STCW and ENG1 are the two certificates that decide whether you’re even considered for a yacht job — not a preference, not a nice-to-have, an absolute floor. The short answer: STCW Basic Safety Training is a 4–5 day practical course in firefighting, sea survival, first aid, and personal safety, and ENG1 is a short medical exam confirming you’re fit to work at sea. Without both, no captain can legally hire you. Here’s exactly what each one actually involves.

What STCW Actually Stands For (and Why It Exists)

STCW stands for Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping — an international maritime convention, not a yacht-industry invention. It exists because commercial vessels of every kind, not just superyachts, need a guaranteed minimum level of safety competency in every crew member, regardless of their actual job on board.

That’s the part green crew often miss: STCW isn’t about your role. It’s about what happens when something goes wrong, and everyone on board — deckhand, stewardess, chef — needs to know the same emergency basics.

What the Course Actually Covers, Module by Module

STCW Basic Safety Training runs over four core modules, typically completed across 4–5 days at an approved training centre:

• Personal Survival Techniques: Liferaft deployment, abandon-ship procedure, survival at sea — including in-water drills, not just theory.
• Fire Prevention and Firefighting: Extinguisher types and use, fire containment, practical hands-on firefighting exercises — you will actually put out a real fire during this module.
• Elementary First Aid: Basic medical response, CPR, how to stabilise someone until proper help arrives.
• Personal Safety and Social Responsibility: Accident prevention, emergency protocols, and how to function correctly within a ship’s command structure during a crisis.

This is practical training, not a classroom lecture series. Expect to get wet, get warm near a real fire, and physically practice the drills — sitting through slides and passing a multiple-choice quiz isn’t what earns you the certificate.

What ENG1 Actually Checks

The ENG1 is a maritime-specific medical exam, distinct from a regular GP checkup, conducted by an approved doctor. It typically takes 20–30 minutes and covers vision, hearing, cardiovascular health, and general fitness for the physical demands of sea work. You’ll walk out with a paper certificate the same day if everything’s in order.

A few things catch people out: certain medications and pre-existing conditions can complicate approval, so it’s worth being upfront with the doctor rather than hoping something doesn’t come up. And the exam must be done by an approved doctor specifically — a certificate from your regular family doctor won’t be accepted, no matter how thorough it is.

How Long Are These Valid For?

Don’t let either one quietly expire mid-contract. An expired certificate mid-season is a genuinely awkward, career-stalling problem — captains notice, and agencies won’t place you until it’s renewed.

What It Actually Costs

Expect roughly €800–€1,200 for STCW Basic Safety and £100–£150 for ENG1 in Europe, though both shift with location and provider — confirm current pricing directly before booking rather than relying on any number you read online, including this one. Training centres exist across the major yachting hubs — Antibes, Palma, Fort Lauderdale, Cape Town, and others — so you don’t need to be in a specific city to get certified.

Can You Do This Before You Travel?

Yes, and for most people, this is the smarter order of operations. Plenty of crew complete STCW and ENG1 in their home country — sometimes cheaper, definitely less stressful than trying to arrange it while also job-hunting in an unfamiliar marina. Arrive in a crewing hub already certified, and you can start applying and dock-walking immediately instead of losing your first week to paperwork.

What Happens If You Skip This Step

You simply will not work legally on a commercial yacht — there’s no workaround. Captains cannot hire you without both certificates, and reputable agencies filter out applications missing them automatically, before a human even looks at your CV. This isn’t industry gatekeeping for its own sake — insurance and flag-state regulations require it.

For the complete list of every certificate you might need beyond these two mandatory ones — role-specific extras like Powerboat Level 2 or Food Hygiene — see our full certificate guide. And once you’re certified, our step-by-step first job guide covers exactly what to do next.

The One Piece of Advice Worth Repeating

Book both well before you plan to travel — training spots fill up fast ahead of the Mediterranean and Caribbean seasons, and arriving without certificates in hand means losing your first, most valuable week to logistics instead of job-hunting.

Written by Ivana — Chief Stewardess on 55m superyachts, who checks every new crew member’s certificates before they set foot on board. Writes here so nothing catches you out at the worst possible moment.