Feel at home on the sea, love travel and have a taste for the finer things in life? Then working on a superyacht might be right up your alley! We talked to nzgirl Ruby about her life on a luxe superyacht…
Name: Ruby Mitchell
Age: 25
Employer/company: Superyacht
Position: Stewardess
Can you give us a brief job description?
I work as a stewardess on a 50m superyacht based in Monaco, France. The job involves cabin and laundry service, bartending, and serving guests’ breakfast, lunch and dinner. It’s a privately owned luxury yacht so the service is extremely high end.
How did you get this job?
Three years ago I had just finished uni but was unsure where to go from there. I knew I wanted to travel so I took a big breath and left my family and friends and went to Antibes, France where I had heard you could land a superyacht job. There I had to convince the 
crew agents that I would be perfect for a stewardess job! After a few days of trawling back and forth between them, I was lucky enough to land a job on an Australian owned 40m superyacht based in Italy. That was two years ago and I haven’t looked back!
What inspired you to get into this field?
My boyfriend had worked a summer as a chef on a superyacht based in France previously and loved it. He recommended it as a great way to travel and earn cash while doing so!
What is a typical week at work like for you?
There is no typical week which is one of the great things about this job! For example, this week coming up we are in high-action mode getting ready for the Grand Prix here in Monaco. Monday to Thursday will be working a normal day, cleaning and detailing rooms, storing provisions and getting the boat ready for the huge influx of guests who will party it 
up on here. Once the Grand Prix swings into action, from Thursday to Sunday we will be serving meals, bartending, servicing cabins, hosting a themed Grand Prix party and in general making sure all the guests are looked after
.
What do you enjoy about your job most of all?
Having a great charter where the guests really appreciate the extra miles you have put in for them to enjoy their time on board.
Best perks of the job?
Definitely the travel. In the last three months I have been to St Vincent and the Grenadines, St Lucia, St Maarten, Miami, the Azores, Gibraltar and finally Monaco!
What things do you think make your job different or fun?
You get to meet all sorts of interesting (sometimes famous!)people, both as guests on the boat and the locals you meet in all the new places you visit. And you have personal interaction with extremely wealthy guests, whom you would never meet in your everyday life.
What personality traits/skills/attributes help a person get a job like yours?
You have to be a people person; one because you live and work with the same people day in, day out and also because your job is service based. Bubbly, adaptable, easygoing, and hardworking are assets which will go a long way in this industry.
Most memorable moment of your job so far?
There would have to be two. One, pulling in to St Tropez on a boat I worked on two years ago, and seeing Mariah Carey prancing around in a diamante bikini on the boat next door. And two, waking up to land outside my porthole after a three week crossing across the Atlantic ocean from Marseilles, France, to Antigua in the Caribbean. I was land starved to say the least!
Any advice for nzgirls wanting to get into this field?
I recommend a hospitality or customer service background as work experience. And obviously at the very least a love of the ocean! Having dive experience, or knowledge of boats is also a plus.
Where would you like to go from here?
I shall see where the seas take me!
