How to be a Seaman or Work at Seas

If you have always loved boats, the water and all things nautical, you might want to become a Seaman or work on the seas.

What is a Seaman?

A Seaman is NOT classified as a laborer. Instead, he/she is intended to include any person that furthers the mission of a vessel while assigned to that vessel or to a fleet of vessels.

Employees serving onboard restaurant boats, tankers, freighters, jack-up rigs, semi-submersibles, towboats, tugboats, supply boats, lay barges, barges, fishing vessels, casino boats, and others, regardless of whether or not those boats are moored at port, can be classified as Seamen under the Jones Act, so long as the boat is in navigation during hours of operation.

Other Sea-based job titles:

• Captain
• Engineer
• Mechanic
• Boat Operator
• Able seaman/woman
• Boatswain--military
• Deck Officers (Water Transport)
• Deckhand
• Fishing Vessel Deckhands
• Water Transport Engine Room Crew
• Water Transport Engineer Officers
• Ordinary seaman/woman
• Tunnel operator--ship
• Wheelsman/woman
• Other marine industry professional

Work environment

Working in or on the seas and oceans means working in all kinds of weather--and damp, cold conditions are common. Many newer vessels are air-conditioned, soundproofed and comfortable. However, you may be on board for long periods.

There is always the possibility that you may have to abandon ship (due to collision or other misfortune), or the risk of injury or death from falling overboard. Thus, a life jacket must always be within reach if not worn.
While at sea

Aboard a ship, the chain of command insures safety and assigns responsibility. Crews change with the seasons and only a few stay to become officers. Sometimes the people drawn to these positions are megalomaniacs but there are also the caring, patient, and knowledgeable ones who may become mentors and friends.

Wondering how you could prepare for a career in this field? Or what else you might do once you have some experience?

First, you should be:

1. Familiar with nautical terms and safety procedures.
2. Know the basics of cooking and provisioning
3. Skilled in VHF/HF radio and computer knowledge, foreign languages, plumbing, diesel mechanics, and general resourcefulness.


Career Path

There are two routes available to individuals interested in a career at sea:

1. Personal Approach
• Contact vessel operators and crews
• Contact placement agencies or crewing agents and job employment sites as well as the unions that represent seafarers and sign on as an unlicensed engine room crew member. 

       If you want to try the personal approach, you will need to go where the yachts are: In the Caribbean go to the British and U.S. Virgin Islands, Grenada, and Antigua; in Europe, Antibes in the south of France, Palma de Mallorca in the Balearic Islands of Spain, and Piraeus, the port for Athens.

2. The second route is to enroll in an approved officer cadet training program, most of which are three years in length and provide the most direct route toward certification.

Expected Salary

The crew on large luxury yachts—yachts at least 100 feet in length—include a captain, engineer, chef, chambermaids, stewards—even nannies and butlers. Charter fees start at $40,000 a week. Even if you aren't qualified for a senior position, there is always a need for kitchen hands, stewards, deckhands, and a whole host of other crew.

The crew receives a monthly salary comparable with that on the mainland and share tips (10 to 15 percent of the charter fee). If it is a privately owned yacht and not on charter, the salary can be excellent, though there will probably be fewer tips. As your meals and accommodations are provided, you can save a lot of money very quickly. One steward bought two houses in the U.K. and a house in France in her first eight months of work.