To be clear, this is not cruise-ship work (which is terrible). Sign on to assist a private charter boat and you鈥檒l polish chrome, sling drinks, and clean cabins, all while seeing the world (or at least Bermuda) from an extremely posh vantage. 鈥淚t can mean 16-hour days when the owners are aboard, but that鈥檚 followed by weeks of paid time off,鈥 says Hannah Moran, 34, who has worked on 200-foot yachts all over the world.
Prereqs: Experience on sailboats or in the service industry. Must be 18 or older.
How to Break In: Connect with an agency like Crewfinders in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, which places newcomers on boats and arranges off-water housing. If you鈥檙e not the perky service type, look for short-term gigs crewing yachts sailing south for the winter, which may pay as much as $125 a day. 鈥淚鈥檓 looking for people who know their way around a boat,鈥 says Chatham, Massachusetts, captain Timmy Dow. Many of these gigs are word-of-mouth or come through walking the docks at yacht clubs on the eastern seaboard.
Pay: As much as $2,500 per month, plus room and board.
Romance Potential: 鈥淒on鈥檛 date anyone on your boat,鈥 warns Moran. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not worth the drama. Plus the captain can fire you for any reason.鈥
R茅sum茅 Skills: Open-ocean multitasking; discretion with respect to the antics of prominent boat owners.