Life as a Cabin Crew by Louise N.

1. What made you embark on a career as cabin crew? For me it was all I ever wanted to do from a very little girl. It was the height of glamour in my eyes, a chance to travel the world and get paid for it. I have always looked at myself as being style savey and exceptionally well groomed. My desire was to wear the cherry red emmanuel Virgin Atlantic uniform with the little red shoes. From my teens I wrote to airlines finding out as much information as possible. I guess it was like a hobby for me and something I had real passion for. I wanted little girls to look at me in ore and give outstanding service where people would walk away with a wow factor!! 2. How did you go about applying for your cabin crew role? As I mentioned from about 15yrs old I had been bombarding airlines for information or the chance to do my work experience with them. When I had just turned 19 I sent a letter to Virgin Atlantic letting them know I was still interested and any info they could send me, however to my surprise the response I received was actually an application form as the age limit had dropped. Back then this was a paper application form with many in depth questions. Since then I have filled out many applications some paper but now all online. In the early days I always wrote and asked for and application in later years I just went to the career section of airlines or would research on aviation job websites who would show what airlines were recruiting. 3. How was the interview and training process? Interview processes really do vary with different companies. All are a gruelling experience and there is nothing fun or pleasurable about them. Some are a knock out process through out the day others are a sequence of different scenarios where your you are short haul or long haul. You learn very quickly that the job rules your life. You cannot plan anything, never expect to be off at weekends, have leave when you want it or to be off for Christmas or any special occasions again. Everything is on a request basis and its hard for others to realise this. You will learn who your true friends are. In short your life revolves around work and life as you knew it is forgotten. If you have a set routine this is not the job for you schedules change last minute, flights are cancelled, volcanoes erupt and suddenly a night stop ends up being 11 days. 4. What qualifications did you get at school / college? I had all A-C grades in GCSE's ( geography, French, English lit/lang, 3 sciences, IT, maths) Can't remember the others. A-levels I also had A-C geography, French and business studies. Airlines only tend to be interested in GCSE. I never went to uni as I knew I wanted to be crew and a degree wasn't necessary plus I had no desire to be a student!! 5. What is something about the job that you were unaware of before you stated the training process? I knew there would be a lot to learn and much info but I wasn't prepared for the amount of manuals, how thick they are and the amount of in depth info you learn. No aircraft is the same and knowing every single difference at the drop of the hat is hard. I had no idea the pressure and the competitiveness either and how fast paced the training is. If you get stuck they do not have time for you to catch up. Long days and little sleep 6. What is the most rewarding/satisfying part of your job? Being praised by passengers and peers. Making someone's day/ flight memorable for them by going the extra mile and having the opportunity to treat my family to experiences which money cant buy. 7. What is the most challenging part of your job? Loneliness and superficial friendships. Pure exhaustion, never getting nights sleep back and missing out on things you want to be a part of ie: special occasions. 8. In your opinion what is career progression like in your sector? Again this is very much down to companies. For me as crew on my contract there is no future for me with promotion however I'm in a company where I can progress off the aircraft. 9. What is your average weekly work routine like? Again this is very much down to companies. For me as crew on my contract there is no future for me with promotion however I'm in a company where I can progress off the aircraft. 10. How do you get used to jet lag with all the travelling you do? You don't! You are never anywhere long enough to get jet lag what you suffer with is exhaustion. You learn to sleep when you're tired when away whether it be day or night. Exercise and good diet helps. When you get home have a short sleep get up and go to bed at normal time its the only way to cope. 11. What advice would you give people applying to become cabin crew now? You really have to want to do it, speak to people who do it and will be honest. Its not glamorous. Its very long hours with very short slips. Flights are getting longer and trips shorter. Customer expectation is higher so people demand more. You must have patience and a thick skin. 12. Would you recommend this career path to your friends / family / someone considering it as a career option? In days gone by I would. Its still a great job to have on your CV and you learn amazing skills. However I would chose companies carefully. Now days no I wouldn't  recommend the job as a career path only a stepping stone.