Sailing jobs for the 2027 season: we are looking for hard-working and enthusiastic sailors to help run our flotilla and cabin charter holidays, RYA cruising instructors for our sailing schools, and RYA dinghy and windsurf instructors for our beach clubs.
Recruiting now for 2027
Recruiting now for 2027
Are you looking for a challenge in 2027? Most positions are for the full summer season, from mid April until late October. However, we have a few opportunities for the July and August high season, which may suit those in higher education. We also have occasional short-term requirements, and keep a list of contract staff available at short notice for this work.
Working in sailing is fun, rewarding and never quite the same from one day to the next. There are amazing days, plenty of laughs, new places and great people, and of course the occasional challenge that keeps things interesting. It’s all part of the adventure, and it’s how you learn, grow and get better at what you do.
We believe our people are what make the company what it is. Everyone has an important part to play, and we want our staff to feel supported, valued and part of the team. You’ll work alongside people with years of experience in sailing and travel, who are happy to share what they know, and we invest in our people and encourage them to learn, develop their skills and take on new challenges, whether on the water, with guests or as part of the wider team.
Our guests are at the heart of what we do. Hospitality is a big part of our culture: a Greek value that means much more than simply looking after someone. It’s about making people feel welcome and genuinely looked after, so that they leave with stories to tell and memories they’ll be talking about long after they’ve gone home. Sometimes that means going the extra mile, solving a problem or simply knowing when someone needs a little help.
We’re looking for people who enjoy being part of a team, like taking responsibility and aren’t afraid to get stuck in. In return, we’ll give you the support, trust and opportunity to make the most of your time with us. If this sounds like the kind of team you’d like to be part of, we’d love to hear from you!
Before you apply
All applicants must be over 18, in good health and well presented. You will need to be available for an online interview between November and March, and for a face-to-face interview in London should it be deemed necessary.
All the jobs can involve long and sometimes antisocial hours, and are most definitely not a holiday. You must have a flexible approach: from time to time you may be required to undertake duties outside your normal role, and this may involve dirty and hard physical work.
All positions involve daily face-to-face contact with our customers, so you must be service focused, enthusiastic and sociable, with a determination to give our guests their best ever holiday. A flexible, mature and self-disciplined approach to problem solving is essential, so applications are welcome from all ages. It is vital you are patient: our clients have varied demands, expectations and skills, and you will socialise with clients of all age groups (including children) and from diverse backgrounds. All our flotillas and beach clubs operate in English, so foreign languages are not essential, though they can be an asset.
Most positions are for the whole season (April to October), though we also offer part-season and short-term assignments from time to time, and we keep a register of staff interested in such posts. For our main recruitment period, and to maximise your chance of success, please apply as soon as possible and no later than mid January 2027. However, opportunities do occur after this date, so it is never too late to apply, even during the season.
We are happy to consider applications from couples, but please make it clear on both CVs that you are seeking work together. We also welcome applications from all nationalities, but note that the positions are for work in EU countries such as Greece, Croatia, Spain and France, as well as Turkey. Formalities are straightforward for British and EU nationals; for other nationalities, positions are subject to being able to obtain the necessary work permits for you.
Virtually all positions require sailing qualifications, so please read the job descriptions carefully: applying for a job for which you are not qualified or suitably experienced wastes your time and ours. If you are looking for work on the larger cruise vessels featured on our cruise website, Seafarer Cruises, please note that we do not recruit for these vessels ourselves, so you will need to contact the operators directly.
When drafting your CV, remember that we are interested in all your abilities, not just your sailing skills. Please also bear in mind that any false information you provide during your recruitment or employment may become grounds for dismissal. References are taken if you are offered a position, and we are also obliged to request criminal record checks.
Please read the job descriptions before applying. The positions we offer are a great opportunity for those making a career in the sailing or travel industries, so if you relish the chance to put a smile on people’s faces and want to experience life working abroad, we’d like to hear from you.
Your application
To apply for any of the positions, or to join our register for occasional work, we need your CV and a short covering letter. Please keep your CV to 2 pages maximum, and send it with the application form at the bottom of this page.
What happens next
We will acknowledge your application within two weeks; if you have not had a reply by then, please send it again, as we may not have received it. It can take time for us to review CVs, so please be patient: we do not normally start interviews until November. Calls and emails asking about the state of your application merely slow us down, and if you do have any queries, email is much preferred to phone calls.
If we are not able to offer you a position immediately, we may place you on our reserves list. As sales progress and we are better able to identify our staffing requirements, we are usually able to offer the majority of the reserves a position.
Positions for the 2027 season at our flotilla bases, sailing schools and beach clubs. Virtually all of them require sailing qualifications, so please check the requirements for each role.
Greece
We are accepting CVs from qualified and experienced candidates to join our base management team in Greece. We offer a competitive salary and benefits package, and the opportunity for additional training and advancement.
Greece and Croatia
We are looking to recruit RYA cruising instructors for our RYA training centres in Greece and Croatia. Your role will be to deliver RYA yachting courses, from Start Yachting to Day Skipper, to a maximum of 5 students per week, on both shared-berth tuition yachts and private instruction for flotilla and bareboat clients. You will also be responsible for a weekly budget, and for preparing weekly reports for head office.
Our courses run alongside our flotilla programme, and our tuition yachts generally follow the same route as the flotilla, so students can join in with flotilla activities in the evenings. Courses run over a full week, which gives plenty of time to complete the full syllabus and enjoy the area, with regular swim stops. Generally you will be on the water for 3 weeks out of 4, with accommodation provided for the week ashore. Courses run for 6 days, so you have a day off each week on the water to recharge your batteries, plus the 4th week ashore, with plenty of time to relax and enjoy the area.
Sponsorship: for the right candidates, we are prepared to offer sponsorship to gain your Cruising Instructor endorsement. If you are a Yachtmaster Offshore with your commercial endorsement, this might be the perfect introduction to teaching.
Flotilla
Our flotilla skippers are in many ways our local managers, ensuring all aspects of our clients’ holidays are delivered to the highest standard. This is much more than just a sailing job: we’re looking for people with personality, management and organisational skills, plus the initiative to get things done and resolve local issues.
You will run a flotilla of up to 12 yachts. Assisted by your first mate, you will lead the initial and daily client briefings, covering all aspects of their holidays, including technical yacht briefings, safety, navigation and cruise itineraries. You will help clients berth and leave port, ensure their satisfaction and welfare throughout the trip, and lead social events. As with all our vacancies, this is a hands-on position, and you will also help prepare the yachts on turnaround days. You will manage local spending to budget and submit weekly accounts and flotilla reports to head office.
You will be qualified to RYA Yachtmaster Offshore level, with a commercial endorsement, preferably with previous professional skippering or flotilla experience. You must have a sound working knowledge of practical sailing skills and yacht systems (including engines, sails, rigging and general yacht maintenance), and be able to share this knowledge clearly. The position includes helping clients on flotilla yachts with any technical issues away from base, with the aim of solving problems quickly wherever possible.
This is a superb opportunity to broaden your skills, whether you’re building a career in the sailing or travel industries, or taking a career break.
Flotilla
Flotilla engineers and mates enjoy a varied role. Primarily responsible for day-to-day maintenance and running repairs to the fleet, you will also assist both the skipper and the first mate with their tasks, including preparing the yachts on turnaround day.
You will take part in client briefings and, with the right sailing skills, may also give informal sailing instruction on board clients’ yachts, as well as undertaking yacht deliveries. You will maintain the tools and replenish spares, taking responsibility for any associated spending. You will take a full part in flotilla social events, and must be clean and presentable.
Ideally, you will have previous experience of yacht maintenance and marine systems, including engines, electrics, electronics and plumbing. You will be eager to further your knowledge and, as a minimum, have a mechanical bent and a basic understanding of electrical theory. Sailing qualifications to Coastal Skipper would be an advantage, though not essential, but you must hold an RYA Day Skipper certificate as a minimum.
Flotilla
First mate responsibilities with Seafarer make this a varied and rewarding role. You will assist the flotilla skipper with briefings and mooring the flotilla yachts, and organise the logistics of the off-water activities: group meals, excursions and activities all need planning with both the Seafarer crew and local resources, so good written and spoken communication skills are vital.
On turnaround days, you will work with the rest of the flotilla crew to check and prepare the yachts, including providing grocery welcome packs for each yacht and making sure the lead yacht is provisioned. You will also liaise with our local agents to ensure client transfers between the airport and our base run smoothly. Throughout, you will account for all the funds you spend.
You need to be an energetic, diplomatic and responsible person, with a sense of fun and good organisational skills. You must be able to manage your own work and be confident in front of clients. Sailing qualifications are useful, though not essential, but you should have experience in line with RYA Competent Crew or above. For first mates who do a full season, we will provide RYA Day Skipper training with Seafarer Training.
You must be certain you can live in the confines of a yacht, and ideally will have spent at least a week living on board before.
Greece
As a charter skipper, you will run one and two-week sailing cruises, mainly around the Cyclades and Ionian islands of Greece. The cruises will be a mixture of private charters and mixed groups on cabin charter, the latter following set itineraries, and guests may wish to take part in sailing the yacht.
You will be responsible for all aspects of running the yacht, including provisioning, organising laundry and cleaning, and any necessary running repairs, with support from our technical team. You will be used to, or comfortable with, operating quite independently, deciding on the itinerary according to the weather and keeping guests informed: managing these wider aspects of the operation is as important as the sailing. You will deliver the programme to budget and submit weekly reports of expenses, the itinerary and so on to head office.
The skipper must hold at least an RYA Yachtmaster with a commercial endorsement (or a similar international qualification), with at least 3,000 miles of previous commercial skippering experience on yachts of a similar size in a variety of conditions. The Cyclades is a challenging sailing area, so the role is not suitable for newly qualified or inexperienced skippers.
The right candidate will enjoy a competitive salary and, if required, potentially permanent year-round employment with a long-established and reputable company. The role is initially in Greece, though it can in due course be combined with other locations in our programme.
For more information, contact Yiannis Patsamanis or John Connolly by emailing info@seafarerholidays.com, or call +44 20 8324 3118 (UK) or +30 694 933 1188 (Greece).
Beach clubs
Seafarer is always looking for RYA dinghy, windsurf and powerboat instructors to work at our beach clubs in Greece. You’ll be part of a small team of hard-working and dedicated instructors with a real love for the sports they teach. We offer industry-leading pay and perks, and the opportunity to progress as an instructor, both in Greece and the UK.
Dinghy instructors should hold the RYA Dinghy Instructor certificate and, if possible, be multihull endorsed, an Advanced Instructor or a Race Coach. We also look for at least one season of instructing already, either in Britain or abroad, and experience of sailing and racing high-performance dinghies and skiffs is very desirable. Windsurf instructors (unless dual qualified) should hold the Intermediate Non-Planing Instructor certificate, and powerboat instructors need an instructor qualification in sailing or windsurfing.
The role includes tuition (both RYA courses and clinics), helping guests, safety boat cover and taking part in the social life of the resort. Take a look at Nikiana Beach Club to see the courses we run and the kit we have to play with.
Beach clubs
These are more senior positions, with all the requirements of our watersports instructors plus additional responsibilities. As well as training, you will oversee the watersports team and plan and manage the operation in line with the standards laid down by the RYA. You will ensure clients’ wellbeing, particularly with regard to health and safety, and achieve high levels of client satisfaction.
You will be responsible for keeping the daily maintenance logs, among others, and take a lead in beach briefings and social events. Ideally, you will have proven management or supervisory experience and will have done a similar role before. Candidates must hold a current RYA Senior Instructor qualification in dinghy or windsurfing, and an up-to-date first aid certificate.
Contract work
From time to time, we employ additional staff on short contracts (typically 1 to 3 weeks) to cover staff sickness and peak demand. Most of this work is for yacht skippers, on flotilla or charter work, or for RYA course instruction (Competent Crew and Day Skipper), though it can also include dinghy instructors and yacht first mates or hosts.
Much of this work arises at short notice, so we keep a register of those who may be interested. The requirements for this work are as per the relevant vacancy. If you’d like to be considered, please send us your CV and the other details described in How to apply, noting your minimum daily or weekly rate and your expected location for the summer (if known).
If you have registered with us before and would like to stay on the list for next season, we’d appreciate a refresh of your details, especially if your phone number or email address has changed.
Fill in the form below and attach your CV (and, if you like, a covering letter). We are sorry, but we are unable to respond to applications from those without suitable qualifications or related experience.
