Interior
Purser
The purser runs the yacht's business and logistics: crew payroll, accounts, charter APA, port clearance and guest arrangements. You keep the money right and the paperwork clean so the captain can run the ship.
- Department
- Interior
- Reports to
- Yacht Captain
- Yacht size
- 60m to 150m+
- Contract
- Permanent, sometimes rotation
- Starting pay
- €5,500 per month
What the job is
The purser runs the business side of the yacht. You process crew payroll and contracts, manage budgets, cash and credit cards, code and pay invoices, and keep the accounts in whatever system the management company uses. On charter you track and reconcile the APA so every euro the guests advanced is accounted for. You also hold the ship's papers, work with agents on port clearance, and manage crew visas, flights, travel and certificate renewals.
On the guest side you plan the logistics. That means restaurant and beach club bookings, helicopter and car transfers, shore excursions, special deliveries to the boat and the daily itinerary sheet. You talk every day to the owner's office, the management company, port agents, provisioners and the captain. On busy charters many pursers step into service at lunch or dinner, so a good working knowledge of interior standards is expected on most yachts.
Most pursers come up through senior interior roles, or from accounting, hotel management or private office backgrounds. The role is mainly found on yachts over 60m. On smaller boats the captain and chief stew split the work. Accuracy matters more than anything: a wrong exchange rate on an APA statement can sour a charter client. Expect long laptop hours during the season and quieter yard periods spent on budgets, audits and crew rotations.
What makes a good one
- Bookkeeping and APA reconciliation
- Advanced Excel and accounts software
- Crew admin and payroll
- Guest logistics and bookings
- Discretion with owner information
A day in the life
- 07:00Check emails from the owner's office, broker and agents. Confirm today's lunch booking and the helicopter transfer for two guests flying out tomorrow.
- 08:00Morning meeting with the captain, chief officer and chief stew. Run through guest plans, deliveries expected and the evening anchorage.
- 09:00Log yesterday's receipts against the APA, scan invoices from the fuel bunkering and the fish supplier, and update the running balance for the charter guests.
- 11:00Meet the provisioning delivery at the tender with the chef. Check the invoice against what arrived and settle by card.
- 12:30Help with lunch service on the aft deck while the interior team is stretched with a full guest list.
- 14:30Work on crew admin: book flights for a deckhand's rotation, chase an ENG1 renewal and send next month's payroll figures to the management company.
- 17:00Call the port agent in Bonifacio to arrange clearance and berth for the end of charter, and send crew lists and passport copies.
- 19:30Print tomorrow's itinerary for the guests and check the car and restaurant confirmations one last time.
- 21:30Final email sweep, back up the accounts files and hand the radio to the night stew.
Pay by country
Monthly salary for yachts 60m to 100m, more on larger yachts and for pursers with accounting qualifications. Charter tips apply and are usually shared equally with crew, often adding one to two months' salary per season.
- France and Monaco
- €5,500 – 8,500
- Spain
- €5,500 – 8,500
- Italy
- €5,500 – 8,500
- United Kingdom
- £4,700 – 7,200
- USA (Florida)
- US$6,000 – 9,000
- Caribbean
- US$6,000 – 9,000
- UAE
- AED 22,000 – 33,000
- Australia
- A$9,000 – 13,500
- New Zealand
- NZ$10,000 – 15,000
Required
- STCW Basic Safety Training
- ENG1 medical
- PDSD
Recommended
- Ship Security Officer
- PYA GUEST interior management courses
- Medical First Aid
- Accounting or bookkeeping qualification (AAT or similar)
- Food Safety Level 2
Visas
- Schengen
- US B1/B2 or C1/D
- Australian MCV
Where it leads
Purser jobs open now
Questions crew ask
Do I need an accounting degree to become a purser?
No, but you need proven bookkeeping skills and confidence with Excel. Many pursers are former chief stews who learned accounts on board, while others hold AAT, ACCA or hotel finance backgrounds, which helps you get hired faster.
Will I still do interior work as a purser?
On most yachts, yes, at least during busy charters. Expect to help with service or guest hosting, though on very large yachts the purser role is almost entirely office based.
Do pursers get charter tips?
Usually yes. On most yachts tips are split equally between all crew, so the purser receives the same share as everyone else.