Neeed help - please read this!!

[jayshoez]

Hey everyone my name is Jay I'm 20 y.o. and since I was a kid I've always been passionate about sailing and being in contact with ocean and wind.

So I built my way up to a teaching position on the Mediterranean's coast throughout the most popular Italian and French sailing schools, but now I am over teaching and wanna turn my passion into a solid career, pursuing my goal.

I left Italy a year ago, went to New Zealand and got involved with Sailability which was great but it wasn't a paid position and wasn't the upgrade that I was looking for.

I'm now in Australia trying to figure which path to follow to achieve my dream of either becoming a skipper or getting in any sort of sailing career. What to do? Need some suggestions from experienced people.

Please help me!

[Weyalan]

For 99.8% of sailors, the reality is that a career is what you have to allow you to sail when you have time off from your career.

The only young guys I know who are making a career in sailing have been to Maritime College and gained Masters 5 qualification or similar.
https://www.amc.edu.au/coastal-seafa...ass-5skipper-3
With this qualification you can skipper a charter boat in the Whitsundays and take foreign backpackers out to the Barrier Reef on a tired old Maxi yacht. The pay won't be great, but the "perks" are good.

[Pelagic]

Start crewing on superyachts.... apply with a professional resume....
at only 20...assume you will be starting at the beginning with a chance to prove yourself.
Focus on getting certified as a watch keeper and learn to maintain yachts to the highest level.

With the right attitude and hard work, there is no stopping you

[jayshoez]

Originally Posted by Pelagic

Start crewing on superyachts.... apply with a professional resume....
at only 20...assume you will be starting at the beginning with a chance to prove yourself.
Focus on getting certified as a watch keeper and learn to maintain yachts to the highest level.

With the right attitude and hard work, there is no stopping you

thanks a lot.... right now aim in sydney and aim kinda trying to get a job as a boat cleaner cuz i still need to pay bills and stuff and i believe it could be a good chance to gain the basics I need... what do u think about that? super yacht you say is that gonna give me tha chance to sail??

[jayshoez]

Originally Posted by jayshoez

thanks a lot.... right now i am in sydney and I am kinda trying to get a job as a boat cleaner cuz i still need to pay bills and stuff and i believe it could be a good chance to gain the basics I need... what do u think about that? super yacht you say is that gonna give me tha chance to sail??

[QUOTE=jayshoez;1436498]thanks a lot.... right now i am in sydney and I am kinda trying to get a job as a boat cleaner cuz i still need to pay bills and stuff and i believe it could be a good chance to gain the basics I need... what do u think about that? super yacht you say is that gonna give me tha chance to sail??

[Pelagic]

There are many sailing super yachts out there, but the running gear can kill you if not a pro, so focus on the multifaceted skills needed to crew on a SY and then develop your proven officer/management credentials.

In my early career I worked any commercial marine job I could to build up my sea time, while getting my sailing fix by doing offshore sail deliveries in between.

You never stop learning or proving yourself to your employer but what comes out of this is the conviction that you have done your homework and gained the experience to protect both the crew and the owner from themselves.

There are other Forums more specific to you needs like this one
Yacht Crews - YachtForums.Com

[Reefmagnet]

Head to the Whitsundays and work on getting at least a coxswains cert. Should be opportunities if you make yourself known

[Teknav]

Get a 4-year college degree, as it's a different world now. As you get older, and without a college degree, not many doors will be open to you for work. If you want an ocean related career, consider: Merchant Marine, Oceanographer, Marine Biologist, Water Resources Engineer (Civil Engineering), Petroleum Engineering, to just name a few of possible career paths. Good luck!

Mauritz

[Gerrycooper56]

There were companies at the Fort Lauderdale boat show who specialized in supplying crews to luxury yachts. That would be a good place to start

[skipmac]

At your age some opportunities will be limited so I would start by learning a lot of basic skills that might make me more useful on a boat. Learn how to varnish, basic engine maintenance, wiring and electric, etc.

Then get as much time on boats as possible. Build your resume with anything that will get on a boat and on the water.

You should be aware that you will never make much more than a subsistence living as crew or captain on smaller sail boats. There's just too much competition, too many others trying to do the same thing and not enough profit in the charter or delivery business to pay the captain a lot of money. The money is in the big fancy boats but running of these it not much like sailing to me. More like operating a floating hotel or a small ship.

If you can eventually manage to buy your own boat you can make a decent wage chartering but has to be a boat big enough and nice enough to command a reasonable fee.

[Neo]

Originally Posted by Teknav

Get a 4-year college degree, as it's a different world now. As you get older, and without a college degree, not many doors will be open to you for work. If you want an ocean related career, consider: Merchant Marine, Oceanographer, Marine Biologist, Water Resources Engineer (Civil Engineering), Petroleum Engineering, to just name a few of possible career paths. Good luck!

Mauritz

+1

Get a college degree or at the minimum, start taking night classes. To start with, you should try to improve your communication skills, i.e., grammar and punctuation. This can expand your pool of opportunities in any field.

[Jammer Six]

Sail, and wait.

I want instructors who have twenty years as an instructor, not twenty years alive.

I started sailing half a decade before you were born, and I'm new.

[cwyckham]

Not to sound too grumpy, but here's a little career advice...

Start by respecting people who you want to help and mentor you. Realize that this community is just full of great people who may actually give you a job. All your interactions are possible networking opportunities and you never know who your next boss or mentor might be.

I am not in the field that you want a job in, but if I were, I wouldn't bother. Here's why:

• Your thread title gave the impression that somebody needed real help, not career advice. You portrayed huge urgency and I expected a real emergency (they do come up on this board from time to time). Instead, I found a kid who wanted career advice.
• Your posts are very poorly written. The English is excellent, but it is full of typos and there is little to no grammar. It makes you seem childish. Know your audience.
• Frankly, you come off as a bit entitled. You tell me all about what you want and then finish in all caps about how I should help you. Why would I want to do that? Sure, outline what you are looking for and then indicate what you can offer. Then politely ask for advice.

I'm sure that all sounds really harsh. I'm actually taking the time out of my day to type this because it is meant as constructive criticism. The most important thing for you to get that next job in a very competitive industry is to learn how to be professional and how to network effectively.

Respectfully,

Chris

[goboatingnow]

Do your RYA Yachtmaster offshore cert , then the relevant STCW95 Certs and then register with crewing agencies in Fort Lauderdale and Nice , which are the centres of super yacht crewing ( actually Antibes and San Remo ) you need to look presentable

Alternatively consider going in the flotilla skipper area for a few seasons.

Dave

[Bobnoxx99]

Originally Posted by cwyckham

Not to sound too grumpy, but here's a little career advice...

Start by respecting people who you want to help and mentor you. Realize that this community is just full of great people who may actually give you a job. All your interactions are possible networking opportunities and you never know who your next boss or mentor might be.

I am not in the field that you want a job in, but if I were, I wouldn't bother. Here's why:

• Your thread title gave the impression that somebody needed real help, not career advice. You portrayed huge urgency and I expected a real emergency (they do come up on this board from time to time). Instead, I found a kid who wanted career advice.
• Your posts are very poorly written. The English is excellent, but it is full of typos and there is little to no grammar. It makes you seem childish. Know your audience.
• Frankly, you come off as a bit entitled. You tell me all about what you want and then finish in all caps about how I should help you. Why would I want to do that? Sure, outline what you are looking for and then indicate what you can offer. Then politely ask for advice.

I'm sure that all sounds really harsh. I'm actually taking the time out of my day to type this because it is meant as constructive criticism. The most important thing for you to get that next job in a very competitive industry is to learn how to be professional and how to network effectively.

Respectfully,

Chris

That was perfect. Thank you.