Cabin Crew Chronicles - IV - Becoming

in #aviation6 years ago (edited)

Ever had a dream of becoming a flight attendant? Worry not. I’ve got you covered. Today I'm going to share my experience with you and some advice in regards to the whole process of becoming a cabin crew member. Note that airlines differ and each have their own variations on requirements, procedures, training process and types of aircraft no less, so this is by no means extensive advice that can be applied universally, but merely my experience. I do believe, however, that having at least a rough understanding of the process can be beneficial for anyone considering applying for a cabin crew position.

Requirements

Do pay attention to the specific requirements of the airline you wish to apply to, and by no means consider their requirements as just suggestions or you’ll be in for a disappointment. If they require being fluent in several languages, trust that they will test that your fluency matches their standards. I myself do not stand a chance with my local airlines as I do not speak one of the minority languages required. It does seem a bit silly, as I already have experience in the field, but having a mother tongue and English is suddenly not enough over here. Oh, well, I can pout about it but that’s as far as it goes.

They may or may not have a requirement about your height, or how high you can reach. This, too, is a strict thing. As is pretty much anything. Airlines do not mess about. I'm on the short end, so there are a few other airlines I cannot apply for. I once had an interview for Emirates that went extremely well. You know they like you when you’ve managed to get that sparkle from your own eyes into the interviewers’. That was until I had to do the reach test.

With Emirates you have to be able to reach 212 cm without heels, on your toes, while having equal balance on both feet. And no, fake nails won’t cut it either. It actually had not crossed my mind that I would not be able to reach it because a friend of mine, who was a tad bit shorter than myself, had gotten the position with Emirates. But, lo and behold, I could not reach it, no matter how hard I tried.

I ended up in a park, ugly-crying my eyes out. So be smarter than me, save yourself heartache and do the “homework”. When I called mom to tell her what had happened, she was in disbelief. She had marked 212 cm on a wall at home and said she could easily reach it without any problems. She, too, is shorter than me. As it turns out I have way shorter hands. Go figure.

Some of the airlines have a strict ‘no tattoos’ policy. Some merely ask for no visible tattoos. One of the ladies who went through training with me had managed to get through the whole process with a tattoo on her calf. I had no idea until I actually saw her hiding all of it away under heavy layers of makeup. How she managed to hide it every day, especially on the day we all had to go to the pool, I have no idea. That’s what I call a dedication.

Make sure you’re okay with deep water. They will, most likely, ask you to swim two pool lengths unaided. Without stopping or having the security of knowing that you can always reach the bottom, because you won’t have that kind of safety in case of an emergency landing on water or ditching, as it’s called. For me, the swimming test was a field day. I do love my water even if I do not consider myself a particularly good swimmer.

Training

Training is going to be intense. Long hours, tons of new information, and a lot of new terms that can create some extra troubles if you so happen to learn it all in your second language. So if the airline gives you training material before the start of the courses, you best be sure you’re not procrastinating and go through it as many times as you possibly can. It will help a great deal.

Don’t be afraid to ask questions if you’re uncertain about something, didn’t quite catch it or plain don’t understand a concept. Sure, there will be some people who will give you the eye for “wasting time”, but trust me when I say that there will always be a portion of the class who’ll be glad you asked because they themselves did not have the courage to do so.

Speaking of courage, you’ll need all of it during the training. Don’t allow insecurities to get the best of you, don’t question whether you’ll be able to do something or not, meet every challenge head-on, because that’s why you’re there, to learn and to grow. This is no time to be shy or hold yourself back. JUST DO IT! Even if you’re asked to be a leader of a group and leading is not really your thing. Forget that. There’s no time to worry about it.

As for the learning process, try finding some associations for the things that just don’t stay in your head. Throughout this article you can see how I used my creativity to, not only ensure I remember pesky things, but also help others and lift some spirits with silly jokes. Who doesn’t know that the silly jokes are the ones we remember the easiest? Use it to your advantage.

Supernumerary Flights

Once you’ve passed all the theory exams with flying--yes, flying colours,they do not accept anything less, it is aviation after all--there is one more hurdle. The supernumerary flights, and that counts as practical exam. You’ll be shadowing experienced cabin crew and there will be a checklist of things to go through, but take this time to do as much as you physically can. The security checks, the service, the turnaround. Ask all of the silliest questions you may still have and, most importantly, get used to what’s what and where on the aircraft. You’ve read all about it and can quote the safety manual, but now is the time to stick your nose in all the corners, all the tolleys and barboxes.

The sooner you know where to find everything, the sooner you’ll know what to look for in security checks, the easier it will be on yourself and the crew you’ll be working with. Because, well, let me burst one bubble right away: no matter how kind the crew, no one likes to work with the new ones. It is a fact. They don’t know what their doing, they take forever to do the things that take only a short moment for experienced crew, because the whole thing pretty much revolves around you having your routine internalized to such a level that you won’t make a single extra movement, and won’t waste a single second. But don’t worry, you’ll get there.

And who knows, maybe you’ll even discover cabin crew ninja skills in masterfully catching falling things.

Fligh high, little one!


Hugs & Coffee,
~Josie~


Previously on The Cabin Crew Chronicles:

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Great to see you succeed! It's inspiring! Keep it up!

Thanks! ^^
A good start of the year to land a curie.. ;)

Great post. Thanks

i am glad to see your post i like. it is very nice

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Wonderful post! This so useful to all those aspiring to become a flight attendant! I love the way you made the post so easy to read and entertaining! Keep it up and good job! 😀

Thank you for your kind words! ^^

My pleasure! I would also love to see about a post regarding the benefits of being a flight attendant someday! See you around! 😀

That is a really good idea! Thank you. :)

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