Frequently asked questions

No. STCW Basic Safety Training is the entry point — most of our students have never worked at sea. You need to be at least 16, be able to swim, and be in reasonable physical shape for the survival and fire-fighting drills. Everything else is taught from zero over the five days. See the course.

Only if you're not comfortable in the water. You are never assessed on speed or distance: you jump from a height in a lifejacket, swim a short distance to a liferaft, right it and climb aboard — all in an immersion suit or lifejacket, with instructors in the water alongside you. If open water genuinely worries you, tell us when you book and we'll brief you beforehand.

Courses are taught in English — it's the working language of the superyacht industry and of every crew you'll join. Our instructors are bilingual, so French speakers are supported throughout the theory and assessments. If your English is shaky, the week is also the safest place to fix it before your first interview.

Not to train with us — you can complete your STCW without one. You do need a valid ENG1 (or equivalent seafarer medical) before you can sign onto a yacht, so most crew arrange it in the same weeks. Read our guide to the ENG1 medical.

Most schools run the practical modules in a classroom and a swimming pool. We run them on a working yacht, at sea: real sea entry, real liferaft in real water, live fires on our fire ground. The gap shows on day one of your first contract — a captain can tell instantly who has only ever done the drill in a pool.

Yes. STCW is an IMO convention: the certificate is recognised worldwide, on any flag, and is the document every captain and crew agent asks for first. It is not a local or in-house qualification — it's the international standard, issued on completion of the course.

Twelve places per session, deliberately. Practical modules — liferaft, breathing apparatus, rescue boat — only teach anything if you personally do them several times rather than watch someone else. It's also why sessions fill early and we don't add extra seats.

€1,250 for the five days. That covers all five mandatory modules, the training vessel and fire ground, all safety equipment, and the certificate on completion. Travel, accommodation and your ENG1 medical are not included. Full breakdown in our article on STCW cost and modules.

Five years. Three modules stay with you for life; the two perishable ones — fire fighting and sea survival — must be revalidated every five years with an STCW Refresher (1.5 days). Let it lapse and you're not compliant to work. More detail: how long does STCW last.

In Antibes, on the French Riviera — theory at our base, practical sessions from Port Vauban, Europe's largest superyacht marina. Nice airport is 25 minutes away by road or train. Training where the fleet actually is means you're in the right place to hand out CVs the week you qualify.

We don't run accommodation ourselves, but we know Antibes well — tell us your dates and budget when you book and we'll point you to the crew houses and short-stay addresses our students use, most of them walking distance from the port. Book early: rooms in Antibes go fast either side of the season.

You send a registration request through the booking form — no payment is taken online. We reply by email to confirm your place is available, then arrange payment with you directly. Nothing is charged until your place is confirmed and you've had every question answered.

Plans change in this industry — a contract appears with two days' notice. You can move to another session free of charge up to 30 days before your start date, and once thereafter if a job is the reason. Cancellations more than 30 days ahead are refunded in full; within 14 days the fee is held as credit for a later session.

The STCW gets you considered; it rarely gets you picked on its own. For deck, the qualification that actually separates candidates is the RYA Powerboat Level 2 — yachts need someone who can drive the tender. Interior crew add food hygiene and service training. See the full certificate checklist.

We don't promise jobs — anyone who does is selling something. What we can say: you'll be certified in Antibes, where the fleet berths and the crew agencies are, and timing matters more than anything else. Arrive before the season, not during it. Our guide: how to get your first yacht job.

The 2026–2027 season is fully booked. Registrations are open for the 2027–2028 season, starting September 2027, and those dates are bookable now on the dates page. Places released by cancellations go to the waitlist first — register your interest and we'll contact you when one opens.