There has been much speculation and input from crew recently on salaries across all departments but certainly in particular with green crew, so I thought I would stick my 2 pennies in for good measure.
As an agency, we try and guide our clients with salaries/leave/rotation etc, some are open to this and others are completely restricted to the guidelines they have been dealt by management and/or owner.
So, how much money should green crew go for?
In general, starting salaries are 2500 EURO for green crew/1 seasons experience.
Occasionally we may have a yacht through the door that is offering 2200-2500 EURO but with an excellent package and very low crew turnover.
However, it’s important to look at the entire package though as salary is just a small part of it.
How much holiday do you get?
Is there a flight allowance?
Do you get a 13thmonth?
Is there a decent training package?
What is the itinerary?
How often is the yacht used?
Crew longevity on board? How long have the Senior crew been there?
The list goes on and on, but all of these things should be taken into account when considering accepting a role, not just your salary.
Please NOTE that I am not suggesting reeling all these questions off during a first interview either but generally if a yacht is going to offer you a role they will have informed you of most of the above, allowing you to make a considered decision!
It’s not just low salaries you should be wary of either, if a yacht is paying crazy high salaries, ask yourself why! Don’t get me wrong, there are a few unicorn yachts out there that have excellent packages but if an offer sounds too good to be true, it may well be.
From an agency point of view, longevity is key! Taking a position that is right for you should win over taking a position that is paying an extra 200 EURO a month. Your first couple of years in yachting should be a fantastic learning curve and should build your skills for the rest of your career. If you can stay on your first yacht for a minimum of a year you will not only endear your self to crew agents but 12 months will give you a great insight into a whole year cycle of a yacht; pre-season, boss on, closing the yacht, crossings etc.
Day Work
Day work has also come into the lime light for underpaying crew too. Unfortunately, day work rates have stayed much the same for the past few years being about 100-120 EURO a day. Some yachts offer lunch, some don’t (sometimes it’s not feasible to have an extra 10 crew in the crew mess etc). Just because a yacht doesn’t offer you lunch, it doesn’t mean they are exploiting you, there is a bigger picture that perhaps you aren’t privy to.
There does appear to be crew offering their services for free though just to get a foot in the door. Whilst I can sympathise that you are desperate for some experience, there is no reason for multi-million pound yachts to be using crew and not paying them!
Remember that being happy is so important to being successful in life, chasing the dollar won’t guarantee you an incredible life on board but finding an amazing crew, good owners and a sense of job satisfaction will.
For more information on Crew salaries or starting out in the industry, feel free to contact a member of the team today. Click here.
