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Job of a flight attendant is definitely for you if you love traveling, working with people and dream about reaching the blue sky. On this page you will find answers to mostly asked questions considering cabin crew profession and finally you will have the opportunity to browse through the vacancies for cabin attendants offered by AviationCV.com recruiters.

Flight Attendant Duties and Responsibilities

Flight Attendant Duties and Responsibilities
Flight attendants are members of an aircrew along with pilots and a purser (chief steward or stewardess). Cabin crew is responsible for high quality in-flight service and ensures passengers comfort and security during a flight, assists in emergency cases and also does all the administrative tasks that are necessary on board. When it comes to details, flight attendant job duties can be listed as: greeting the passengers, briefings before a flight, assurance that all passengers have fastened the seat belts and their bags are safely placed, demonstration of emergency equipment usage, security issues explanation, serving of meals and beverages, administering first aid, taking care of passengers (particular attention is dedicated to children, the elderly, disabled and medically vulnerable individuals), management of conflicts, screening to make sure travelers obey the rules, dealing with emergency events, assistance in aircraft cabin's cleaning. Safety is the main flight attendant responsibility and only then comes provision of a pleasant as well as relaxing flying experience to the customers.
Cabin crew job is never dull and encounters challenges such as medical events, passengers’ complaints, even fights, on board fires, turbulences, emergency landings and other safety issues. Whatever difficulties are faced in an airplane's cabin, flight attendants must stay calm, diplomatic, polite and always be in a good mood. However, the most valuable quality for an air host/hostess is patience because cabin crew has to be prepared to deal with misbehaving passengers and manage stressful situations in a very attentive way.

Benefits of a Cabin Crew Career

Flight attendant career has many benefits and the following ones are chiefly mentioned among experienced cabin crew:
Get paid to travel the world
One of the greatest advantages of being a flight attendant is that you have a wonderful chance to travel and see new places while working.
Way of life
The adventurous lifestyle of cabin crew destines you to learn about different cultures and meet new interesting people.
Free meals and accommodation
If you want to discover the world of luxury and comfort, this profession is the right choice. Flight attendant job has an advantage of free housing and meals during working days.
Low cost flights during holidays
Greatly reduced flight prices for you, your family and friends. When you are on holiday, you can get cheap or even free tickets as most airlines offer such benefit to their workers.
Flexibility
Flight attendants schedules vary from company to company but usually you can select time and frequency you wish to work on board.
The insurance
Airlines care about the health of their employees and warrant medical, dental and life insurance.

Requirements for a Flight Attendant

Flight attendant dreaming about career prospects and new job opportunities
If you have previously seen any ad with an air hostess job offer, you probably noticed that there are some cabin crew requirements that every applicant should fulfill. Some of them are general and easily implemented but others are more specific. Before starting your career as a cabin crew, it is always advisable to assess these flight attendant requirements that most airlines indicate:
Minimum age – from 18 to 21 years (it depends on an airline). Also, remember that there is no maximum age limit and it is never too late to become a cabin member. All aspirants who have good health, physical preparation and other qualifications can apply for flight attendant openings.
High school diploma. Even though college or university degree isn't required, yet many employers prefer candidates with education in tourism, psychology, public relations, business administration and related fields.
Fluency in English. Additional languages might be one of the pros as well.
Minimum arm reach of 210cm (6ft 10”) while standing on tiptoes. You should be tall enough to reach overhead lockers, usually this means your height should be at least 158cm (5ft 2”). Furthermore, some airlines note in their job ads that flight attendant should be in proportion to her or his weight.
Good physical health and medical verification from a doctor. Cabin crew should be able to lift heavy baggage, stand long hours on feet and work under intense schedule. Good vision is a plus, too.
A positive attitude, kind personality and empathy. You should be a good communicator as you will spend much time with other colleagues and work with passengers to bring them the best possible on board service.
Flight attendant typically needs previous working experience in customer service. There is a priority for applicants with proficiency in dining, nursing, management, etc.
Swimming skills. Cabin attendant must be able to swim without any assistance across a pool that is 25 meters long.
Well-groomed appearance. Each airline has its own standards, although the most popular requirements include: groomed hands and nails, pleasant smile, no visible tattoos while wearing a uniform, no facial piercings other that two ordinary ear piercings, also when we talk about the men - beard and moustaches below the mouth corners are usually a disadvantage. Luckily not all airlines have such rules, but generally speaking the main idea is that cabin crew should represent good manners along with tidy and clean appearance.
Valid passport that allows you to travel worldwide.
Decision making skills and mental strength. To become a flight attendant you must be able to concentrate and work calmly under complicated circumstances in a case of an accident.
Prospective flight attendants typically need to have previous experience in customer services. Many employers prefer applicants with a degree in hospitality and tourism, public relations, business, social science, or communications.

So How to Start a Career and Become a Flight Attendant?

How to Start a Career and Become a Flight Attendant
If you strongly believe that cabin crew career is the right way and you implement all the requirements listed above, then your next question might be - what education and training should I gain to become a flight attendant?

Flight attendant's education

As mentioned earlier, applicants who seek cabin attendant jobs require only high school diploma, but of course higher education would be a valid advantage. Cabin crew has to deliver exceptional in-flight service so every education and working experience in customer services is worth considering before chasing a dream of being a flight attendant. In addition to this, courses of foreign languages may help you get the desired air steward/stewardess job, too.

Flight attendant's training

You don’t necessarily need special training to start flight attendant career. Normally, when you get hired as a cabin crew member, airlines provide initial training before the beginning of your first working day. Such preparation usually takes several weeks or even up to few months and trainees get all the information considering on board service, security and emergency events, they are also taught for first aid procedures and receive knowledge of company’s regulations, business models, aviation terminology and much more. After theoretical part of training, next comes practice flights which end up with exams. Passed exams signify you are now finally employed by the airline and your cabin crew career begins. Moreover, regular similar training is mandatory to maintain a flight attendant qualification.
There are also some flight attendant training schools which offer opportunity to gain the same basic knowledge as hiring airlines and help to find recruitment solutions. Nevertheless, these training schools don’t guarantee their students will get flight attendant jobs after the course. That is why your best career start could be gaining an experience in customer service, acquisition of other qualities that are required by most airlines (for example, learning to swim) and after that you are already prepared to apply for flight attendant vacancies.

Flight Attendant Salary and Working Hours

Flight Attendant Salary
Aviation industry keeps growing every year and International Air Transport Association has estimated the amount of air traffic passengers to reach nearly 8 billions in 2036. For this reason, career of a flight attendant has a bright future and assures you will have a well-paid job for many years. Flight attendant salary varies greatly from airline to airline and depends on your education, previous working experience, supplementary skills, number of flights per month and hours you spend in the air. Usually cabin crew isn‘t paid for the preparation before a flight and salary is calculated based on flying time (hours on board during the travel). Earned money per hour have a wide range from 15$ to 45$. So keeping in mind that cabin attendants most often spend around 62-140 hours each month flying, then you can figure out approximate prospective salary. Don‘t forget that additional ~50 hours before and after flights are not added to cabin crew salary‘s sum (these hours are called duty time). On the other hand, airlines always warrant free accommodation and meals to aircrew members during their working days and this privilege lets you save some more money.

Flight Attendant Career Prospects

Flight Attendant Career Prospects
Cabin crew career prospects include becoming a senior flight attendant (which is also called a purser or a chief steward/stewardess) who manages and supervises other flight attendants work in the cabin or becoming a manager – professional who recruits, educates, instructs new cabin crew members, schedules their work timetables and does all the coordinative and administrative tasks. To gain supervisory or management position, a college or university degree is a must.

Cabin Crew Recruitment Process

Flight attendant recruitment process can be quite tedious and long lasting. There are several steps you need to follow before you are hired and trained by an airline. At first, you need to apply for your preferred flight attendant job vacancy and note all your best qualities, education, proficiency as well as contact information. When your application is approved, you are invited to attend an in-person assessment or online assessment. This lets employers test your communication, situational judgement, verbal reasoning, foreign language skills, ability to work in a team and evaluate your personality, strengths, weaknesses, motivation. During in-person assessment you might be asked to accomplish a physical test, too. Only aspirants who successfully pass the assessment stage are additionally interviewed. The interview with a representative of the airline is just a traditional job interview dedicated to find out if you would fit within company‘s philosophy.
Although there might be some difficulties in seeking cabin crew career because of intense competition (in most cases there are dozens of candidates applying for the same flight attendant vacancy) and you may not succeed on the first attempt, AviationCV.com is ready to help you with your first steps in recruitment process. Here on this page you will find flight attendant jobs offered by various airlines located in different continents and countries. All you have to do is register, upload your CV and apply for airlines job openings that match your criteria.
- How to start a cabin crew career and become a flight attendant
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