A DREAM JOB? KNOWING WHERE TO START?

[tdyer82]

Hi all!

My husband and I are fed up of the mundane 9-5 in the UK, and want to see some of the world, meet new people, learn some skills and pursue our enjoyment of motor yachts.

We by NO means think that this will be always glamourous, and that it will certainly be at times hard work, but we're willing and ready to get stuck in and give it our best go.

Being pretty much beginners (apart from a few leisure trips), so we were looking at doing our competent crew, STCW95, powerboat level 2 and short range radio courses all at UKSA.

We were wondering whether anyone would be able to give us some advice as to whether they would recommend this as a start to get going, and what anyone thought of UKSA?

We have also looked on websites such as www.crewseekers.co.uk, and wondered whether anyone would be able to give us some good advice on finding work?

We would ideally like to find a boat with maybe 4-8 crew and is either chartered or privately owned and used.

It would also be REALLY interesting to hear from anyone who is in a similar situation, being new to this it would be great to make a few contacts.

We look forward to hearing from you all!

Tom & Camilla

 

[jparham]

Personally I think UKSA is a bit of a marketing gimmick. Certainly you'd get your qualifications, but it costs a lot of dosh. You can get the same quals from other local instructors at a far cheaper rate. If you talk to a local instructor, you'll get some idea of what's possible.
Good luck!

 

[Major Catastrophe]

If your surname's are Parker Bowles, I expect you will be in demand as a Mother and Son team. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[jointventureII]

I went to UKSA Feb to May this year, did the motoryacht skippers course. PM me if you want more info. I thought it was definately worthwhile but with a few catches - they market it to complete beginners but there is no way a complete beginner would ever cope with it all.

 

[timgriffin]

Cost around £700 for your STCW 95 Fire , First Aid and Hospitality care, sea survival , around £245 for level 2 and around £100 for vhf. Agencies that you needfor work are in South France .
UKSA has the benifit of contacts within the industry so you pay a bit more perhaps but possibly stand a better chance of finding work, you may have other skills that you can bring to the job depends on what you do now.
If you want to drive the tenders to the Super Yachts then perhaps look to a school that uses 7 m + ribs for training .
Other companies that offer the STCW 95 Package are Red ensign and Stormforce Coaching sure there are plenty of others out there to.
I would PM White Fin and get a feel for the course from someone who has done it then make your mind up from there.
Good luck with it all
Tim

 

[matt_lake]

I have to agree with Whitefin. I did the first motor yacht skipper course at UKSA 5 years ago and there is no way a novice would make it through the course to Yacht Master. For a start you need about 3000 logged miles before you would be considered for a YM exam. This was not made very clear when people were signing up at the open day.

I would also recommend doing the MCA medical before you commit to the course. When I was there the UKSA got the Doc in a week before the end of the course, which was great until people started failing the medical. 3 months and £8k later and you can't get your commercial endorsment. Not funny!

They did have a well connected in-house agency for placing graduates though.

 

[alant]

Personally I think UKSA is a bit of a marketing gimmick.
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What personal experience do you have to make a damning statement like this?

 

[volvopaul]

If you want to get involved in boating im sure there are a few forum members who would volunteer your services, you can start by cleaning boats and working your way up to ropes and fenders, if you can cook thats a bonus.

Seriously I would join a sailing club and get out on water get some practical time in, look at local colleges and universities that run RYA shore based courses that are subsidised and dont cost south coast prices to learn, you will meet like mined people that are enthusiastic about boating, I did this sailing as a boy then did a cheap dayskipper RYA course, i then got asked to crew for someone on the course out of Hayling yacht club, that was my first time ever in the solent.

At Lymington town sailing club, which im not a member have a motorboat section so maybe get intouch with them, they run some courses im led to believe run by an old friend of mine.

 

[mainshiptom]

You guys are more then welcome to crew for me, And I will be happy to give you some feedback in return,

Tom

ps do you get seasick?

 

[tdyer82]

Thanks for everyone's replies!

Some really useful information and points to consider. We kind of knew UKSA would be a little bit more pricey but we liked their set up and service, and with things like accommodation and some food included, it seems like good package.

We're keen to find some medium boats to crew on rather than the Superyachts, and we're hoping with our PADI open water, a love of food and cooking, and previous hospitality experience we will be successful.

We're hoping that the competent crew will give us some basics, and the STCW 95 will show good safety knowledge, and from there we can prove ourselves once on board.

Thanks again for your comments.

Tom and Camilla

 

[jimmy_the_builder]

You can't beat talking to the recruitment agencies to get the low-down on your suitability for the industry - med agencies are based in Antibes eg YPI Crew. The Med recruitment season really gets going in March so you should have time to get your tickets over the winter. You may find it tricky to get a couples position with no previous experience though; the best approach is to base yourself down there and then just keep touring round the agencies til you get some work.

Cheers
Jimmy