Valet
A yacht valet looks after one or two people: usually the owner, sometimes a principal guest. You care for their clothes, pack and unpack every trip, lay out outfits and keep their private rooms the way they like them. It is a quiet, exacting job that suits people from private households or five-star hotels. You will mostly find it on private yachts over 70m.
The jobWhat fills the day
The work centres on the owner's wardrobe. You press shirts, steam suits, polish shoes, sort out stains and repair small damage before anyone else sees it. You keep an inventory of every garment on board, often with photographs and notes on fabric care. You pack for days ashore, unpack when the owner arrives, and lay out clothes for each part of the day. You also keep the master suite, dressing room and bathroom stocked with exactly the products the owner uses.
When the owner is aboard, your day follows theirs. You are up before they wake and you finish after they have gone to bed. You learn their habits, their dress code for each occasion and the small things they never want to ask for. When they leave, the job becomes preparation: seasonal wardrobe changes, dry cleaning ashore, ordering replacements and checking that the yacht and the owner's homes hold matching items. Some valets travel with the owner and spend weeks at a time off the yacht.
Valets are hired for skill and discretion more than sea time. Many come from butler schools, Savile Row tailoring, luxury fashion houses, private estates or hotel butler teams. Yacht stewards with strong laundry experience can move across too, especially if they have handled couture fabrics on a large yacht. Owners and their family offices often sign off the final choice in person, and references from earlier private employers count for a lot. Expect a non-disclosure agreement and background checks.
Promotion depends on the yacht. Good valets often become the owner's butler, then head butler, running personal service for the whole family. Others move into a wardrobe manager role across several properties, or into interior management on board. Because you build such close trust, some valets stay with one owner for ten years or more and follow them from yacht to yacht. Keep your STCW current and log your sea time. Doing that keeps the option open of returning to a standard interior role later.
Skills captains look for
- Garment and fabric care
- Pressing and steaming
- Shoe and leather care
- Packing and unpacking
- Wardrobe inventory
- Discretion and confidentiality
- Anticipating personal routines
A day aboardOwner aboard, 95m private motor yacht, Porto Cervo
Steam the linen shirt and trousers chosen for breakfast on deck and check shoes against the day's plan from the chief stew.
The owner wakes. Lay out clothes, run the shower to his preferred temperature and set out his grooming kit in the order he uses it.
While the owner is at breakfast, reset the master suite with the housekeeping stew, then collect yesterday's clothes for the laundry.
Hand-wash a cashmere knit and treat a wine mark on a silk pocket square. Log both in the wardrobe database with photographs.
Lunch in the crew mess while the owner is ashore at the yacht club. Phone on, in case plans change.
Pack a small bag for an overnight trip to the owner's villa in Porto Rotondo and arrange garment bags for the tender run.
The overnight trip is cancelled. Unpack, then press a dinner jacket for the owner's party ashore and polish his evening shoes.
Eat while the owner is at dinner. Brief the night stew on the turndown routine for the master suite.
The owner returns. Take his jacket, check it for marks, lay out tomorrow's swimwear and finish once the suite is quiet.
Pay by yacht sizeMonthly, before tips. Estimates. Bars share one scale.
Valets mostly work on private yachts, so charter tips are rare. Owners often pay a discretionary bonus instead, and travel days with the owner may come with expenses and extra leave. 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
- Professional butler or valet school certificate
- GUEST Interior Introduction or Advanced Housekeeping
- PDSD
- Food Hygiene Level 2
- Specialist garment and laundry care course
Visas
- US B1/B2
- Schengen right to work or visa
Where it leadsA typical career path
Stewardess & Interior Crew jobsOpen now on SuperyachtRoles.com
Questions crew ask
Do I need yacht experience to become a valet?
Not always. Many owners prefer someone trained in a private household, a butler school or a luxury fashion house. You still need STCW Basic Safety and an ENG1 before you can join the crew list.
How is a valet different from a butler on a yacht?
A valet concentrates on one person's clothing, packing and personal routine. A butler usually covers wider service such as meals, drinks and the running of the owner's day, and on big yachts may manage the valet.
Will I travel off the yacht?
Often. Plenty of valets go with the owner to their homes, hotels or the jet between cruises. Ask about this at interview, because it changes your leave and how much time you spend on board.
What is the hardest part of the job?
The hours follow the owner's routine, so long days are normal when they are aboard. You also have to stay discreet all the time and keep almost everything you see to yourself.