First Officer / First Mate Yacht Jobs

YPI Crew is a crew recruitment agency that places the utmost importance on the efficient and successful placement of crew on yachts. From captain, stewards, chefs, deckhands to yacht officer jobs, our placement process ensures that both crew member and the employer are entirely happy with our match.

First Officer Job Description:

  • The First Officer also known as Chief Officer or Chief Mate is the second in command and reports to the captain.
  • In charge of the deck crew : second officer, third officer, bosun and deckhands (depending on the size of the yacht)
  • He or the second officer may be the designated security, safety and medical officer
  • Responsible for overseeing deck operations and maintenance
  • Deck budgeting/ inventory
  • Supervision of all toys and tenders
  • Setup of watch schedules and passage planning

First Officer Required Skills:

As a captain to be, the Chief Officer needs to have

  • Good navigational skills
  • A charismatic and unflappable personality
  • A”can-do” attitude”
  • Excellent leadership, etiquette and communication skills
  • Maintenance and engineering experience or understanding
  • Good grasp of accounting and IT
  • Good knowledge of all international maritime laws and regulations

If you have not yet registered with YPI Crew on our database, it is an easy and straightforward procedure. Simply upload your CV, certificates, references, and a medical certificate such as an ENG1 and you will automatically be considered for all first mate jobs currently available.

Our administrator will review your CV and email you to acknowledge the application. Once you are registered, you can check in online through the website by clicking on ‘Log In’ and then ‘Check In’.

How much does a First Officer/First Mate on a yacht earn?

224 Deck Officers have contributed with their salaries breaking down to 125 chief officers 61 second officers, 20 third officers and 18 sole mates. Deck salaries remain relatively constant on mid-size vessels and above.

Chief Officer

The average monthly salary for a chief officer starts at just under €4000 for charter yachts less than 40m in size. Chief officers/chief mates with permanent contracts on yachts over 101m in length have the greatest earning potential, with an average monthly salary approaching €9000. Chief officers/ chief mates on private yachts less than 80m in size earn a higher average monthly salary than those on charter vessels. This finding is reversed on yachts greater than 81m in length.

Chief Yacht Officer salary study

2nd Officer

Monthly salaries for second officers start at just over €3000 on private yachts between 0-40m in length and increase to near €5500 for a similar role on yachts between 81-100m. The average monthly salary is around €4500 a month across all vessel sizes and contract types.

2nd yacht officer salary

3rd Officer

The data submitted for the third officer role revealed an average monthly salary between €3000 and €5000, irrespective of the size of the yacht and its status as private or charter.

3rd yacht officer salary

Sole Mate

Sole mates earn consistently between €3500 and €4500 on yachts 50m in length and less. Permanent contracts on yachts between 51-65m offer a higher average monthly salary, yet are less common.

Sole Mate Yacht Salary

From the data we see that fewer chief officers have a rotational position than second engineers at 31% versus 55 % whilst this is reversed when it comes to second officer and third engineer at 53% versus 38%.

 Percentage of Rotation vs Permanent Deck Officers
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