Many of us dream of one day travelling the world or working as crew on charter yacht. So what do you need to do you get offered a position that will make you a valuable member of a ship

Here is a short list of at least 5 qualifications you should have when applying for a crew position.

1) STCW 95

Today, no matter what position you are seeking i.e. as a chef, hostess, engineer, captain or deck crew etc. you must be in possession of at least a STCW 95 basic safety training certificate. Since February 1st 2003 all mariners have to fully comply and be trained in accordance with the with STCW 95 convention. This includes US mariners if they want to enter the waters of another country.

There are many sea schools all over the world where you can complete these courses and they are generally of five days duration.

The STCW 95 is made up of four basic courses:

Course one – You are trained in elementary first aid, including CPR, how to respond to common medical emergencies that can happen on board a ship.

Course two – The personnel survival course covers things like hypothermia, survival suits,lifejackets,and other basic responses to an emergency including how to get into a life raft from various positions.

This is not as easy as it looks when wearing a bulky life jacket but is always a lot of fun. You will be amazed at the different methods people invent to get safely inside the raft.

Course three – This course covers elementary fire fighting and fire prevention. Fire is the biggest danger on boats and over the years I have seen boats sink or get totally burnt out by fire. Forget about the storms and pirates out there but make sure that the fire prevention equipment is always in accessible places and in first class condition.

Course four – The forth part of the course is all about personnel safety and social responsibilities which include things like safe working, prevention of accidents, alarms and signals and pollution at sea etc.

2) Small Craft Handling.

To be able to drive guests and crew about in dinghies or other small craft you must have some sort of certification that will convince the owner or captain of the vessel that you are a competent, skilled and safe boat handler. The last thing they want is a boating accident with the guests involved caused by some clown showing off.

Even better is if you have a certificate in seamanship at entry or higher level. This shows real commitment which will impress the captain. Ask at your yacht or boating club about these courses or look online for a sea school nearby you.

3) VHF Marine

Getting a VHF marine operator\’s licence for short distances is only a short, very basic usually one days course but crucial to complete.

4) Scuba Diving

If you are at the very least a certified dive master or better still a dive instructor the world is at your feet. Because so many charter guests are open water divers, owners and captains will generally offer you the first available position. As a certified dive instructor you will be able to do many different kinds of tourist related work, no matter where you are in the world today.

If you have any other water related sports you can teach or can involve guests in, for example kite boarding, wind surfing, sailing or water skiing and you have some level of certification; it can only be of benefit to you.

5) Marine First Aid

Completing a marine first aid course will also be very helpful in getting you the best boat and job in the charter boat environment.

It seems like a lot of work but it\’s not really. Most are quite short courses and you can easily complete them while you are still studying at school or college and actively pursuing your sport. You can also do most of the theoretical stuff at home or online.

The diving instructor\’s course does take time so if you can try to at least qualify as a dive master. You won\’t regret it.

Frank Bio’s Frank Rijkers is a Certified Offshore Yachtmaster.He has sailed the oceans around world in his home built 34ft sailing yacht (Footloose). As charter boat skipper in the Caribbean and as captain on private yachts, go to http://coolboatingsupplies.com for some cool ideas on yacht safety

Frank Bio’s Frank Rijkers is a Certified Offshore Yachtmaster.He has sailed the oceans around world in his home built 34ft sailing yacht (Footloose). As charter boat skipper in the Caribbean and as captain on private yachts, go to http://coolboatingsupplies.com for some cool ideas on yacht safety

Author Bio: Frank Bio’s Frank Rijkers is a Certified Offshore Yachtmaster.He has sailed the oceans around world in his home built 34ft sailing yacht (Footloose). As charter boat skipper in the Caribbean and as captain on private yachts, go to http://coolboatingsupplies.com for some cool ideas on yacht safety

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