Career planning
Builds on: the whole course. See also: OOW/Master yacht CoCs, MCA engineering (AEC, SV route), xplor interior courses (IAMI-aligned).
Choose, then commit
Many crew drift between departments in their first year. That is fine. By the second season, pick a department and plan the next five years.
Deck
| Stage | Typical tickets | Notes for SA crew |
|---|---|---|
| Deckhand | STCW BT, medical, PB2, SRC | All available in Cape Town and Durban |
| Lead deckhand / bosun | Yachtmaster Offshore (commercially endorsed) | Good to take at home in the southern summer |
| Officer | MCA OOW (Yachts) and upwards | Take survival craft, AFF and medical courses where MIN 643 accepts them |
| Captain | MCA Master (Yachts) | See OOW/Master yacht CoCs |
A SAMSA skipper ticket earns money at home between seasons and keeps your boat handling sharp. It does not replace the ladder above.
Interior
The interior ladder runs from junior stew to chief stew and purser. It is built on service, housekeeping, laundry, wine and guest management, and it is taught in the xplor interior courses. SA crew bring real advantages: lodge and safari hospitality, wine-estate experience and service standards learned in demanding places. Use them.
The home season is a chance to add wine, barista, flower-arranging or management courses at rand prices, and to work in top-end hospitality to keep skills current.
Engineering
| Stage | Typical tickets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Deck/engineer, junior engineer | AEC 1 | Offered in SA; check MCA approval |
| Second engineer | AEC 2 and upwards | See MCA engineering (AEC, SV route) |
| Chief engineer | MCA yacht engineer CoCs | Long road; plan courses around MIN 643 |
SA trade qualifications count heavily. Engineers who already hold SAMSA STCW engineer CoCs should look at the UK FSE (L2.3) before starting again at the bottom: South Africa is on the MCA's FSE list.
Keeping the machine running
Whatever the department:
- Diary your expiries: medical (two years), STCW refreshers, commercial endorsement (five years with 150 days' sea service), visas, passport.
- Keep records: testimonials, sea-service evidence, payslips and travel dates.
- Plan courses where you will be. A course in rand is cheaper; a course in Europe may be the one the MCA accepts.
CAUTION - Rotations and reliefs Rotational posts give time at home but can reduce your days outside SA for tax purposes (L5.1). Run the day-count before accepting.
Coming home
Plenty of SA crew eventually come home: to run charter or dive businesses, to work in Cape Town's refit and new-build sector, or to manage yachts from ashore. The local picture is in Superyachts in South African Waters. Keeping a SAMSA ticket valid and your SA network warm makes that easier.
TIP - Write the plan down A one-page plan listing target role, required tickets, sea time, and where you will take each course, reviewed each season, beats a head full of good intentions.