Ok here's the article (I gotta type it all out
(and doh, I only found the article online after I had typed it all out)):
Flying High
By Jackie Woods
Sarah Burns's girlhood dream of becoming a flight attendant may not have been original but at least she followed it through. Burns, 27, started work as a Virgin Blue cabin crew member six months ago. She now spends her time flying around Australia and is loving every minute of it, except perhaps the 3:30am wake-up when she's on early shift. "I'm still getting used to that," she says.
Virgin Blue receives 1200 applications a month for cabin crew positions and has a database of 26,000 applicants. For every new recruit, there are thousands who miss out. The 90 people a month the airline is recruiting as it expands hardly depletes the pool of hopefuls.
Qantas's new cut-price airline, Jetstar, is also recruiting as it prepares for take-off next month. About 40 people have been hired and the airline is looking for 200 more by early next year. About 5000 people applied for cabin crew positions between January and March.
"The travel experience has always had an enormous allure, it's the same the world over," says Jetstar's head of customer service, Rohan Garnett. "There's almost a mystique about it."
Winning a job as an international flight attendant is even harder. There are few positions available in Australia and the Flight Attendants Association predicts there will be even fewer as Qantas sets up more crew bases overseas. Some foreign airlines recruit Australian cabin crew but you'll need work and residency rights for the country in which the airline is based.
It's not just the travel and the glamour that attract people to the job. The various travel allowances are also a bonus. Wages vary among airlines but a flight attendant starting out can expect a base salary of $35,000 to $40,000, with another $10,000 to $15,000 in allowances.
Because they have so many candidates to choose from, airlines can afford to be picky. They typically have multi-stage selection processes involving group, panel and one-on-one interviews. That means you'll need to prepare. Check the minimum requirements for cabin crew at the airline you're interested in. They'll include things such as Australian residency, height, physical fitness, a Responsible Service of Alcohol certificate and customer service experience. People skills are highly valued, so a background in hospitality, retail or even a field such as teaching will be an advantage. "If you want a career as a flight attendant, there's no substitute for hands-on customer service experience," Garnett says.
Virgin Blue's crew training instructor, Helen Asange, says cabin crew need to be able to relate to all sorts of people. "You're dealing with a couple hundred guests a day," she says. "You might be face-painting with children one minute then dealing with business people the next." The ability to co-operate with colleagues while working at 40,000 feet is also crucial and is carefully tested during selection.
Burns was called in for her first interview in a group of 20. After a brief introduction, the candidates were set to work in teams building towers with cards and paperclips. "It's really silly stuff but they're assessing you throughout the whole process about how you work with other people and whether you take other people's ideas on board."
Burns made it through selection and five weeks of training covering in-flight service, emergency procedures and strict grooming policies. "The grooming's a big thing. If you go to training minus mascara, for instance, that's a pretty big issue."
She says her background in hospitality and extensive travelling were good preparation for flying. Her next goal is to become a cabin supervisor. "It's really exceeded my expectations," she says of the job. "I know it's going to be a long term career."
Where to start?
- Visit www.virginblue.com.au, www.jetstar.com.au or www.qantas.com.au to check out the airlines' selection criteria or apply online.
- There are also regional and international airlines that recruit cabin crew. Head to www.cabincrew.staffcv.com for links and information on applying.
- Consider a short preparation course before you apply. They are not required by the airlines but may be useful. The Results Centre, www.resultscentre.com.au, holds one-day seminars in Sydney about once a month. Flight Dux, www.flightdux.com, sells a manual on flight attendant employment preparation, helps with resumes and provides access to a network of people in the airline industry.
