It’s easy to decide to become a flight attendant because it looks cool, you want to travel the world, and he or she looks good in a uniform, but do you really understand what you’re getting yourself into? This is why it is critical to begin preparing now for a career as an airline cabin crew member in the future. We never know when airlines will resume hiring. It is always preferable to be prepared as early as possible rather than be unprepared when opportunity knocks.
Why is it necessary to start planning so soon? Are we certain that airlines will begin hiring in a few weeks? This is due to the fact that becoming a flight attendant is not a walk in the park. For your information, here’s why you should start training to be an airline cabin crew as soon as possible.
Airlines have extremely high standards for flight attendant candidates.
The airline expects a lot from their flight attendants, and they must be able to meet these expectations. One must be completely committed and focused on the task at hand. You cannot become a cabin crew member unless you fully understand what you are getting into and what you will be going through. You must be present not for the perks, but because you are dedicated to your job as an air safety professional and passenger front liner on board. Because you will be dealing with human lives as a flight attendant, the expectations and standards are very high.
The screening process alone is difficult, and only about 10% of those who apply are accepted
To meet airline expectations, the screening and training processes are already time-consuming. Most airlines have at least a four-step process with a success rate of less than 10%. Only ten out of every hundred applicants are accepted. This procedure includes a pre-screening process in which recruiters examine you from head to toe. Some will ask you to walk and say something.
Many are then eliminated from the pool, and this is before the impact interview or group dynamics, which are even more difficult stages. I’ve seen a recruitment process where every detail is scrutinized and scrutinized. Believe me when I say that looking like a beauty queen or a model is no guarantee of success.
It is critical to understand what you are getting yourself into when you decide to become a cabin crew member.
Then there’s training! This is the most difficult part. In the middle, many cabin crew trainees cry. Some people are astounded by the amount of effort required.
Flight attendant training is equivalent to a full semester of college packed into 70 days
I’ve been to training classes, and let me tell you, you must be fully aware of what you’re in for:
- Around 70+ days of intense training modules, including exams almost every day with a passing grade of 90% or higher. If you fail three times in a row, you are kicked out of the training class.
- You will be reading materials that are twice the thickness of a Bible. This is referred to as a CCOM, or Cabin Crew Operations Manual. It contains a wealth of information about the aircraft, its safety equipment, and much more. You’ll be bringing this with you every day. You will not only need to memorize but also understand a large number of terms.
- Firefighting, first aid, ditching, jump and slide, door training, emergency evacuation drills, and cabin preparation will all be part of your training. Exams are held concurrently with these. You must pass all of these drills. Not just one, but all.
- Practical and written exams are given almost every day, along with check rides.
Being a flight attendant entails more than just completing the recruitment and training processes
Yes your training will fully equip you but experiencing a real flight is different and will require so much from you. It will require a lot of discipline, hard work, adjustments, most especially, a lot of emotional intelligence especially when making key decisions on board. When dealing with unexpected emergency situations and different passenger personalities, you must know how to keep your emotions in check.
Being a cabin crew member is not a free pass to travel the world. You must be present for the job and what the airline expects of you.
With all of that said, do you have any idea what you’re getting yourself into when you finally decide to become a cabin crew member? We are not trying to scare you, but we believe it is best that you are aware of everything.
As a result, if you truly want to work as an airline cabin crew, we recommend that you begin preparing now.
First love never dies. I fell in love with airplanes and aviation when I was a kid. My dream was to become a pilot, but destiny led me to another path: to be an aviation digital media content creator and a small business owner. My passion for aviation inspires me to bring you quality content through my website and social accounts. Aviation is indeed in my blood and blog!
