There are multiple questions we always get asked when people are deciding whether to start a new career in the Superyacht world and sign in to one of our courses.
One question we get asked more and more is ‘can I work on Superyachts with a tattoo?’
The reason this question gets asked is that almost everyone knows how particular the Superyacht industry can be, and it would be a shame to pursue a new career if you knew you had little chance of actually finding a job.
The simple and short answer is yes, you can work on a Superyacht with tattoos…but it does depend on where your tattoos are.
Superyacht recruiters and captains are becoming a lot more relaxed to tattoos simply because so many people now have them. Yachts may be missing out on a great deckhand or stewardess if they don’t accept tattoos.
Where is the line for tattoos NOT being allowed on Superyachts?
If you have large visible tattoos, i.e below the t-shirt sleeve line, on your neck or below the knee then some yachts may not like it. The type and location of the tattoos are so subjective that you may be asked to take a photo of the tattoo to check to see whether it is accepted.
Remember, you are customer facing so it is pretty obvious that anyone with offensive tattoos or any large facial tattoos will have almost no chance of finding work on a Superyacht.
For example, if you have a small tattoo on your foot from when you went traveling on your gap year or a tattoo you can easily cover-up, then there is little for you to worry about.
We have had many customers that have completed our Deck or Stew Superyacht training course with tattoos and had no trouble finding work.
Have a read of how Flying Fish graduate Ben Dunne has built a career in the Superyacht industry. A self-proclaimed ‘male under 5’10, with tattoos and a body that screams eat more kale’. Ben was a fantastic student, so it’s no surprise to us that he found his first job in a matter of weeks.
What yachts really want are qualified crew with a great attitude and willingness to work hard.
Assuming you have these qualities then we don’t think you will find it difficult to get work on a Superyacht.
