We’re always on the look-out for freelance crew to work on our vessels, especially during the peak summer season. We are often asked what certificates are required to work for us so here is our handy guide!
All Skippers and Crew
As a minimum, all our crew require two important certificates. In fact, virtually everyone who works at sea need these even if you’re an engineer on a container ship or a salsa dancer on a cruise ship.
- STCW Basic Training
Usually 4-5 days long, this course features four modules that gives basic seafarer training on first aid, firefighting, personal survival techniques and personal safety/social responsibilities. On this course you can expect to be jumping into a swimming pool trying to clamber into a life raft, giving CPR and mouth-to-mouth to a dummy and fighting fires with full fire suits on!
Cost – £700 to £1,000 depending on the training centre. Check out our partners Fireaid in Hythe for more information and to book.
Frequency – This course needs to be refreshed every 5 years but the refresher is usually only 2-3 days long.
- ENG1 Medical
An ENG1 seafarer’s medical is essential to work on our vessels and must be carried out by an MCA approved doctor (find the whole list here). This examination will take around 30 minutes and will test your eyesight, hearing, blood pressure, mobility and overall health. In some areas, MCA approved doctors are few and far between so make sure you check out the list above and book your appointment well in advance to avoid disappointment.
Cost – £115
Frequency – every 2 years
Essential Skipper Certificates
All our skippers require a Certificate of Competency either approved by the RYA or MCA. The type of qualification required usually depends how far offshore you are working but in general, the ‘RYA Yachtmaster Offshore (Power)’ is suitable for all our vessels and gives us the reassurances that you are competent and have suitable experience.
To get to Yachtmaster level you would have most likely completed RYA Powerboat Level 2 or RYA Powerboat Advanced already. The minimum recorded seatime required to do this course is set out by the RYA here, and should be at least 50 days and 2,500 nautical miles. Most people choose to use a training school such as our friends at Powerboat Training UK to perfect their theory and practical skills and then the exam is held on the final day. Expect the theory to be 4 days long and the practical to be 4-5 days.
Cost – £1,500 for practical course and exam plus £450 for 4 day theory course.
Frequency – no expiry date
Commercial Endorsement
In addition to your Yachtmaster qualification you will also need to commercially endorse it in order to work on any of our vessels. This is fairly straightforward and involves sending your Yachtmaster certificate (or other CoC such as RYA Advanced Powerboat) to the RYA along with proof of the following:
- ENG1 medical
- Sea survival certificate (you would have done this on your STCW course)
- Short range VHF certificate (one day course which the RYA offer for £100)
- Personal Practices and Responsibilities certificate (short online course offered by the RYA for £35).
Cost – £40 for application, £100 for VHF, £35 for PPR course. ENG1 and STCW costs are above.
Expiry – 5 years
STCW Endorsement
In some European countries it is required to have a CoC which is STCW endorsed. This essentially links your basic STCW training to your CoC certificate and in the case of all RYA certificates, this isn’t done automatically. Make sure you apply for this when you register for your commercial endorsement (there is a £15 fee at all other times).
Other Skipper Certificates
On some projects our clients request that our skippers hold the MCA Master 200 or even MCA Master 500 CoC. These are more difficult to obtain and require much more training and additional modules to complete. The cost can also be several thousand pounds and take several months of learning and revision so make sure you research carefully on what is required! More info can be found with UKSA.
Additional Courses
In addition to the above there are also plenty of desirable additional qualifications that may give you a leg-up on some of our projects. These include:
- STCW Medical First Aid – this is a more advanced first aid course which some of our clients prefer our crew to have. It costs £450 and is offered by Fireaid.
- MCA approved chart plotter and radar training – on some of our new vessels this training is mandatory due to the new coding requirements. Read more about this here.
- Working at Height – usually a 1 day or online course giving the basics on working at height regulations. Offered by many local training schools
- Slinger/banksman – usually a 1-2 day course giving the basics in banksman training and the lifting regulations. Offered by many local training schools.
- Vessel stability – an MCA approved course looking at vessel stability and how to interpret Stability Information Books held on some of our vessels. This costs £175 and is a one day course, offered by SeaRegs.
- Approved Engine Course – an MCA approved basic engine maintenance course on how to troubleshoot and carry out basic engine repairs. The cost is £900 with UKSA and takes 4 days.
Once you’re all set with the right certificates and qualifications make sure you get in contact with gemma@crc.local to get setup on our database! Why not browse our website too and find out which projects you would be most interested in working on?
