Need career advice

Hi guys!
ill keep this a short as possible. I want a career in aviation - working for an airline preferably.
As my gap year is going to be expensive I have decided to become cabin crew after my alevels are finished - and I know about the bad pay, unsociable hours but I have read up on down-routes etc.
the problem is that I don't know whether I want to
a) work as cabin crew and work my way up through the airline and maybe become a customer service manager (cSm) for an airline
b)only do cabin crew for a year and go to uni (no idea what I want to study and I really lack the willpower to do another 4 years of revision and exams etc)
C) do an apprenticeship with an airline (do I still do cabin crew as gap year? As I really want to travel)
D) air traffic control and NO you don't need math alevel or a degree to apply. (And again to I still do cabin crew?)

Reply 1

Drewski

Air traffic control is very different to all you've listed and should not be considered just another way into aviation, it's a whole career path and process of it's own. No, it doesn't require a maths qualification or a degree, but it does require a very high level of spatial awareness. Have you looked at the NATS site?

Additionally, it's also very unlikely that you'd make it through all the hoops, all the training and all the ins and outs of becoming cabin crew to then jack it in after a year for the sake of a bit of travelling that you'll do as cabin crew anyway.

Airline apprenticeship in...what?

Reply 2

RyanAubrey

Yeh I've seen the NATS website andAviation it the area I want to go into and if ido cabin crew it will be for at least 2 years. And cabin crew is traveling due to the down routes - I've researched it and asked family who are cabin crew and they said it's a good job if you want to incorporate traveling

(edited 9 years ago)

Reply 3

Drewski

Original post by RyanAubrey

Yeh I've seen the NATS website and that's the area I wanna go into and if ido cabin crew it will be for at least 2 years. And cabin crew is traveling due to the down routes - I've researched it and asked family who are cabin crew and they said it's a good job if you want to incorporate travel.

But you said "I want a career in aviation - working for an airline preferably" and now you're saying air traffic is the area you want to go into, an area which is done separately and independently from airlines. So which is it?

Reply 4

RyanAubrey

It's only a preference. I have researched all the areas I've mentioned. I'm aware of how different each of these pathways are. They are just what I need to chose between. ATC interests me a lot, and so does working for an airline. They are the options I am happy to chose from. I just don't know which one. I don't want to go into detail about eachone etc because I have that Infront of me, I just want an opinion of what pathway is better. Traveling is a priority so cabin crew is affixed decision, I just don't know how far to take it

(edited 9 years ago)

Reply 5

Drewski

Original post by RyanAubrey

I just want an opinion of what pathway is better.

None.

No one pathway is better than the other. It's the job that you want, not what someone else wants.

Reply 6

RyanAubrey

Original post by Drewski

None.

No one pathway is better than the other. It's the job that you want, not what someone else wants.

I know that, I was thinking which sounds more of a safe option.

Reply 7

Drewski

Original post by RyanAubrey

I know that, I was thinking which sounds more of a safe option.

None. They are all working in aviation so all as prone to upturns and downturns in the economy/tourism as each other.

Air traffic is, arguably, the safer long term, but it's also the smallest and hardest to get into. Cabin crew at least has the relatively large field of airlines to choose from.

At the end of the day, the best job for you is the one that you want. And the only person that can decide that is you, not some random folk on a website, the vast majority of whom have never been closer to these jobs than when they go on holiday with easyjet.