All roles/Dual roles/Steward / Personal Trainer
Dual roles
Steward / Personal Trainer
You work a full rotation as an interior steward and run fitness sessions for the owner, guests and sometimes crew. It saves a cabin while keeping guests strong, rested and well looked after on long trips.
- Department
- Dual roles
- Reports to
- Chief Steward / Chief Stewardess
- Yacht size
- 35m to 90m
- Contract
- Seasonal or permanent
- Starting pay
- €3,500 per month
What the job is
This is a steward's job first. You do service, housekeeping, laundry and turndowns as part of the interior team, and you are on the same rota as everyone else. The difference is that the owner or charter guests also have a qualified trainer on board. On yachts that cannot spare a cabin for a dedicated fitness professional, one crew member covering both jobs is the practical answer, and captains hire for it deliberately.
The training side means planning and running sessions around the guest programme. That might be a 07:00 strength session in the gym, a mobility class on the sundeck, a run ashore in Mallorca or a paddleboard workout off the swim platform. You assess fitness and injuries, adapt to age and ability, and keep the gym clean, stocked and safe. Some owners bring their own programme from a coach at home, and you deliver it faithfully.
The hard part is the hours. A morning session can follow a late dinner service, and nobody gives you a lighter interior load because you trained someone. Good Chief Stews build sessions into the rota so service does not suffer. You need to switch fast from coach to discreet steward, read when a guest wants to chat or be left alone, and keep your own energy up across a ten week season.
What makes a good one
- Silver service and housekeeping standards
- Programming for mixed ages and abilities
- Injury screening and safe coaching
- Reading guests and staying discreet
- Stamina across long service days
A day in the life
- 06:30Set up the sundeck with mats, kettlebells and bands, chill water and lay out fresh gym towels before the first guest arrives.
- 07:00Run a 45 minute strength and mobility session for two guests, adjusting one exercise for a shoulder injury flagged at the start of the charter.
- 08:00Wipe down and pack away the kit, then change into interior uniform and help serve breakfast on the aft deck.
- 09:30Cabin service with the Second Stew: beds, bathrooms, restocking amenities and tidying wardrobes while guests swim.
- 12:30Lunch service at anchor in Cala d'Or, clearing and resetting the table and keeping drinks topped up.
- 14:30Break off watch for an hour. You use part of it for your own workout and to plan tomorrow's yoga flow requested by the principal.
- 16:30Lead a paddleboard core session off the swim platform with the deck crew watching from the tender.
- 19:00Turndowns in the guest cabins, then on to dinner service until the guests move to the bar.
- 22:30Final clear down of the saloon, log tomorrow's session times with the Chief Stew and hand over to the night stew.
Pay by country
Monthly salary for crew on 35m to 90m yachts, usually paid in EUR or USD. The training skill typically adds €300 to €700 over a standard steward's pay. Charter tips are shared with the crew and can add a month's salary or more per busy season.
- France and Monaco
- €3,500 – 4,500
- Spain
- €3,500 – 4,500
- Italy
- €3,500 – 4,500
- United Kingdom
- £3,000 – 3,800
- USA (Florida)
- US$3,800 – 4,900
- Caribbean
- US$3,800 – 4,900
- UAE
- AED 14,000 – 18,000
- Australia
- A$5,800 – 7,500
- New Zealand
- NZ$6,400 – 8,200
Required
- STCW Basic Safety Training
- ENG1 medical
- Level 3 Personal Trainer qualification or equivalent
- Food Safety Level 2
- First Aid and CPR
Recommended
- PDSD
- PYA GUEST Introduction to Yacht Interior
- Yoga or Pilates teaching qualification
- WSET Level 2 Award in Wines
- RYA Powerboat Level 2
- Personal trainer liability insurance
Visas
- Schengen visa (non EU crew)
- US C1/D crew visa
- US B1/B2
- Australian Maritime Crew Visa (MCV)
Where it leads
Steward / Personal Trainer jobs open now
Questions crew ask
Do I need yachting experience, or is a personal training qualification enough?
Most captains want at least one season as a steward, or strong hotel and hospitality experience, because interior work is most of the job. A trainer with no service background usually needs to start as a Junior Steward and add the fitness side once proven.
How much training do I actually do each day?
It depends on the owner or charter guests. Some days it is one session, on active charters it can be two or three, and on quiet weeks you may only train crew or keep the gym in order.
Do I get paid extra for the training sessions?
Usually it is built into a higher monthly salary rather than paid per session. Expect a few hundred euros above a standard steward, and guests sometimes mention your sessions when tipping.