All roles/Deck and Bridge/Deck Cadet
Deck and Bridge
Deck Cadet
A deck cadet is a trainee officer who works as a deckhand while completing structured bridge training, sea time and a training record book towards the Officer of the Watch (Yacht) 3000gt.
- Department
- Deck and Bridge
- Reports to
- Chief Officer / First Mate
- Yacht size
- 50m to 150m+
- Contract
- Fixed term cadetship, sea phases between college phases
- Starting pay
- €2,000 per month
What the job is
A deck cadet is a deckhand with a plan. You do the same washdowns, line handling, tender runs and guest watersports as the rest of the deck team, but you are also on a formal training programme. Most cadets join through an approved yacht cadetship that mixes college study with sea phases, aiming at the MCA Officer of the Watch (Yacht) 3000gt. The yacht agrees to train you, and you agree to learn properly.
The difference shows on the bridge. You stand watches alongside a qualified officer, plot passages, check charts and publications, log weather, take bearings and learn the ECDIS, radar and GMDSS equipment. Your training record book has tasks the officers must witness and sign, from anchoring to fire drills to cargo and stores planning. The Chief Officer or a designated officer acts as your mentor and checks your progress at the end of each trip.
Captains take cadets because they produce officers who know the yacht and the job from the bottom up. For you, it is the most direct route from deck to bridge, with sea time counted correctly and the paperwork done as you go. Expect long days, a lot of scrutiny and little glamour. Cadets who work hard on deck and ask good questions on watch are usually offered a Third Officer role once qualified.
What makes a good one
- Basic chartwork and passage planning
- Safe line handling and anchoring
- Confident tender driving
- Clear radio and bridge communication
- Disciplined record keeping
A day in the life
- 06:30Morning washdown with the deck team, chamois the windows and dry the teak before guests wake.
- 08:00Relieve the Second Officer for the anchor watch, check position, swing circle and weather, and fill in the deck log.
- 09:30Help launch the tender and water toys from the garage, then run a guest shore trip with a deckhand.
- 11:30Back on the bridge with the Chief Officer to plan the afternoon passage, check charts and tidal streams, and enter the route in ECDIS.
- 13:00Stations for departure. Work the anchor on the foredeck under the Bosun, reporting chain length and direction to the bridge.
- 14:00Watch on passage with the Officer of the Watch, taking radar ranges and bearings, keeping lookout and logging position every hour.
- 16:30Mooring stations stern to in port, then a fender and line check and a quick rinse of the hull and decks.
- 18:30Sit down with your mentor for an hour to work through training record book tasks and get completed items signed.
- 21:00Evening deck rounds and the first part of the night watch in port, checking lines, gangway and security.
Pay by country
Monthly, tax free for most crew, on 50m to 100m yachts. Cadets earn less than deckhands but share charter tips equally on most boats, often €1,000 to €3,000 a month in a busy season.
- France and Monaco
- €2,000 – 2,800
- Spain
- €2,000 – 2,800
- Italy
- €2,000 – 2,800
- United Kingdom
- £1,700 – 2,400
- USA (Florida)
- US$2,200 – 3,100
- Caribbean
- US$2,200 – 3,100
- UAE
- AED 8,000 – 11,500
- Australia
- A$3,400 – 4,800
- New Zealand
- NZ$3,700 – 5,200
Required
- STCW Basic Safety Training
- ENG1 medical
- PDSD
- Place on an approved yacht cadetship
Recommended
- RYA Powerboat Level 2
- RYA PWC
- RYA Yachtmaster Offshore
- Efficient Deck Hand (EDH)
- Proficiency in Survival Craft
- Medical First Aid
Visas
- Schengen visa
- US B1/B2 (C1/D)
Where it leads
Deck Cadet jobs open now
Questions crew ask
Do I need yacht experience before applying for a cadetship?
Not always. Some programmes take school leavers, but a season as a deckhand and an RYA Powerboat Level 2 make you a much stronger candidate.
How long until I am a qualified officer?
Most cadetships take around two to three years, combining college phases with enough approved sea time to sit the Officer of the Watch (Yacht) 3000gt orals.
Will I do deckhand work or just bridge work?
Both. Most of your hours are normal deck work, with watches and training tasks fitted around them, and how well you do the deck work shapes how much the officers invest in you.