Career Suggestion

Cabin crew

Air cabin crew make sure that airline passengers have a safe, comfortable and pleasant flight.

Average salary (a year)

£19000.0 to £28000.0 (starter to experienced)

Typical hours (a week)

30.0 to 40.0 week

You could work

evenings / weekends / bank holidays away from home

You can get into this job through:

  • a college course
  • an apprenticeship
  • applying directly

College

You could do a college course like an introduction to cabin crew, or study a cabin crew module as part of a broader travel and tourism course.

Entry requirements

Entry requirements for these courses vary.

Apprenticeship

You could apply to do a Cabin Crew Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship.

This will take around 12 months to complete. You'll do on-the-job training and spend time with a college or training provider.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths, for an advanced apprenticeship

More Information

  • equivalent entry requirements|https://www.gov.uk/what-different-qualification-levels-mean/list-of-qualification-levels
  • guide to apprenticeships|https://www.gov.uk/apprenticeships-guide

Direct Application

You could apply directly to airlines for a cabin crew job. Airlines set their own entry requirements, which can vary.

You'll be expected to have a good standard of spoken and written English. You'll also need to show that you have great customer service skills, so experience of working directly with the public is useful.

Some airlines and private training providers run short cabin crew preparation courses, which may help your chances of getting a job, though these are not essential.

More Information

Career Tips

Certain airlines have online career quizzes you can do to test whether working as air cabin crew is for you, before you apply.

Being able to speak a second language may give you an advantage for some jobs.

Further Information

You can get more information about careers in the wider travel industry from Take Off in Travel .

Skills and knowledge

You'll need:

  • customer service skills
  • excellent verbal communication skills
  • patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
  • to enjoy working with other people
  • knowledge of public safety and security
  • sensitivity and understanding
  • the ability to work well with others
  • the ability to accept criticism and work well under pressure
  • to be able to use a computer and the main software packages competently

Restrictions and Requirements

You'll need to:

You'll also be expected to:have a valid passport with no restrictions for the countries the airline travels to; live within 90 minutes of your base; have good written and spoken English

Many airlines ask that you're able to swim up to 25 metres.

There are also rules about height and weight, which vary between airlines. As a general guide, most look for people between 5ft 2in (157cm) and 6ft 2in (188cm), with weight in proportion to height.

Day-to-day tasks

Before a flight you could:

  • attend a staff meeting about the route and schedule
  • check onboard supplies and make sure safety equipment is working properly
  • greet passengers and check documents
  • demonstrate safety and emergency procedures

During a flight, you would:

  • make sure passengers are comfortable and respond to any requests
  • check dietary needs, serve food and drinks, and sell duty-free items
  • make announcements
  • give first aid and reassure passengers in the event of an emergency

At the end of a flight you'll:

  • make sure passengers leave the plane safely with all luggage items
  • complete a flight report and details of any incidents
  • add up payments for food and drinks orders, and duty-free sales

Working environment

You could work on an aircraft.

Your working environment may be physically demanding and cramped.

You may need to wear a uniform.

With experience, you could progress to cabin crew supervisor or a senior air cabin crew role.

You could also work in a ground-based job, like cabin crew training, recruitment, passenger services, marketing and sales.

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