Security is a priority aboard superyachts. While some owners and crew recruiters require identity verification for new hires, increasingly owners want yacht crew criminal background checks, too. The recruitment agency Quay Crew therefore has partnered with CrewPass to perform these reviews as part of its standard services.
Tim Clarke, Quay Crew’s co-founder and director, says it’s a natural evolution of the recruiting process in the industry. He adds his company has long practiced strict reference and document validations. “This added level of due diligence offered in partnership with CrewPass goes that extra mile,” Clarke notes.
CrewPass is purposely for superyacht background checks. In fact, it is the brainchild of a former crewmember. It works with the global background-checking company First Advantage, performing criminal-record research and ID verification globally. CrewPass further allows crew candidates themselves to submit their information. This way, they can set themselves apart from other potential hires with an “approved” status, for instance. Overall, Conrad Empson, CrewPass’ managing director, notes that frequent moving internationally and seeking different positions is inherent to yachting. “This can make it fairly easy to take on new identities, leaving entire lives behind, with no straightforward global protocol to follow for background checks,” he explains.
At Quay Crew, the yacht crew criminal background checks come at no cost to owners, management companies, or industry firms. Clarke and his team do acknowledge that other recruitment agencies have partnerships with CrewPass as well. However, Clarke says, those agencies offer the service at cost, which is £199 per candidate (approximately $243 at press time).
Specifically, the CrewPass service, from ID verification to criminal background inquiries, provides an approved certification good for two years. Should someone seeking a crew job wish to undergo a check him- or herself while job hunting, approved certification comes at a monthly fee of £9.99 (approximately $12 at press time).
“When yachts put it into perspective, background-checking staff is an excellent way of protecting vulnerable groups onboard with whom crew interact on a one-to-one basis,” Clarke concludes. “Simple reference checks are not sufficient to fully comprehend a candidate’s suitability or history.”
Empson adds, “It’s therefore paramount to ensure those yacht owners, and anyone operating in the industry, are afforded the top level of security from the people who work with and for them.”
CrewPass crewpass.co.uk
Quay Crew quaycrew.com
Leave a Reply