Your experience going onboard is essential. You also need to be physically fit, with good hearing and eyesight. You need normal colour vision. You must be at least 20 years of age for inshore or limited area skipper. Your age should be at least 21 years if taking up unlimited area skipper.

You will need to undergo Basic Safety Training by Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA). It is a four-day course, with lessons on sea survival, first aid, fire fighting, and health & safety. You can also work towards NVQ in marine vessel operations for fishing limited and unlimited. The courses for these qualifications include lessons for handling navigation equipments, communication, survival skills, maritime & fishing laws, and a lot more.