All roles/Interior/Housekeeping / Laundry Assistant
Interior
Housekeeping / Laundry Assistant
You keep guest and crew laundry, linen and cabins spotless on a large yacht. Clean, perfectly pressed clothes and fresh cabins are what owners and charter guests notice first, so your work is seen every day.

- Department
- Interior
- Reports to
- Head of Housekeeping
- Yacht size
- 60m to 150m+
- Contract
- Seasonal or permanent
- Starting pay
- €2,500 per month
What the job is
This is an entry role in a large interior team. You run the laundry: washing, drying, steaming and ironing guest clothes, bed linen, towels, table linen and crew uniforms. You learn fabric care properly, because a guest's silk shirt or cashmere jumper can be worth more than a month's salary. You fold to the yacht's standard, label and return clothes to cabins, and keep the laundry room organised, stocked and safe.
Outside the laundry you help with housekeeping. That means turning down cabins, changing beds, cleaning bathrooms to hotel standard, polishing brightwork, dusting and caring for delicate surfaces like lacquer, marble and leather. On bigger yachts you work with the Housekeeping Steward and Head of Housekeeping on a rota, so some days are mostly laundry and others mostly cabins. You rarely do front of house service, though you may cover it on busy nights.
It suits someone tidy, patient and happy to work quietly behind the scenes. Charter days are long, often 12 to 14 hours, and the laundry runs in shifts so guests always have clean towels. In return you live aboard with food and lodging paid, travel with the yacht and gain the core skills every senior stewardess needs. Many Chief Stewardesses started exactly here.
What makes a good one
- Fabric care and stain removal
- Pressing and folding to standard
- Hotel standard cabin cleaning
- Attention to detail
- Stamina for long shifts
A day in the life

- 06:30Start in the laundry. Empty the overnight dryers, sort crew uniforms and fold the first loads of pool and beach towels.
- 08:00Collect guest laundry bags from cabins while guests are at breakfast. Check pockets, log each item and separate whites, colours and delicates.
- 09:30Help service cabins with the housekeeping team. Strip and make beds, clean bathrooms and restock toiletries to the yacht's checklist.
- 11:30Back in the laundry to hand wash a silk dress and steam linen shirts. Press table linen for the evening dinner on the sundeck.
- 13:00Crew lunch, then a short break in your cabin.
- 14:30Return pressed guest clothes to cabins, hung or folded to each guest's preference noted on the guest sheet.
- 16:00Run beach towels and cushion covers after the afternoon tender trip. Clean lint filters and wipe down the laundry room.
- 19:30Turn down cabins while guests dine. Close curtains, set slippers, refresh towels and leave the evening chocolates.
- 21:30Load the overnight wash, hand over to the night stewardess and finish your shift.
Pay by country
Monthly salary for a yacht of 60m to 100m, paid in EUR or USD whatever the flag. Food and accommodation on board are included. Charter tips are shared across the crew and can add a month's salary or more each season.
- France and Monaco
- €2,500 – 3,200
- Spain
- €2,500 – 3,200
- Italy
- €2,500 – 3,200
- United Kingdom
- £2,100 – 2,700
- USA (Florida)
- US$2,700 – 3,500
- Caribbean
- US$2,700 – 3,500
- UAE
- US$2,700 – 3,500
- Australia
- A$4,200 – 5,400
- New Zealand
- NZ$4,600 – 5,900
Required
- STCW Basic Safety Training
- ENG1 medical
Recommended
- PYA GUEST Interior Introduction
- PYA GUEST interior courses
- PDSD
- Food Safety Level 2
- Hotel or laundry experience
Visas
- Schengen visa (non EU crew)
- US B1/B2 or C1/D
- Australian MCV when cruising Australia
Where it leads
Housekeeping / Laundry Assistant jobs open now
Questions crew ask
Do I need yacht experience to get this job?
No. It is an entry role, and hotel housekeeping, dry cleaning or laundry work counts strongly. You do need STCW Basic Safety Training and an ENG1 medical before joining.
Will I only work in the laundry?
Mostly at first, but most yachts rotate you into cabin housekeeping and occasionally service. That variety is what prepares you to move up to a stewardess role.
How long before I can be promoted?
With good references, many people move to Laundry or Housekeeping Steward after one or two seasons. Moving to a second or Chief Stewardess role usually takes several more years.