All roles/Dual roles/Steward / Purser
Dual roles
Steward / Purser
A Steward / Purser runs guest service and housekeeping like any steward, then handles the yacht's accounts, crew paperwork and port admin. On mid-size yachts this keeps the interior and the office running without an extra cabin.
- Department
- Dual roles
- Reports to
- Captain
- Yacht size
- 35m to 65m
- Contract
- Seasonal or permanent
- Starting pay
- €3,800 per month
What the job is
This is a dual role found mostly on yachts between 35m and 65m, where the budget or crew cabins do not stretch to a dedicated purser. You work as a full member of the interior team, serving meals, turning down cabins, doing laundry and keeping the guest areas spotless. You also carry the admin load that a purser would hold on a larger yacht, so your day is split between a tray and a laptop.
On the purser side you manage the yacht's cash float and petty cash, log every receipt, reconcile card statements and produce the monthly accounts for the management company. You prepare crew lists, check passports and visas, chase ENG1 and STCW expiry dates and send clearance documents to agents before each port. On charter you track the APA, record every spend against it and present the final statement to the charter guests or their broker at the end of the trip.
The Captain usually owns the budget and signs off the accounts, so you report to them on admin and to the Chief Stewardess on interior work if there is one. Captains hire for this role because one reliable person saves a cabin and a salary. The trade off is that you rarely get a quiet hour on charter. You need to switch from serving lunch to answering a customs query without losing track of either.
What makes a good one
- Silver service and wine knowledge
- Accurate bookkeeping and APA tracking
- Excel and accounts software
- Crew and port documentation
- Discretion with money and guest data
A day in the life
- 06:45Set up the coffee station and breakfast buffet on the aft deck, then lay the table for the early risers.
- 08:00Serve breakfast with the Chief Stewardess and clear down. Note the guests' requests for lunch and the afternoon.
- 09:30Cabin service on the guest deck: beds, bathrooms and fresh towels. Start the first laundry load.
- 11:00An hour in the office. Log yesterday's receipts against the APA, email the agent in Ibiza with the updated crew and guest list and confirm the restaurant booking ashore.
- 12:30Lunch service on the sundeck, including wine pairing and clearing.
- 15:00Crew break, then reconcile the cash float and pay the provisioning delivery that has arrived by tender.
- 17:00Prepare the bar and canapés for sundowners while the deck crew bring the toys in.
- 19:30Dinner service, followed by turndown in the guest cabins while guests are at the table.
- 22:30Update the APA spreadsheet with the day's spend and leave a running balance for the Captain before bed.
Pay by country
Monthly salary for crew on 35m to 65m yachts, paid in EUR or USD whatever the flag. Charter tips are shared on top and can add one to two months' salary over a busy season.
- France and Monaco
- €3,800 – 5,000
- Spain
- €3,800 – 5,000
- Italy
- €3,800 – 5,000
- United Kingdom
- £3,300 – 4,300
- USA (Florida)
- US$4,200 – 5,500
- Caribbean
- US$4,200 – 5,500
- UAE
- AED 15,500 – 20,000
- Australia
- A$6,500 – 8,500
- New Zealand
- NZ$7,000 – 9,300
Required
- STCW Basic Safety Training
- ENG1 medical
- Food Safety Level 2
- PDSD
Recommended
- PYA GUEST interior courses
- Ship Security Officer
- WSET Level 2 Award in Wines
- Medical First Aid
- AAT bookkeeping qualification
Visas
- Schengen visa (non EU nationals)
- US B1/B2 or C1/D
- Australian MCV
Where it leads
Steward / Purser jobs open now
Questions crew ask
Do I need an accounting qualification to get this job?
No. Most Captains want two or more seasons as a steward plus proof you can run a clean spreadsheet and handle cash. A bookkeeping course helps you stand out but is not required.
How much of the job is admin and how much is interior?
On charter it is roughly 70% interior and 30% admin, mostly done in short blocks between services. In the yard or off season the balance flips towards accounts, crew renewals and budgets.
Is this a good route to becoming a full time purser?
Yes. Running APA, crew lists and accounts on a smaller yacht gives you the track record that larger yachts look for when hiring a Purser.