Yachting Pages has put several of the leading safety cases (and other associated products) to the test. The objective: to ascertain how each product performs and determine which one is best equipped to safely contain a lithium battery-induced fire.
With thanks to PYA
A yacht steward or stewardess wears many hats aboard a superyacht. They adopt the role of host, housekeeper, manager and mother.
From junior to senior roles, stewards/esses are collectively responsible for the everyday running and smooth operation of the yacht’s interior and guest hospitality. As such, the role covers everything from serving and entertaining guests to laundry and full housekeeping duties, and even accounting responsibilities.
Every crewmember working aboard a superyacht (24 metres and over) must have completed mandatory STCW Basic Safety training. A steward/ess is no different, so time should be set aside to take this five-day course. He or she will also need an ENG1 crew medical certificate or equivalent to prove fit to work at sea.
No other training is mandatory for interior crew. However, it’s highly recommended to enrol on an industry-recognised interior crew training course to improve your chances of landing a job on board.
One route to interior training is the Professional Yachting Association’s GUEST Program. It includes the STCW and ENG1 requirements within its modules, making it a worthwhile investment, and one that you will likely recoup in your first month or two working aboard.
Provided by the Professional Yacht Association (PYA), GUEST stands for ‘Guidelines for Unified Excellence in Service Training’ and offers stewards and stewardesses a clear training route, leading to an industry recognised Certificate of Competency (CoC) within a carefully designed career path for interior crew.
The course has three levels, ranging from G.U.E.S.T I for junior stews, through to G.U.E.S.T II for senior positions and G.U.E.S.T III for heads of department.
For those with no sea service, G.U.E.S.T I students will complete the below modules, giving them a Yacht Junior Steward/ess Certificate of Competency:
Those with the G.U.E.S.T I / Hospitality Level 2 qualification, plus 12 months’ yacht service and 60 days’ guest-service time, will be able to progress on to the G.U.E.S.T II course. This will lead to a Senior Steward/ess Certificate of Competency. Modules include:
Those with the G.U.E.S.T II / Hospitality Level 3 qualification, combined with a total of 24 months’ hands-on experience and 120 days’ guest service in a senior position, will allow interior crew to progress to chief stew/head of department, completing the below modules to receive a Chief Steward/ess Certificate of Competency:
Note that completing GUEST II modules is not a prerequisite to taking GUEST III.
Find out how to apply for your GUEST CoC here.
Search for GUEST-accredited crew-training schools here.
Alternatively, if you have already gained experience and qualifications working in hospitality and interior service either on land or on board, you could be eligible to apply for a Letter of Assessment. This may entitle you to an alternative route to your GUEST CoC.
Of course, the GUEST Program is not the only route to certification as a yacht steward/ess. Each training school often provides its own version of interior crew and hospitality training, which all adds weight to your crew CV.
Search for crew-training schools with interior and hospitality courses here.
Yachting Pages has put several of the leading safety cases (and other associated products) to the test. The objective: to ascertain how each product performs and determine which one is best equipped to safely contain a lithium battery-induced fire.
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