massage or beauty qualifications and a 500-hour certificate, then move into spa therapist or spa manager roles on larger yachts. A few leave to teach ashore or run retreats, using contacts made on board. Whichever way you go, keep logging teaching hours and keep your first aid in date.
Skills captains look for
- Yoga class planning
- Teaching mixed abilities
- Adapting for injuries
- Silver service
- Housekeeping and laundry
- Guest discretion
- Wine and cocktail basics
A day aboardCharter week, 62m motor yacht, Ionian Sea, Greece
Lay out mats, blocks and towels on the sundeck and check the wind. Move the class to the aft deck if the sundeck is too exposed.
Teach a 60-minute vinyasa class for four guests, offering easier versions for the one who mentioned a knee problem.
Change into service uniform and join breakfast service in the main saloon.
Turn down guest cabins with the third stew, restock the bathrooms and wipe down the gym.
Serve a beach-club-style lunch on the aft deck while the yacht is at anchor off Meganisi.
Two-hour break in the crew mess and your cabin while the guests are out on the tenders.
Laundry shift, then a private 45-minute session for the charterer's wife in the sky lounge.
Dinner service on the bridge deck, followed by clearing up the bar.
Hand over to the stew on night duty and go off watch.
Pay by yacht sizeMonthly, before tips. Estimates. Bars share one scale.
Expect a premium of a few hundred dollars a month over a plain stew salary. Charter tips of 10-15% of the charter fee, shared among the crew, can double take-home pay in a busy season. See the Spa, Wellness & Childcare salary guide for figures from live adverts.
Tickets and visas
Must have
- STCW Basic Safety Training
- ENG1 medical certificate
- Yoga Alliance RYT-200 or equivalent
- Public liability insurance for teaching
Gets you hired
- Food Hygiene Level 2
- GUEST Introduction to Yacht Interior
- PDSD
- WSET Level 1 or 2
- RYT-500 or specialist certificate
Visas
- US B1/B2
- Schengen right to work or visa
Where it leadsA typical career path
Questions crew ask
Can I get this job with a yoga qualification but no yacht experience?
It happens, but rarely. Most captains want at least one season as a stew, because the interior work fills most of your day. If you are new, start as a stew, mention the yoga on your CV and look for a dual role in your second season.
Which yoga certificate do yachts expect?
A Yoga Alliance RYT-200 is the usual minimum. Include logged teaching hours ashore, as they show you can run a class with confidence. Extra training in yin, prenatal or working with injuries helps with particular owners.
Will I teach every day?
That depends on the owner or charterer. Some guests book a class every morning. Others never ask, and you work as a stew all week. Crew classes between trips keep your teaching sharp.
Does the dual role pay more than a regular stew job?
Usually a little more, often a few hundred dollars a month. The bigger benefit is that it makes your CV stand out, and it opens a route into spa and wellness roles on larger yachts.