Latest Superyacht recruitment tips & advice

Published 05/06/2020

As we all navigate through these uncertain times, UKSA remain committed to providing the most up to date advice and guidance on the maritime industry. For many of our students, their hopes and dreams of embarking upon a career in watersports or yachting in 2020 have had to be put on hold. As the world slowly starts moves forward, we will be sharing our conversations with various maritime industry contacts, drawing on their vast knowledge and expertise to support those seeking employment.

In the first of what we hope to be a regular series of updates, Chris Frisby, UKSA Director of Training and Operations ask’s Mark Charman, CEO and Founder of Faststream Recruitment for his insight into the impact the pandemic has had on recruitment in the superyacht sector

The past couple of months have seen recruitment in the sector almost grind to a halt, how are things now?

March and April were crazy months with Yacht Owners, Managers and Captains buried deep in crisis management, this reflected in virtually no crew changes and very little recruitment.

However, the sector has adapted very quickly and since the start of May, we have seen a significant increase in recruitment activity. Some of this recruitment is being driven by long-overdue crew changes, but much of it is coming from the larger yachts preparing for the new season as lockdowns ease. Yacht owners are keen to ensure that they have sufficient crew to make the most out of the summer.

It’s positive news to see that MYBS have announced the show will still go ahead to support the sector, what do you think the 2020 superyacht season will look like?

It is definitely not “business as usual” in the superyacht sector, but what we hear is that a new-norm is quickly being established and a “show-must-go-on’ attitude is prevailing. Captains are preparing to have yachts ready for owners and guests to join at a moment’s notice. Yachts are re-positioning to locations where travel restrictions are reduced and owners and guests can fly in to join the yacht. Many of the largest 100m + yachts are not for charter and owners with their guests will understandably enjoy the comparative safety of being on-board.

With the Foreign and Commonwealth Office still advising against all but essential travel, what is your advice to new crew looking to join the industry who would normally head to the South of France or Palma to find work?

With what seem to be daily changes to travel restrictions, it is a very fluid situation and I encourage new and experienced crew looking for work to make sure they stay up to date and to be ready-to-go when borders open and they can join yachts.

Spend this time perfecting your CV – it is a sales document promoting you. Ensure that you check your spelling and grammar. Include your contact details and update it with all of your recent experience and qualifications. Get yourself registered with trusted crewing agencies like Faststream Recruitment – a good recruiter will not only help you find the right job but they will also help to find you a job that is best suited for your personality, experience, qualifications and most importantly, right now, your location.

It is important that crew stay current on what is happening in the industry by reading articles and journal regularly. Not only will this keep your knowledge fresh, but staying current will give you some sound-bites to use in your future interviews. The Superyacht team at Faststream are placing crew every week on some great yachts and the appeal of working in this exciting sector definitely hasn’t gone away.

A huge thanks to Mark for kicking off this series of recruitment industry updates. The Careers and Industry department at UKSA have been working with Faststream’s Superyacht Team for a number of years, they visit site to interview our Superyacht Cadets, and have placed various graduates from both our deck and interior courses on yachts over the years.

Mark Charman – CEO & Founder of Faststream Recruitment

Mark is the CEO and Founder of Faststream Recruitment and founded the company in 1999. He has a wealth of knowledge and experience in recruiting for the maritime sector globally. As a Fellow of the Recruitment and Employment Federation, he is a renowned thought leader in specialist recruitment. Mark’s involvement as a speaker, panellist and writer provides a head hunters perspective into human factors in the workplace.

Faststream Recruitment

The Faststream Recruitment Group was established in 1999, employs over 100 people and is a global people specialist in maritime recruitment. Faststream Recruitment operates across three maritime locations in the EMEA, Asia-Pacific and Americas, servicing their customers, both candidates and clients, across the world. Faststream Recruitment’s specialist Superyacht team is made up of a great mix of backgrounds to ensure they can give the best possible service to their customers. A combination of recruitment experience, Superyacht industry experience, thought leadership, marketing and management skills is putting the Faststream Recruitment Superyacht team ahead of the rest.