Criminal background checks are standard in many industries, but the opaque nature of yachting employment regulations has allowed many crew members to circumnavigate any potential ramifications of a criminal record. While equal employment opportunity should be extended to all candidates, a lack of transparency has arguably led to several high-profile cases of abuse onboard in recent years. 

A number of recruitment agencies have already integrated with CrewPass, allowing candidates to set themselves apart from the competition with an Approved status, or offering it to employers at cost, but Quay Crew stress that this is the first partnership to include background checks as part of the standard recruitment fee. The CrewPass service includes criminal background checks, ID verification and certification validity of individuals, resulting in an approved certification lasting two years. 

Tim Clarke, co-founder and Director at Quay Crew

Tim Clarke, co-founder and Director at Quay Crew, said: “The safety of yacht owners, their families and guests has always been of paramount importance, but as the yachting sector and its recruitment and referencing processes mature, a growing number of yachts are now requiring full criminal background checks of crew.

“We’ve always followed a stringent referencing and…