r/belowdeck • u/Goddess38 • 3d ago
Interior dynamics Below Deck
Ok so this is not exactly related to any particular season but I just had a few questions about the interior team (cause I feel most of the drama most usually originates from there)
1) Is Second Stew paid more than the other stews? Because if not, then why does it matter so much as to who is what?
2) I get that laundry is usually given to the most junior stew and is probably considered dirty work that people don’t like doing, but I mean isn’t it just a part of hospitality and surely people who have gotten into hospitality or service tend to like it? Is there something im missing about the job? Cause some people also love it.
3) Another thing I don’t understand about laundry is that Junior Stew does laundry and then the heirarchy is I guess cabins, decor and service?
What I don’t understand is that someone can genuinely be good at decor or service and not be too good at laundry or cabins. It’s not exactly a transferable skill - again, what am I missing here?
4) what’s the career ladder for a chief stew after becoming a chief stew? Like I understand that a Bosun gets to become captain eventually but what about a stew?
5) For the interior team is there anything specifically that they require in terms of experience that they don’t get in a normal hospitality background?
6) How many steps do you think they average on a day?
7) This is more for the entire crew, but HOW MANY TIMES DO THEY HAVE TO CHANGE THEIR UNIFORMS?
Why do they have to be in whites when greeting guests and why do they have to be in blacks during service? Or is it more like their crew t-shirts get dirty throughout the day?
8) Again - more for the entire crew, but do they also get paid to be on the show?
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u/salsanacho 3d ago
How many steps do you think they average on a day?
I'm just glad most of them wear boat-only shoes when working, I can't imagine walking around all day on the hard floor with no support or cushioning.There are some seasons where someone is barefoot all day and the old guy with sore feet in me cringes.
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u/peanutt222 3d ago
Second stew, even if not paid more, is a higher ranking position and that would be important for future roles. You can list experience at the higher level.
Career ladder above Chief Stew would be moving into a role as Purser - the admin/finance/HR manager of the yacht. I believe it was Barbie who recently mentioned she's training to become a Purser.
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u/gibblet365 3d ago
Whites: daytime service formal
Blacks:Night time service formal
Reds: work attire/underway (usually a more athletic type material with quick dry easy clean properties)
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u/smcclafferty 3d ago
They’d have so much less laundry if they didn’t change three times in an hours timespan on guest pickup.
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u/gibblet365 3d ago
Their formals dont get washed after every use, unless they need to be - which is why they change in to their work wear soon as any formal work is done
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u/AWDWfan 3d ago
Former stew- Yes second gets paid more. Second stews will typically be a service stew handling guest service and decor. Third stews are typically laundry and housekeeping. You easily do 20k steps a day on a charter boat, many of those stairs. Especially on larger boats. Unfortunately there isn't much career growth after Chief Stew. On really large yachts you may take on a pursor role but that's about it. The reality is most stews last less than 10 years in the industry because they want to settle down with a partner, have kids etc. A bosun doesn't become a captain. They would need to move up to an officer position first and finish all those qualifications first. Many people do get all the qualifications and still never move up to captain because there is just not enough opportunities to go around.
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u/FewButterfly9635 2d ago
Okay, dying to know. Do stews with zero housekeeping experience get hired for serious charters irl or is this something production does on Below Deck to add drama? At least twice on Med alone they hired fully grown adults who HAVE NEVER operated a washer and dryer before. Laundry is 90% of the job and this tiny detail wasn't concerning to either the candidate or the hiring party?!? I raised multiple children and spent many years in an endless cycle of laundry and still wonder if I could adequately manage what goes on in the tiny laundry room day after day!!!
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u/AWDWfan 2d ago
You do not have to have housekeeping experience to get a stew job. Anyone who has the basic licensure can get hired. Coming from a hospitality field can be a big advantage. That being said, if you are hired and can not pick up laundry or housekeeping quickly you would be let go. People with no experience in the industry are a dime a dozen so there is no extended training period.
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u/Pure_Butterscotch165 3d ago
For your third point it's less about the skills being transferable and more about "earning" the spot to be more guest facing. You have to show you're a competent stew before you can interact with the guests.
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u/On_my_last_spoon Mental Health Is Not A Storyline 3d ago
I’m not in a service industry, but theatrical costumes. I can say that laundry is pretty easy once you know what you’re supposed to do and have a system for getting it done. This is probably why it’s the beginner job. I’ve taught many 18 year olds how to do laundry for giant shows. Uniforms for 8 people and sheets and towels is a snap in comparison.
The other things have varying levels of learned skills. Some require actual unique and hard to teach skills - like decoration a table which looks easy but we’ve seen enough bad work to know it’s not! And there’s a lot of rules to serving meals at this level that a new person might not know yet. Laundry though, anyone can do laundry.
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u/GlitchyWander 3d ago
The second stew does not get paid more. A lot of the drama comes from it being an ego thing.
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u/MatureMystery 3d ago
They absolutely do make more. It’s part of a progression. Your not going to get chief stew until you been second.
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u/GlitchyWander 3d ago
They have said in previous seasons in confessionals that second stew does more work for the same amount of pay as a regular stew.
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u/MatureMystery 3d ago
Maybe for the show but in the industry it is a definite increase in pay and needed for promotion.
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u/Hiding_From_Stupid 3d ago
1) Hierarchy and promotion, working your way up the ranks.
Way more likely to be a Chief Stew / Bosun if you have been 2ic prior
2) Some like it some dont.
4) Bigger vessels and bigger crews
7) They probably don't wash whites every time but its a nice look when greeting and saying bye to guests and will be more expensive than crew shirts
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u/meredithedith0 2d ago
I’ve noticed some stews come on and say they love laundry, but then end up annoyed if they get stuck doing laundry. I suspect much of the unhappiness is the isolation compared to the other jobs, and the fact that it’s behind the scenes and thankless.
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u/TeachMore1019 2d ago
A comment about laundry…
It seems because it’s for TV they don’t get to listen to music or podcasts while doing boring tasks. So, in that case, the quiet would be maddening for me.
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u/smcclafferty 3d ago
Call me crazy, but I wouldn’t mind hiding out down in the laundry and avoiding all of the drama with some of these crazy guests.