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Q: Adam, Bosun, 36:
“Ever since we heard about the carnage that has been unleashed on so much of the Caribbean by the hurricanes, I’ve been wondering what the best way would be to...
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“I joined a new yacht as second stew 2 months ago, and I have all these great ideas to make the interior run even better. They’re mostly not my ideas, they’re things...
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“I’ve recently joined a large charter yacht as chief stew, and have inherited an extremely difficult situation with a chef who is manipulative and verbally abusive. He’s thrown food at me, called...
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“As a Captain, I have to pull people up all the time in order to improve their performance. But it just doesn’t seem to be working at all, particularly recently, as I’ve...
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“I’ve just come off 2 years on cruise ships, and I was led to believe that with this background I’d find a job on yachts quite easily, but it seems like everyone...
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“Our new Chief Stew has just joined – but the problem is, she’s terrible!! She’s only been in yachting for a few seasons on a private yacht and I think she must...
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“I’ve recently returned to yachting after a couple of years away, and I’d completely forgotten how toxic it can be! There’s lots I love about yachting, but there’s so much crew politics...
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“I’ve just arrived in Palma, and people are talking about working for free as a dayworker when you’re green to get the first bit of experience. Is this common in yachting? It...
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“I’m joining the yachting industry as someone who’s just come from the corporate world, and I’m wondering how job interviews in yachting differ from land-based interviews. Are there any radically different things...
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“I recently caught up with some friends who I did my STCW with years back, and realised they’ve all progressed much further up the yachting career ladder than me. After nearly four...
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“I have a bit of an odd one for you, it might seem like a silly question but one of my young stews has been having some relationship problems lately and she...
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“I’m a chef coming to the end of my first yachting season. I’ve been so stressed I’ve got a stomach ulcer, and am struggling to sleep despite being tired all the time....
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“I’m currently on a charter vessel with a few other crew. Our captain is an alcoholic who at times is completely reckless and a compulsive liar. We’ve had our tips stolen, been...
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“My Chief Stew is incredibly lazy. This is my first season, but she leaves me and a new girl (who I trained) to do all our service and housekeeping, while she just...
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“I’m a chief stew on a 45m, and I really need to go home for my best friend’s wedding in August, even if just for two days! Our Captain is very strict...
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“My young cabin mate is unbelievably messy, and hasn’t cleaned the bathroom once since we started sharing together 3 months ago. I was actually really messy once, but a chief steward I...
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“I’ve just found out about the superyacht scholarship, but I’ve missed it this year! Are there any other scholarships available in the industry? I’ve only just decided to start looking for...
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“My galley seems to have become the new favourite space for everyone to hang out and chat. If it’s not the stews gossiping in the pantry, it’s the deckies or Captain coming...
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“My new year’s resolution is to do something about my listening. I’ve been told all my life that I “don’t bloody listen”: from friends, people I work with, my wife, and even...
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“I want to work on a yacht as a stewardess as I have high-end hospitality experience, but I’m not that interested in housekeeping work, as in I really don’t want to be...
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Q: Dan, Junior Engineer, 24:
“I’ve only been job hunting for a short time and had a few interviews already, and things are looking pretty good for one of these, so I’ve started...
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"I’ve been in yachting for 5 years now and I want to progress from Bosun to Chief Officer and ultimately Captain one day. Unfortunately, my boat is one of those brilliant ones...
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"I’m 4 months in on my first chief stew role, and I know that my girls can’t stand me. I took over an existing team and at first I thought it might...
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"Should I accept a junior deckhand position for $1200 on a 60m MY with an exotic itinerary? Where will this lead?"*
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"I’m looking for a job as a deckhand, and people keep telling me I need to make my CV more relevant to yachting. But I don’t really know what that means? I’m...
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"I’m keen to get my first job as a stewardess but I’m committed to a position that doesn’t finish until the end of May. Is it too late to come to Antibes...
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"I recently got passed over for promotion, and I genuinely don’t understand why. I’ve done my courses and I’ve got experience, yet when the Chief Officer position came up on our boat...
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I have a massive problem: I just can’t remember people’s names! It’s something I’ve always been terrible at and it’s so embarrassing when you are with a group and you need to...
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I'm considering going through the required training to become a Stewardess. I believe I have the skills and personality to be a really good stewardess, but I'm 34 years old, and I...
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My yacht is based in the Caribbean this season, and I’m a bit concerned about crime against crew, especially as there have been some nasty attacks involving crew lately. I plan to...
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Each December I make a list of new year’s resolutions… then the following December I write exactly the same things on the list for the next year! I really want to get...
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Tis the season to be jolly, but as your social calendar fills up with Christmas, New Years, mid-season dock parties or crew barbeques, you need to keep an eye on just how...
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We are often so caught up in the lives of our crew mates or onboard politics, we don’t take the time to evaluate our own performance or make necessary changes in our...
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In a world of careers and money, friends and family, phones and emails, we’re constantly rushed off our feet. And when you’re mid-season, your life is the same: rush, rush, rush, go,...
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Winter is now in full swing and that means low season for Mediterranean-based crew, as most guests are busy chartering in America or the Caribbean. If your job has come to an...
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By mid-November, most crew who are not wintering in the Med have either left for the Caribbean or are enjoying some well-deserved time off. If you’re one of the few still struggling...
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It’s that time of year in the Med when restaurants shut up shop, the weather gets cooler and boats go into hibernation over the winter. If your seasonal position has come to...
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Have you thought much about next season and what position you’d like to be in? Would you like to move to a different yacht? Maybe you want to take on more responsibility...
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Does it seem like career opportunities are passing you by? Perhaps you feel outperformed by your peers? Maybe you’re in a rut at work and not sure how to give your career...
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We’ve all been there at some point in our careers: seated opposite the interviewer while they fire questions at you left, right and centre. At the same time, you’re trying to say...
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Having coached hundreds of clients over the past five years I know that many people struggle to see their own value and this can sometimes hold people back when job hunting or...
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As the boat show season continues across the pond with people preparing for the Fort Lauderdale show, there are even more opportunities for you to master the art of effective networking. Everyone...
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Networking doesn’t just have to be done face-to-face. Thanks to the Internet and the many social media platforms that have popped up in the past decade, we can now expand our networks...
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The Monaco Yacht Show is on and it’s time to get networking! As I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, it’s surprising how few people actually enjoy attending networking functions or putting...
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As September arrives in the Mediterranean, the shadows grow longer and nights draw cooler, and the focus of yachting begins to shift away from the madness of guest trips towards the hubbub...
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When you’re working your way up the yachting career ladder, particularly once you have reached a leadership position, your ability to manage relationships with people around you directly impacts the amount of...
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As the summer warms up, the heat is on and if you’ve been very busy with guests, as thankfully a lot of yachts do seem to be this year, by now your...
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Continuing on the theme of creating team pride with fun and competition, this week I wanted to share with you the ideas behind the crew awards program I created for the Camper...
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When you’re building anything, having the right foundations, components and design is enough to create a solid structure but without maintenance your creation is not going to stand forever. In the same...
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What makes certain crews extraordinary? What do they have that sets them apart? Have you ever wondered what motivates them to put in just that little bit of extra effort? In human...
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As a leader one of the most important skills you can master is the art of making your crew want to do what you want them to do. Not only do you...
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Once you’ve hired your dream team you need to find a way to make them stick together, and this is not always an easy thing to do! Hopefully when you were hiring...
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Leadership is one of those words we bandy about as though we all know what it means, but when you try to pin it down to a definition it becomes quite difficult...
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When hiring crew for the season it can be tricky to decide the best way to find the best people. We all know there are plenty of crew out there looking for...
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With the Grand Prix and Film Festival all done and dusted the season is all set to start in earnest, but many Captains and senior crew are still trying to recruit their...
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Have you ever wondered why you get along with some people and not others – or why some crew members instantly click with the team while others just never seem to blend...
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With new crew joining teams all over the Cote d’Azur right now plenty of Captains and Heads of Departments are scratching their heads and wondering what they can do this year to...
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We’re entering the peak recruitment period now and according to my crew agency contacts there are plenty of jobs on offer for experienced crew at the moment. But as those first guest...
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Those of us who’ve been in yachting for a while can often feel a bit sorry for some of the new crew arriving and glad we’re not back in their shoes. They...
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I am often asked what makes a good crew member. Certainly attributes such as skill, knowledge and aptitude for learning are important, but they are only part of the puzzle. No amount...
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BREAK THROUGH THE NEWBIE BARRIER!Announcing the return of The Crew Coach's weekly free talks for new crew in Antibes, in partnership with Camper & Nicholsons International Crew Division.The talks will take place EVERY TUESDAY...
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The crewing industry is full of fun and colourful personalities; you’ll find people of all ages with different career backgrounds and reasons for joining the industry. Some plan to make a full...
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In my weekly free talks for new crew that I hold in Antibes at this time of year, apart from explaining how to get a job I also do a lot of...
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At this time of year I’m madly busy helping crew make smart career moves in preparation for the season ahead – some are moving up, some are moving on and some are...
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Last night for the first of my annual pre-season free talks we had SEVENTY people turn up. That’s almost double the most we’ve ever had before! While it was absolutely wonderful to...
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Q&A: Alison Rentoul
Posted: 12th July 2013 | Written by: OnboardOnline
Alison Rentoul is known to many of us in the industry as The Crew Coach. However, she had to sustain quite a few...
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