flight attendant
Becoming a flight attendant has without a doubt been on my list of careers to consider since junior high. It is one that has stuck around, maybe been out of my mind for a certain amount of time, but always returning. Unlike other prospects such as a coffee shop owner or comedian, both of which came and quickly disappeared from the ranks. This list has a wide array of careers; I can never seem to settle completely on one thought. I would love to have a life filled with little bits from all these industries and levels.
I was drawn to being a flight attendant by the idea of travel and how much fun it would be to go so many places, and get paid for it. I could come home with stories of who I met along the way. Like Joe Schmoe from Indiana who is 47 and on his first flight ever. He runs a llama farm but had to rush to Minnesota because his mother was in the hospital. Then there would be John and Jane Doe, on their way to Hawaii celebrating their honeymoon. That would just be fantastic to be able to meet all of these different people from all walks of life, and be a part of their trip as well, people remember their flight attendants.
The biggest difference with this career is the extensive training a flight attendant must go through. It's not something one normally thinks of while they are flying, but those flight attendants are responsible for much more than just serving your drinks and making you put your seat back in the upright position. Airlines looking for flight attendants will generally hold an open call, yes, similar to a model open call. At this time the room full of prospects is told all about the company and then about the position, then they open up for questions. Once accepted, a qualified person (I've been told a perfect candidate was not hired simply because she forgot to sign her application) will go through 4-8 weeks of training. This training period runs Monday – Friday, 8 hours a day, sometimes even on weekends. They must keep up on all information because if you do not pass with an 80-90% (depending on the airline) you will not be hired. That's right; at this point a flight attendant is not technically employed, yet has to be in training 8 hours a day. In addition, training can either be paid or unpaid (again, depending on the airline).
Let's imagine for a moment that one gets through this process. Now they are hired, and have a steady income with great travel benefits (fly for free!). Wrong, well partially. When a flight attendant is just starting out they are put on reserve. This means they do have shifts they are scheduled for, but they are not always set to fly on those shifts, and are typically given the unwanted flights (holidays and destinations to Kalamazoo). Sometimes they will be on call and must be prepared to go at a moments notice. Reserve attendants are called when a senior employee calls in sick or is not able to make the flight for any reason. The biggest problem with this is that pay is not determined on your scheduled shift. A flight attendant only gets paid from the time the door on the plane is shut to the time it opens. So, when they are greeting you or telling you to have a great day, that's unpaid time that they are required to participate in. Depending on the airline a flight attendant can stay on reserve anywhere from two months to twenty years! After which time you are able to bid for certain flights and have some say in your schedule.
Well, this is a HUGE deterrent, but there are some major benefits to being a flight attendant. Mostly the free flights. If I were a flight attendant I would definitely fly out some morning to wherever would take me, spend a day photographing and enjoying the local culture, then fly back that night. When scheduled for a flight that has overnight layovers an airline will pay for their employees' hotel room and often meals. This time, while not a part of normal wages, is still paid about $1.50 per hour. So, while they are sleeping, while they are eating, while flight attendants are getting drunk on the beaches of Miami, they are being paid (minimally). From what I gather these times aren't always as exotic and exciting as they sound, you may fly in at midnight and need to be back at the airline only hours later.
My dream of being a flight attendant never covered the business of things. I just wanted to get out there and explore the world, not be unemployed for two months while my new job trains me (without a guarantee of employment). I envisioned conversing with patrons excited to venture on their own journeys. Even though those free flights are OH SO tempting (I mean its killing me), I am putting the flight attendant dreams on the back burner once again. I know it would be a great time in my life for this adventure, I'm not attached, no kids. But right now I am longing for that 9-5 desk job. Nights and weekends off are a dream in my book, and that just wouldn't happen as a flight attendant.
PS: Becca and Joe loved the bathroom, we are doing theirs next!
I was drawn to being a flight attendant by the idea of travel and how much fun it would be to go so many places, and get paid for it. I could come home with stories of who I met along the way. Like Joe Schmoe from Indiana who is 47 and on his first flight ever. He runs a llama farm but had to rush to Minnesota because his mother was in the hospital. Then there would be John and Jane Doe, on their way to Hawaii celebrating their honeymoon. That would just be fantastic to be able to meet all of these different people from all walks of life, and be a part of their trip as well, people remember their flight attendants.
The biggest difference with this career is the extensive training a flight attendant must go through. It's not something one normally thinks of while they are flying, but those flight attendants are responsible for much more than just serving your drinks and making you put your seat back in the upright position. Airlines looking for flight attendants will generally hold an open call, yes, similar to a model open call. At this time the room full of prospects is told all about the company and then about the position, then they open up for questions. Once accepted, a qualified person (I've been told a perfect candidate was not hired simply because she forgot to sign her application) will go through 4-8 weeks of training. This training period runs Monday – Friday, 8 hours a day, sometimes even on weekends. They must keep up on all information because if you do not pass with an 80-90% (depending on the airline) you will not be hired. That's right; at this point a flight attendant is not technically employed, yet has to be in training 8 hours a day. In addition, training can either be paid or unpaid (again, depending on the airline).
Let's imagine for a moment that one gets through this process. Now they are hired, and have a steady income with great travel benefits (fly for free!). Wrong, well partially. When a flight attendant is just starting out they are put on reserve. This means they do have shifts they are scheduled for, but they are not always set to fly on those shifts, and are typically given the unwanted flights (holidays and destinations to Kalamazoo). Sometimes they will be on call and must be prepared to go at a moments notice. Reserve attendants are called when a senior employee calls in sick or is not able to make the flight for any reason. The biggest problem with this is that pay is not determined on your scheduled shift. A flight attendant only gets paid from the time the door on the plane is shut to the time it opens. So, when they are greeting you or telling you to have a great day, that's unpaid time that they are required to participate in. Depending on the airline a flight attendant can stay on reserve anywhere from two months to twenty years! After which time you are able to bid for certain flights and have some say in your schedule.
Well, this is a HUGE deterrent, but there are some major benefits to being a flight attendant. Mostly the free flights. If I were a flight attendant I would definitely fly out some morning to wherever would take me, spend a day photographing and enjoying the local culture, then fly back that night. When scheduled for a flight that has overnight layovers an airline will pay for their employees' hotel room and often meals. This time, while not a part of normal wages, is still paid about $1.50 per hour. So, while they are sleeping, while they are eating, while flight attendants are getting drunk on the beaches of Miami, they are being paid (minimally). From what I gather these times aren't always as exotic and exciting as they sound, you may fly in at midnight and need to be back at the airline only hours later.
My dream of being a flight attendant never covered the business of things. I just wanted to get out there and explore the world, not be unemployed for two months while my new job trains me (without a guarantee of employment). I envisioned conversing with patrons excited to venture on their own journeys. Even though those free flights are OH SO tempting (I mean its killing me), I am putting the flight attendant dreams on the back burner once again. I know it would be a great time in my life for this adventure, I'm not attached, no kids. But right now I am longing for that 9-5 desk job. Nights and weekends off are a dream in my book, and that just wouldn't happen as a flight attendant.
PS: Becca and Joe loved the bathroom, we are doing theirs next!
Labels: flight attendant, job search
posted by Amanda at
9:30 PM
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