One of the many joys of owning a large yacht is sitting back, relaxing and enjoying five-star service from professional crew. If you’re an owner of a private or a charter yacht, crew are a vital part of the on board experience.
Cotton Crews is a premier yacht crew staffing agency and specializes in matching luxury yachts with highly skilled and professional crew members. With a deep understanding of the yachting industry, Cotton Crews provides personalized service to yacht owners, captains, and management companies, ensuring each yacht is staffed with the best talent.
Cotton Crews was founded by Lauren Cotton in 2013, who after several years of working in the yachting industry, realized there was a high demand for quality crew placement.
In an exclusive Q&A with YATCO, Lauren shares her insight for owners and captains on the crew hiring process.
Table of contents
- How does Cotton Crews work to match the right yacht crew with the best job opportunities?
- What advice would you give to a new owner who is hiring crew for the first time?
- How do you work with owners throughout the hiring process?
- How has the process of hiring yacht crew changed in recent years?
- What are the most important qualifications and certifications that yacht crew should have when applying for jobs?
- What tips do you have for yacht crew to make their resumes and applications stand out?
- What are the most common mistakes you see yacht crew make when applying for jobs?
- How can yacht crew continue to develop their skills and advance their careers?
- What are some of the unique challenges of hiring crew for luxury superyachts versus smaller private yachts?
How does Cotton Crews work to match the right yacht crew with the best job opportunities?
First, we must qualify licenses and skills based on what the client asked for. Then we try to match their personalities. Personality ends up being half of the puzzle piece. Placing crew is different from land-based jobs because crew work, eat and live in close quarters, the personalities really have to mesh well!
What advice would you give to a new owner who is hiring crew for the first time?
I highly recommend using a crew agent, like us, to guide you through the process!
How do you work with owners throughout the hiring process?
Cotton Crew has over 15,000 multinational crew in our database. Once our terms are approved, we have a list of introductory questions about the program. After we post an active position, we comb through applications, screen candidates, check references, and verify candidates can pass a background check. It’s within that process that we handpick a group of crew that we feel fit what the owner is looking for.
The client will receive a group of crew in an email with CVs and references attached. We then guide them through interviews and the hiring. Once someone is hired, we then follow up again to make sure both parties are happy. Our process takes a little time, but it is tailored to each client’s specific needs!
How has the process of hiring yacht crew changed in recent years?
The biggest thing that has changed is social media. We must review the crew’s accounts before putting them forward.
What are the most important qualifications and certifications that yacht crew should have when applying for jobs?
Each job is different, but the most basic course is the STCW. For crew getting into yachting, any kind of hospitality or marine experience is typically an asset.
What tips do you have for yacht crew to make their resumes and applications stand out?
I always recommend keeping it short. Especially if you are starting in the industry, keep it one page. Make sure it looks clean and does not have a lot of color on it. Also, references, these are always important to get along the way and a good reminder to never burn a bridge!
What are the most common mistakes you see yacht crew make when applying for jobs?
Most of the time we see crew applying for jobs they do not qualify for and not reading through the whole job description. It’s funny how the crew skip over the details, we put them forward then they tell us they don’t want that job. It can be very frustrating at times.
How can yacht crew continue to develop their skills and advance their careers?
Using their holiday time to do courses and further their skills and education.
What are some of the unique challenges of hiring crew for luxury superyachts versus smaller private yachts?
- On large vessels, the crew are hired to their respective department and typically will not do much outside of their department.
- Smaller vessels you have to give a hand and pitch in everywhere!
Whether you’re looking for deckhands, engineers, chefs, or stewardesses, Cotton Crews offers a streamlined crew placement process, connecting yachts with top-tier professionals worldwide. Learn more here.
