Jordan
Toronto, ON
Female, 28
Space Waitress, Trolley Dolly, Stewardess...everyone has their own term for us. We are the baby-sitters, life-savers, servers, cleaners and all-around problem solvers for any and every in-flight issue. Sometimes we get a bad rep for being apathetic and miserable despite having what looks like a glamorous job, so here's a peek into the gritty details beneath the shiny surface to explain why the job - though incredible in lots of ways - is more than just snappy uniforms and matching luggage.
Oh gosh... I'm really not sure! If it were me, I wouldn't mention it unless the application form specifically asked. I was laid off from a previous job and don't remember mentioning it on my application or during my interview. Just be prepared to explain why you were fired in case you do get asked during an interview, because honesty is the best policy. If you were at fault then be ready to explain how you learned from the experience, and if you were wrongfully fired than don't dwell on being the victim. Disclosing that you were fired won't do you any favours on paper, but in person you can put a positive spin on anything, and being open about previous mistakes can demonstrate a lot of maturity and openness to feedback that a potential employer may like.
I'm no recruiter so I'm sorry I don't have a black or white answer for you - my guess is that it will depend on each airline's company policy - but in my opinion that is information that only needs to be given if requested.
Good luck!
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Unfortunately, as of yet, I don't think you can wear a turban while on duty. I can only speak for the airline I work for, but I've also never seen an FA - or a pilot for that matter - wearing a turban during my travels in other corners of the world.
Airline uniform standards are strict at the best of times and any articles that deviate from the standard, whether they are representative of a faith or not, need to be removed or hidden from sight while at work. That means cross necklaces, tattoos, some piercings, and I'm afraid, turbans, to name a few. While on layovers all bets are off and you are welcome to wear whatever you please of course!
There's another factor at work here - safety regulations. One of the inflight safety tools is a smoke hood which is worn over the head to provide oxygen and protection if, heaven forbid, you need to fight a fire. While I'm grateful we have them onboard, it's in part because of them that we have such strict grooming standards; we need to be ready to pull one over our head at the drop of a hat, so for girls that means hair must be pinned back out of the face and earrings can't be too long. For guys, it means that facial hair must be limited and closely trimmed - a beard can interfere with the seal the smoke hood makes around your nose and mouth to supply oxygen. I'm sure my airline would cite that darn smoke hood as a reason to deny you your turban as well. They may also add that it presents a security problem since we aren't allowed to have anything covering our head or face when accessing the airline crew security bypass point.
Don't be discouraged! If becoming a flight attendant is something you're really passionate about I would suggest you investigate airlines worldwide to see if there are any exceptions that allow turbans. I don't take cultural and religious traditions lightly, so I hope you're able to find a great employer or else a comprimise that you're happy with. I will add that I have seen plenty of airport employees and government employees at the security checkpoints who wear turbans!
Good luck!
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Of course! Hey, if God put it there, who is an employer to complain? Now if you had a bunch of facial tattoos, that would be another story...
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Well, where would you like to go? It's hard to predict which language an airline will be looking for at any given time, but you can be sure that once you get hired for a second language, you will be scheduled on those routes. It won't do you any good to study French and then realize you hate spending your layovers in France!
If you have your heart set on a particular airline, look at their destinations and perhaps that will influence your choice of language to study. Some airlines will specifically list which languages they are looking for on their careers page of their website, but those positions might fill up before you have a chance to get proficient. There's no right answer for choosing a language (well, maybe there are some wrong answers... Latin won't get you anywhere) so instead pick one that feels manageable, and whose culture interests you, and go from there!
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Hmm... it could depend on the airline, but in my experience health benefits don't come into effect until one has been an employee for 3 months and passed a 'probationary' period. For me, that was all it took for me to be considered a full time employee, even though I still have to hold reserve on occasion. Other airlines only hire flight attendants seasonally and require them to hold reserve exclusively for the duration of their employment before being laid-off at the end of the season. As far as I know from speaking to former FAs of those airlines, they don't receive either flight or medical benefits, unfortunately. It ultimately doesn't matter so much about whether or not you're assigned reserve vs. scheduled pairings, but how long the company has hired you for. I would recommend inquiring at the particular airline you're interested in!
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Try www.crewgear.com or www.ebags.com. At work we use Travelpro and Samsonite, but there are so many other brands out there to choose from!
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Phew! Thank you for not publicly denouncing me :) I've been flying a fraction of that amount of time so it's encouraging to know I'm not totally off base with my answers! Try following the Contact link at the bottom of the page to send the Jobster admin your contact info and they can forward it to me. I'd appreciate getting a second opinion on things from time to time!
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