Working on a Yacht in the French Riviera

Does an opportunity to visit exciting ports, working in a luxury service environment, meeting interesting people, all in the unique atmosphere of the Côte d’Azur sound like something for you? Whether you have a love for sailing, enjoy people or have technical or mechanical skills, working as a crew member can be a rewarding career choice.

There are many advantages to working on a yacht, but as you can imagine it is not all just fun, there’s a lot of work required, and you need to be able to work as a team. Long hours, physical work, being away from family and friends for extended periods of time, sharing your working and living space with the same people, day after day – those are just a few of the challenges. If you are looking for a job that never gets boring and opens new horizons, then crewing is the experience of a lifetime.

Most people who started in yachting will regale you with interesting but sometimes not-so-funny stories of the first difficulties of finding their feet on the Riviera. It’s not easy getting the basic information you need. It can be time-consuming and cause you to miss out on good job opportunities.

How do I find work?

If you are serious about finding work, you’ll quickly realise that nothing beats ‘dock walking’. But you need to be motivated and well prepared. Your priority is making contacts and getting that job. Crewing agencies are a great source, but check their website before visiting as they often have set times to see new crew.

Do I need any training?

This will depend on your position but there are some recommended courses for new crew:

• ENG1 Seafarer medical certificate – It is mandatory to have an ENG1 or ML5 seafearer medical fitness certificate carried out by an MCA-certified doctor to work at sea.

• STCW Basic safety training. This includes personal survival, fire fighting and prevention, first aid, personal safety and social responsibility.

There is so much information you will be needing such as transport to get to and from the ports, English speaking medical services, affordable shoreside accommodation, yachting events for networking, and of course a list of restaurants and clubs for the much needed R&R. We have put together a guide to save time for new yachties who are looking for work on the Côte d’Azur. For this guide I worked together with My Horizons who are crewing experts and have tons of contact info and links to who’s hiring.

I hope you find this information useful, and don’t hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions.

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Our Crew Survival Guide is available for 7 euros from IBS France.