Finding Work

Crew Agencies

Crew agencies are the most common way Captains and Estate managers find qualifies Chefs. Their are numerous agencies that provide this service to you for FREE (follow link) as long as you fill out each agencies usually extensive application. This process can take an hour or more per agency. You can find Crew Registration companies that will provide this service to you for a small fee under the Crew Registration link.

 When signing up for agencies it is best to join each and every one of them you can find to increase your odds of gaining employment.

CV's & Resumes

CV is the acronym for the latin term Cirriculum Vitae; A brief account of a person's education, qualifications, and previous experience, typically sent with a job application. Otherwise known as a resume, the term is used by almost every Agency and Client you will apply to. Do yourself a favor and stop saying resume as the term CV is industry standard.

You only have one chance to make a first impression!

My first recommendation for your CV is DO NOT WRITE IT YOURSELF! Captains, Agencies and Estate Managers look for specific things while selecting a candidate and its best to trust the judgment of a professional who understands the Niche Market we work in. Also Do Not trust your buddy who went to business school or your mom to do it either as the results, while probably looking nice, will not highlight the specific skills and industry terminology needed to secure you a job.

HEADSHOT

Your CV should be clean, neat and concise with a clear and recent Professional photo on it. A poor quality photo will make you look bad in both professionalism and appearance. While it might seem vain or predjiduced for clients to want to see a photo of you, it is important as some clients may have specific qualities they are looking for physically. Maybe they just want to make sure they have a nice smile to look at while getting their morning breakfast or maybe they don't want you to be better looking than the principle clients wife, either way its important to have a great photo. When having your photo made do be sure to wear a clean starched Chefs coat and a genuine smile. Some Crew Agencies will offer to take your photo for free but I definetly recommend having a professional photographer do it for you to get the best shot.

CV LENGTH

Your CV should be 1 page in the start of your Transient Chef career and after you build Niche experience can be 2 pages. Your CV should be Clean, Neat and Concise, just like the dishes you serve.

10 DAY MENU

 The hiring agents expect to see a sample menu for 3-7 days generally. I have found that writing a ten day menu simplifies my life as it covers all bases. This menu gives the clients an idea of the type of food you will be preparing for them. This is a Very important part of your package and plenty of thought should go into it.

Breakfast Menus- Every breakfast should include fresh pastries or muffins (I like making the mini muffins as the guests have less guilt if they are on a diet and can be eaten in one bite) and a fresh fruit platter. You should have on your menu ten different breakfast meals for each day but also list that ala cart breakfast to order is always available.

Lunch Menus- The lunch menus can consist of two to three courses and should be lighter style meals that wont put the client into a food coma. My menus contain a salad and an Entree

Dinner Menu- The dinner menus should be at least 4 courses that consist of an Appetizer, Salad, Entree and Dessert.

It is also good to include a small list of Canapes and Hors d'oeuvre's

While writing your menu keep in mind to show the diversity of your cooking experience and try to not cook the same proteins 2 days in a row.

Here is a link to my 10 day menu (Transient Chef Menu)

OPPORTUNITIES

As a Transient Chef you can travel the world while working as a Chef on some of the most beautiful Yachts and Estates in the world. Common spots for us to work is the Carribean, Bahamas, South Florida,Newport, Manhattan, Monaco, Antibes and Cabo San Lucas. Estate work in the US can be in any city or state although Major Metropolitans such as New York, Chicago, LA and South Florida tend to have much more work available. It is very hard work but pays exceptional and has some of the most amazing views known to man.

Previous Experience

A common misconception is that you have to be a high caliber Chef already in order to get a job on a Yacht or Estate. While that is true for the Executive, Head or Sole Chef, often times the Estate or Yacht is big enough to deem it necessary for other less experienced supporting staff such as Galley Hand or 3rd Chef. These jobs are usually filled with eager hardworking people trying to break into the industry. If this describes you check out my Transient Chef New To Industry Guide.

In addition to the CV you will also need to have a few other additional documents.

Food Pics- I recommend another full page collage of food pictures. If the client likes what they see on your CV then this gives them a change to look more in depth at how you plate food and how they might expect their meals to look. This is a great tool that has helped me land several jobs. These photos can be taken by a decent camera phone and then given to your photographer to clean up and form into a collage. its best to give the photographer as many food pics as possible so he can have plenty of options to make you look good. You could also hire a photographer to take your food pics but those sessions take a long time and can cost a lot of money.

Necessary info for all CV's

Nationality

 Put your Nationality here

AGE

 Maybe your client wants an older, more experienced and less rowdy Chef, Maybe the Captain wants a young Chef for crew synergy. You never know what the client wants and should be honest about your age.

Health

If you are prone to illness or have bad knees you may want to reconsider this career choice. Your health on your CVshould always be listed as excellent.

Smoker

If you smoke then then consider quitting. The majority of jobs are for non smokers. If you don't think you can quit then consider putting on a patch or taking nicotine lozenges while you work. the important part here is that you are not taking frequent breaks, getting grumpy when you cant have a cigarette and not smelling like smoke. If you can do those three things then you should be fine. Always list yourself as a NON Smoker if you wish to get hired.

certifications

 Your list of certifications should always be on your CV(Link to Certifications page)

Passport

List the country of issue and maybe expiration date. You must have a current Passport to fully enjoy all of the options this lifestyle can offer you.

culinary skills

This is the part of your CV that can Highlight all the different Cuisines you are capable in as well as specialties such as Pastries & Cakes

food pictures

The clients are hiring you to cook them meals. Its always a good idea to have 3-5 pictures of dishes you have made to wow them as soon as they look at your CV(Link to Food Pics)

hobbies

Great hobbies to list on your CV for Yacht Chefs- Most clients are looking for well rounded active Chefs. To show them your hobbies aren't just drinking bourbon and sleeping, list a few here. Good ones for yachts are Snorkeling, Scuba Diving, Fishing, Paddle Boarding and Kite Surfing. If you dont enjoy any of these then just leave them out.

Great hobbies to list on your CV for Estate Chefs.  Hiking, Gardening, Perusing Farmers Markets and taking specialized classes such as Cheese Making or Wine pairing.

PROVISIONING

One of the most important aspects of our profession is provisioning. Its all about getting What you want, How you want it, Where you want it, sometimes within a budget. The main purpose of this website is to introduce other Chefs to the resources we have found helpful and to make all our jobs easier.

Budgeting

Often when you join an Estate or Yacht they will give you a crew/staff budget to work within. The clientele we work with can sometimes be very particular about this subject. It is best to always stay in budget at all times. An average budget for a Yacht or Estate can be anywhere from $10-$20 per crew member per day. Every job is different as their are estates where the staff isn't offered meals to Luxury Yachts feeding crew the same meals as guests. It is important to communicate with the Chief Stew/Estate Manager to find out if its your job to purchase snacks and such for the crew/staff and guests. In some instances you will be instructed to only purchase what you cook and serve to guests and crew and other instances you will be responsible for all snacks and beverages. Basic menu Breakdown here

Ordering Guide

Our team has put together this basic ordering guide to help make sure you don't forget anything-- Coming soon

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