Annual Salary
£20,000 to £45,000
Average UK salary in 2023 was £34,963
(source Office for National Statistics)
Swap to Marine careers or Port management or go back to all job sectors or go to green jobs
Swap to Marine careers or Port management or go back to all job sectors or go to green jobs
Fishing vessel skippers are in charge of operations and safety onboard sea-going fishing boats.
Average UK salary in 2023 was £34,963
(source Office for National Statistics)
You could work: evenings / weekends / bank holidays; away from home
There will be
1.8% more Fishing vessel skipper jobs in 2027.
Fishing vessel skippers work on different types of boat, including:
As a skipper, you would:
You may need to wear protective clothing.
Your working environment may be physically demanding, outdoors in all weathers and cramped.
You can get into this job through:
You may be able to start by doing a course in maritime skills with a fishing industry college, then apply for work as a trainee deckhand on a fishing vessel.
A separate option might be to take a course in marine engineering and join a crew as a trainee in the engine room.
Once you have enough experience you can do further training to go on and become a skipper.
You could apply for a place on a Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship, such as:
These apprenticeships typically take between 2 and 3 years to complete, and are a mix of training on the job and classroom study.
To get onto an apprenticeship, you'll find it useful to have:
You can start as a deckhand at sea and learn while you work. You'll usually need at least 18 months' experience before you can skipper a boat. You'll also need to have completed mandatory basic safety training for:
You'll need to:
You'll need to be willing to move if necessary, as fishing industry training centres tend to be located near established fishing ports around the country.
You can find more advice about being a skipper and other careers in the fishing industry from Seafish.
With experience and further training you may be able to move into related areas, like:the Merchant Navy; port operations; fish or shellfish farming; offshore sustainable energy development; cargo or passenger ferry work; deck or engineering officer roles
You'll need: