Opportunities abound in more diverse roles

Wilsonhalligan's director of yacht recruitment Nicola Morgan is interviewed as part of a series of profiles of Nautilus strategic yacht partners on life in the sector. She provides upbeat insights into the future for superyacht professionals and highlights some unusual and niche roles

Wilsonhalligan was formed in 2006 to provide a personal and professional yacht recruitment service for the owners, managers and captains of large private and chartered yachts. The agency is based near Southampton.

1. What challenges does the industry face over the next five years?

The industry is ever-growing, and this is only set to continue over the next five years. Yachts are getting larger by the day and the demand for suitably qualified staff continues to grow at an equal rate. 

2. How do you see the future for seafarers in the yachting industry? What opportunities will they encounter?

The future for a serious seafaring career should be good. With the industry on the up, there should be more and more amazing opportunities for jobs in more diverse roles. Continuing professional development and updating tickets is always essential and longevity onboard is an incredible asset.

3. How is the MLC benefiting the yachting community?

The industry is becoming increasingly diverse and more accommodating to the LGBT+ community. We are also seeing more and more woman engineers, officers and masters which is really refreshing and is something we actively encourage. The MLC has been a welcome addition to the industry; even if it is not perfect - anything which helps protect the rights of seafarers should be a benefit to the community.

4. What would you say to other organisations thinking of partnering with Nautilus?

Go for it! Nautilus is really helpful. We feel comfortable having its support and it’s great to be able to recommend crew to them if they are unsure of something that we feel unable to assist with.

5. How is the ever-increasing size of superyachts impacting on training and recruitment?

There is a much higher demand on recruitment. There are so many people in the industry now and the yachts are of such a large size they require so many more crew on board.  Gone are the days of hiring crew yourself – try doing that for 50 plus vacancies! On the training side, more and more yachts are requiring specific tickets nowadays, so it’s important to keep everything (including visas) up to date.

6. What advice would you give to seafarers about writing their CVs?

There is so much CV advice out there. A good recruitment agency will also give you CV writing guidance as part of their free service to you, this will also ensure that yours stands out from the rest.

7. Can you tell us about any unusual or niche roles on superyachts?

The pool of niche roles changes every day in this industry. Medical yacht officers are still niche alongside paramedics and physiotherapists. Although it is impossible to give a list of all roles, various requirements come in all the time and we do our utmost to continue to provide the best crew to the best yachts, hotels and households in the industry whatever the request.