There are currently opportunities in Australia for the following types of Instructor:

Cruising Instructor (sail)
Yachtmaster Instructor (sail)
Yachtmaster Examiner (sail)
Yachtmaster Instructor (power)
Yachtmaster Examiner (power)
Yachtmaster Ocean Instructor
Yachtmaster Ocean Examiner

There may also be opportunities in the future for RYA powerboat instructors but, at present, there is only one recognised centre.

There are only limited opportunities for RYA dinghy and windsurfing instructors, because at present we have no plans to expand these schemes into Australia. If you are interested in this area, it may be worth contacting Yachting Australia centres for employment, as the crossover to their qualifications is fairly straightforward. The Yachting Australia website is shown in the links above.

RYA centres in Australia have experienced a shortage of suitably qualified and experienced Yachtmaster and Cruising instructors since we started offering courses here. This is principally because there are significant hurdles to becoming qualified to work commercially in Australia, even with a RYA qualification. The system of Australian marine training and qualifications is complex, with different requirements in each state.

Converting to Australian commercial qualifications

There are no commercial sailing qualifications in Australia at present, so conversion has to be made to the existing structure. The appropriate qualifications are:

Coxswain: Vessels <13m up to 15nm offshore
Master 5: Vessels <24m up to 200nm offshore

Both these qualifications are oriented for the manning of small ferries, powerboats and coastal trading vessels. Therefore conversion requires taking training and testing for the areas not covered by the RYA syllabus. We have achieved acceptance for 80% of these two qualifications for holders of the RYA Yachtmaster qualification. Crossover training and assessment to Coxswain/Master 5 can be obtained through the Offshore Maritime Training Centre, an RYA training centre. The training will take up to three weeks to complete (full time) or approximately one week with home study included. You may be able to complete some of this training before you come to Australia.

Seatime requirements
Coxswain: 8-12 months recreational or commercial
Master 5: 30 months, 15 on a commercial vessel

The above conditions apply to those wishing to work commercially across Australia. In Queensland, we have obtained a dispensation whereby RYA Instructors can work commercially, with only fairly minimal crossover training (approximately three days plus an oral exam). There are no seatime requirements. The qualification is restricted to working within RYA training centres. We are negotiating with the maritime authorities to overcome these hurdles and expect to make significant progress towards acceptance of the Yachtmaster (sail) qualification in the next few months.

Emigrating to work in Australia

The first step for those coming to work from outside Australia is to make contact with one of the RYA centres. This can be done via the training centre search link above.

It s a good idea to send a comprehensive CV and references and follow up with a phone call. It is possible to get a temporary working visa for four months, otherwise you will need to be sponsored by a training centre. The paperwork required for longer term visas is fairly comprehensive, so allow time for this.