Interior and service training, from your first interior unit to chief stew, ranked and explained.
Interior crew keep the guest experience running, and the industry standard is the IAMI GUEST framework, a ladder of units from basic food and beverage service up to senior and chief stewardess level. Alongside GUEST you'll often add wine, barista, floristry and housekeeping training. Whether you're a brand-new stew or stepping up to chief, some schools deliver the official IAMI GUEST syllabus (the IAMI register lists accredited providers), others run their own interior programmes. Here are the schools we'd recommend for interior training, led by Flying Fish.
Some links on this page may be affiliate links. If you book through one, YachtSync may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. It doesn't affect the order below; rankings are editorial. Prices shown are pulled from each provider's own course pages, correct at time of writing and may change by date or intake, so always confirm the current price and any accommodation options directly with the provider before booking.
My own starting point. I trained with Flying Fish back in 2018. Purpose-built superyacht training base on the water in Cowes, RYA Training Centre and MCA-approved, with one of the widest course ranges in the UK: STCW, deckhand and interior packages right through to Yachtmaster. Onsite accommodation can be booked directly with them at a good price alongside your course. Book online and hold a place for 48 hours.
From £3,340
Major Fort Lauderdale training campus, MCA / USCG / RYA approved, the main US hub for crew training either side of the Atlantic.
Barcelona interior specialist, PYA/GUEST and IAMI accredited, focused on stewardess and service training.
Cape Town entry-level academy, MCA-approved, popular with green crew starting in South Africa.
Monaco and Antibes, RYA and IAMI accredited, particularly strong on interior, galley and Ship's Cook training.
Online IAMI GUEST interior training you can start from anywhere, with mental-health first aid alongside.
From £2,250
Phuket-based, MCA and IYT approved, the leading superyacht training hub in South-East Asia.
Sydney academy, IYT / MCA / AMSA approved, the established pathway for crew starting out in Australia.
From $1,995
Large charity-run academy in Cowes, MCA-approved and an RYA Training Centre, also running full cadetship pathways for crew who want the professional route.
This is our shortlist. See every provider offering Interior / Stewardess in the full Interior / Stewardess directory →
I haven't done an interior or stewardess course myself, my own path went through deckhand and onto the bridge, so I won't pretend to have sat through GUEST training. But the same factors that mattered to me choosing a deckhand course keep coming up when I talk to stewardesses about theirs too.
If you're choosing between interior schools, these are worth asking about, alongside the IAMI GUEST accreditation itself:
Those are the practical basics. For the GUEST syllabus itself and what each level actually covers, see the FAQs below.
It's not always legally required, but a GUEST interior course makes you far more employable as green crew and is expected on most professional yachts.
GUEST (Guidelines for Unified Excellence in Service Training) is the IAMI-run interior training standard, made up of stackable units from basic service to chief stewardess.
Yes. Interior crew need the same STCW Basic Safety Training as deck crew, as it is a legal requirement for everyone working on board.
YachtSync is a free app that keeps all your maritime tickets and expiry dates in one place, with the full training directory alongside.
Get YachtSync free