Life of a TYW intern

Yacht Week

By Yacht Week

Posted on 17th January 2019

Sick of scrolling your way through the working day? Beat the 9-5 grind and sail to a more enjoyable working frame of mind. We're hiring interns for the summer to help us organise our events. An unmissable opportunity for anyone interested in gaining experience in the events sector. Apply here.

Wondering what a typical working day of an intern for The Yacht Week looks like? Here's the low down from one of our faves from last year, Georgia Rogers-Smith.

HOW DOES TYW SUMMER INTERNSHIP DIFFER FROM A 9-5 JOB?

Most 9-5 jobs, you find yourself sat at a desk in an office building, twiddling your thumbs, clock-watching and wishing away the hours. [Told you so] At The Yacht Week, your office is the Adriatic Sea - whether it be a beach bar-turned-open-air-club at Stipanska, a 19th century fort hidden up in the hills on the tiny island of Vis, or rafted up in the beautiful blue at Starigrad.

TYW forces you out of your comfort zone and makes you grow as a person. Before flying to Croatia, I’d never flown alone nor spent more than 10 days in a foreign country. I found myself calling this new country home after 6 weeks- becoming familiar with the locals on each island, figuring out all my go-to places for my favourite slice of pizza or the best sushi. The people you spend your time with quickly become your family. As interns, you’re a bunch of people from all corners of the world and completely different walks of life but you share a lot in common - you love to travel and you’re looking to have the best experience of your life. TYW is not a 9-5 job, you’re always on the clock but its a job you never want to punch out from.

WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO GET INVOLVED WITH TYW?

Whenever I'd be scrolling through Instagram, I kept seeing adverts for these crazy ‘floating festivals’, and as an avid festival goer I couldn't help but look into it a bit further. I was hooked. What part of crystal blue waters, beautiful people and incredible parties doesn't sound appealing? I remember the first video I saw of TYW was the ‘Live The Yacht Week’ video (if you haven't seen it yet, check it out on TYW’s Youtube channel and this will suddenly all make sense). As a university student, having money at your disposal to spend on insane holidays isn't always possible, and I’ve always seen myself working in events, so when I saw ‘internships’ on TYW website, I knew this was the place for me.

WHAT DOES A TYPICAL DAY INVOLVE?

We run on a weekly schedule; Riviera Chic one day, Tropical Retro another, the Regatta another and so on, but I think it's safe to say there isn't a "typical" day at The Yacht Week. On a working day, you’ll get up, pop on that famous ‘crew-in-blue’ shirt and head down to the rafts to do boat-hopping. My personal favourite part about the job, this is where you get to jump from boat to boat, make sure the crews are aware of the event schedule for the day, or any dinner reservations they may have, but this is where you get to really know your guests. From your first boat-hop at the start of the week, to your last one just the day before the closing party, you get to know the guests so well and make real connections with people. After boat-hopping, you’ll head to the event for that day, ensure everything is where it needs to be, make sure the event runs smoothly, and then in the evenings let your hair down a little (or a lot). 


On a non-working day, you get to choose how you spend your free time; whether that be having a cold beer at the beach or hiring kayaks or quad bikes or even going skydiving in some locations. Although we have a standard weekly schedule regarding events and activities, no two days at Yacht Week are ever the same, and that’s all down to the people. When they say your vibe attracts your tribe, that thing is real.

DID YOU MAKE ANY CONNECTIONS WHILST WORKING?

As ridiculous as it may sound, being an event intern at The Yacht Week is like being a celebrity, no joke. If you are walking around Palmizana (where we dock in Hvar) with your blue shirt on, every crew is inviting you onto their boat, wanting to chill with you and learn about who you are, how you got this incredible job. In my time at The Yacht Week, I met so many people with incredible careers, insane travel stories and just generally amazing lives and yet they were so interested in lil me from a small town in England. Meeting a new turnover of guests each week, you’re constantly making new friends and building those relationships. I’m currently planning trips to Australia, South Africa and the USA to catch up with people I met or work with on Yacht Week, or people are coming to England to see me. After doing TYW, travelling will forever be more exciting with a bunch of new friends to visit, and you’ll never pay a penny for accommodation again.

WHAT WAS IT LIKE RETURNING TO THE "REAL WORLD"?

Thats a funny one, because, like I said before, although I was away from my actual home, Croatia very quickly became my home, so when I was leaving, I had such a heavy heart saying goodbye to everyone. Not kidding, post-Yacht Week blues is a thing. And it was hard coming back to reality, after spending 6 weeks living in literal paradise and experiencing one of the most unique work environments I think there is. However, I came back and had a completely different mindset to when I left. It opened my eyes up to people and places and opportunities that hadn’t thought about before, it made me want to explore and travel and live a whole lot more, and it made me realise that I had to get my butt back to Croatia next summer. The weather in England just doesn’t compare.

Keen to sign up for the summer 2019 internship programme? Apply here. Applications close January 31.

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