Would I be stupid to become an air hostess?

So at the moment I'm at uni doing Hispanic Studies. The idea of becoming an air hostess is quite attractive to me. However I know you don't need a degree to do it. Would it be stupid of me to try to become an air hostess when I graduate...would I be missing out on better opportunities? Or is this actually quite a good idea?

Reply 1

NOBODY MOVE!

Air hostess
I like the way you dress
Though I hate to fly
But I feel much better
Occupied my mind
Writing you a love letter
I messed my pants
When we flew over France
Will I see you soon
In my hotel room
For a holiday romance?
Air hostess

Reply 2

Joanna-Marie :)

If becoming a Air-Hostess is what you want to do it's not stupid at all .. There's no point passing up the opportunty to do something you really want to do for something that you won't enjoy ..

Plus you mentioned that it's something you'd want to do when you gratuate so you always have your degree to fall back on in the future

Reply 3

aviatordom

It can be quite a rewarding job. I think the novelty of travelling on aircraft and seeing different places wears off after a while though. Working as a flight attendant (F/A) on short haul routes doesn't allow you to see the different places you visit; unless you work for a scheduled airline such as bmi or BA and you have an overnight stopover. Low cost carriers like to make sure that you are usually at your own home after each day to save money however. Flag carriers (i.e. BA) have longer turnaround times; something like 45 minutes or an hour where as low cost airlines such as easyJet have much shorter turnaround times of say 25 minutes.

The turnaround time allows you to get the passengers off the aircraft, do a quick clean & tidy up of the cabin and then greet the new passengers. Its a bit more demanding if your turnaround time is short and I wouldn't have thought that its particularly glamorous. The salary isn't spectacular; but you earn commission on the in flight sales of souvenirs & food & drink.

There is also the potential of working abroad. You mentioned that you are studying Hispanic studies. If you can speak Spanish for example; I know that with easyJet you can work at their Madrid base and you'll receive bonus pay because you speak a second language. That bonus pay is based on certain levels; so you'll get less if your Spanish isn't so great; but more if you can communicate fluently in the language.

Long-haul work is different. The pay is generally a bit higher and you'll have overnight stopovers in different countries. That allows you to see the world a bit more and you'll be working with more crew members on the flights that you do.

I wouldn't have said that being an F/A is particularly glamorous; but it can be very enjoyable & rewarding. There is the prospect of progression as well, to become say the cabin manger/purser (i.e. managing the other flight attendants on board.) That means extra pay! There is also the prospect in going into the training department of the airline, training future flight attendants.

I would say that it mainly boils down to whether you are flexible with your work, like flying, enjoy travel and enjoy working with many people; sometimes under pressure.

Hope that helps OP; I don't work in aviation myself yet but am currently studying a course in aviation operations.

Reply 4

LondonMinx

I know someone that after a private school education and getting her degree, she worked for BA on long haul flights as a steward. She did this for a few years before starting her own business (completely not related to travel). The years she was a steward she travelled extensively and says it was a great time of her life but not something she could have done long-term (but that's just her opinion).

I dont think its stupid at all. If its something you fancy, go for it!

Reply 5

username451311

I don't think it's stupid - if that's what you want to do, why not go for it? At least if you decide it's not for you, you have a degree to fall back on to allow you to get another job :smile:

Good luck!

Reply 6

alleycat393

Not stupid at all.

Very hard work though. Irregular hours, sometimes long hours, depending on the kind of flights long times away from your family, you always have to look pretty and smile even if you're feeling crap, customers can be horrible and demanding, depending on where you work you may be treated terribly because some cultures believe that you're basically a glorified maid.

On the other hand you may get to see a lot of the world, duty free shopping, you meet all kinds of wierd and wonderful people.

Reply 7

YorkieLad101

no, thats wot you wanna do so thats not stupid

an eksampel o stupid is when you wanna become a doctor or a vet when you dunno owt!

Reply 8

AestheticOverload

lol @ the retards actually giving this a serious response. Must have missed the lyrics in the OP.

Reply 9

YorkieLad101

Original post by AestheticOverload

lol @ the retards actually giving this a serious response. Must have missed the lyrics in the OP.

huh what?

Reply 10

Elissabeth

Its a job I'd love to do myself.

However, its so hard to get into it, there is so much competition.

And don't, whatever you do, work for Ryanair, I've heard you have to pay £6,000 for your own training and then your uniform.

Plus they treat you like crap.

Reply 11

12334

I am cabin crew myself and interested by your question. I don't perceive myself as stupid personally (unsurprisingly) however particularly in the UK there is a stigma attached to the job. Where my profession gets respect in Europe for example, you do get treated similarly to a fast good sales person on a regular basis and I find obnoxious comments very hurtful, rare as they are. The job entails a lot of training in first and and frequent exams and daily testing on equipment and potential emergency procedures. This is not easy, however as you are doing the right thing and becoming degree educated you will fly through this I'm sure and always have the option to move on to try something different perhaps more specific to your course if you aren't happy in the job role. Providing you know within yourself that you are not an idiot and are confident enough to take peoples' judgment with a pinch of salt you will have an amazing experience flying. Good luck!