Becoming a flight attendant is a dream for many people. However, it would help if you had certain qualities and character traits. This article altitudementor.com will explain what you need to do to become a successful stewardess.
How To Become A Successful Stewardess
Being a stewardess is one of the most lucrative professions. This profession is considered very glamorous and prestigious and also offers monetary and non-monetary rewards. Many girls grow up dreaming of becoming a flight attendant. What other profession can offer you the opportunity to travel the world, stay in magnificent five-star hotels, and go to places you would never have the chance to see otherwise? Sounds incredible, right?
That’s why men are now also trying to become stewards (male hostesses). The number of candidates is quite high because it has many additional advantages compared to other job opportunities. In order to get this job, you need to have certain qualities and character traits. The training that will be given to you will help you bring your character traits together with professional standards. If you want to be successful in this profession, you should carefully review the sections explained below.
What Are The Requirements For Becoming A Stewardess?
1. Physical Characteristics Required To Be A Stewardess
Age limit
Age limits vary by country and airline. Candidates generally must be between 18 and 30 years old. In certain European countries, you can apply up to 35 years old. Turkish Airlines has an age limit of 30. In America, young and clean-faced people are preferred.
Weight and height
Height and weight, like the age limit, vary from airline to airline. However, height and weight should be proportional. Again, in the same ad, Turkish Airlines has set a height requirement of 160-180 cm for women and 170-190 cm for men.
A beautiful smile and a pleasing voice
Flight attendants are the face of the airline. They are the first to greet passengers with a pleasant smile. That’s why another prerequisite for being a flight attendant is a beautiful smile.
Another requirement for being a flight attendant is to have a sweet and pleasant voice.
Normal vision
It is mandatory for candidates to have normal vision. Candidates who wear glasses, and contact lenses or are color blind will be eliminated during the application process.
Being healthy
Another important physical condition is to be completely healthy. You may look perfect, but if you have the AIDS virus, heart problems, mental problems or chronic illnesses, you will not be accepted. Cabin crew candidates undergo serious medical tests.
2. Abilities and Character Traits
Excellent communication skills
The primary duties and responsibilities of flight attendants are to interact with passengers. You need to inform passengers about safety and emergencies. You also need to meet the needs of passengers during the flight. This is why communication skills are so important.
Ability to work and multitask
From the outside, being a flight attendant may seem easy. However, the job description includes a variety of tasks such as serving passengers, writing reports, checking food and beverages, and checking that necessary devices are working properly. In addition, you also need to be able to manage time and multitask.
Hospitality
How many times have you encountered a rude and impatient flight attendant? Well, if you did, would you fly with that airline again? Of course not. On the contrary, if we encounter a polite, kind, and compassionate flight attendant, we want to fly with the same airline again. This is the ideal flight attendant. Character traits such as patience, kindness and compassion cannot be learned. These traits should be in everyone’s character.
Flexibility and adaptability
In order to adapt to the working conditions in this profession, you need to easily adapt to the given work schedule. Sudden changes in working hours and overtime will prevent you from spending much time with your family because working during holidays will be a part of your job. You need to be completely dedicated to this profession.
Education requirements
To become a flight attendant (stewardess), you must at least have a high school degree. If you have a university degree, you will be given priority in well-known international airlines. Graduating from mass communication, psychology, tourism, etc. departments will give you an advantage. Being proficient in foreign languages, especially English will help you make the most of this job.
A good personality, a clear head, quick thinking, and interpersonal skills will make you a great flight attendant. If you work hard and are determined, you will soar to the skies. So, do you think you have the qualities to be the ideal flight attendant?
17 Things Those Who Want to Become a Stewardess Should Know
In this section, we include 10 important pieces of information that people who love the skies and flying and want to become flight attendants should know.
If you want to work as a flight attendant on airplanes, you should read this article.
1. You Only Get Paid for the Time You Fly
To fly from Istanbul to Ankara, you need to arrive at the airport at least 1 hour in advance. This includes check-in, baggage claim, security search, boarding the minibus to board the plane, and many other steps. This process applies to both passengers and cabin crew.
However, you should know that all this time and process is not included in the concept of “working hours”. Flight attendants only get paid for the time they fly. In other words, when the plane is delayed and the flight is canceled, the passengers get very angry; however, the same applies to flight attendants. Because flight attendants work on an hourly basis. For them, working hours are the time from the moment they enter the plane until they exit.
Of course, there is also the issue of “hubs”. Every airline uses a certain airport as its main hub. Therefore, you need to live in the city where the company’s headquarters is located. For example, the company’s headquarters could be in Istanbul or Antalya. Since the cost of living is different between the two cities, you may have to live with a roommate, especially in the early years of your career.
2. Cabin Crew Is a Security Expert
Let’s admit it, people think of flight attendants as personnel who “serve food and drinks.” This is quite unfair because during their training, flight attendants receive training in flight safety as well as service. In other words, flight attendants need to know the characteristics of the aircraft they work on, what to do in an emergency, how to open doors and windows, and many other technical issues. For this, they routinely pass written and practical exams.
3. Working Hours Can Be Quite Flexible
Cabin crew generally work in two different systems. In the first system, the cabin crew is given a weekly or monthly flight list. Therefore, the cabin crew knows which days and where they will fly. At this point, there may be an option to change the working days and hours among the cabin crew. This may vary depending on the policy applied by the company.
In addition, there is a call system. In this system, the flight attendant can go to the airport immediately for the flight, even though he is on leave at home, upon receiving a phone call from the company. In other words, for the Istanbul-Amsterdam flight at 14:00, the flight attendant watching TV at home may receive a message saying, “There is a flight to Amsterdam at 14:00, be at the airport at 12.”
4. You Cannot Take a “Vacation” During Holiday Periods
If you do not have 10 years of experience and are not a supervisor, you should forget about spending time with your family at home during holidays and New Year’s. Especially during the 5-6 day holiday, flights are very busy during these periods as people take advantage of the situation and go on domestic and international vacations. Therefore, as a cabin crew, you should also work “full-time”.
Holiday periods that fall especially during the winter season are a bit more troublesome. Because there are often delays due to weather conditions. In other words, you may be stranded on the plane and miss spending time with your family at those times.
5. You Should Get Used to Sleeping in Strange Places
On two-day flights, there is a 12-hour break between the two flights, which is enough time for you to sleep at the hotel. However, on some international flights, for example, there may be a Los Angeles-Istanbul flight 4 hours after the Istanbul-Los Angeles flight. A 4-hour break is not suitable for sleeping at the hotel.
In such cases, you may need to sleep in the cabins inside the plane. Sleeping in these beds, which do not have the most comfortable beds in the world, is better than sleeping in a sitting position in the passenger seat in any case!
6. It’s Very Easy to Get “Depressed”
Apart from working day and night, on vacation, and for a relatively low salary, this job can be quite challenging for your psychology. Sleeping in strange places, having your sleep schedule disrupted, being away from your family and friends, constantly eating at airports, and being under constant stress can seriously challenge your psychology.
According to a report by the US National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, the risk of suicide among flight attendants is 50% higher than other people. Flight attendants are also 2.5 times more likely to develop alcoholism than other people.
In other words, it is extremely important to take care of yourself mentally and physically in this profession. Regular and healthy nutrition, adequate sleep, and socializing on your days off are of great importance if you want to stay in this profession.
7. There is a Strict Dress Code
Have you ever wondered why the cabin crew looks so flawless? Because flight attendants are disciplined to follow the dress code to the letter. Each airline has its own dress code, but all of these regulations are very strict and specific. In other words, the company decides how you tie your hair, what color mascara you use, and what color nail polish you wear.
Skirts cannot go above the knee, the heel of the shoe must not exceed 8 centimeters, the color of the lipstick must be a certain shade of red and must be constantly refreshed, the nails must always be manicured and no other nail polish can be used except pink, red or French manicure. It is said that some airlines even control the color of the bra. In other words, it is mandatory to take care of yourself and your appearance to be part of the cabin crew.
All your clothes should be ironed, and your hair color should be natural, meaning you should be careful not to show the roots of your hair. Even adding shadows to your hair is not acceptable.
8. You Can Buy Plane Tickets at a Great Discount
Of course, since most of your time is spent flying, you can take advantage of this situation and fly with your family and friends at a significant discount.
For example, Pegasus Airlines applies a tariff such as “domestic 60 lira, international 60 euro” for discounted tickets for its personnel. This usually includes one more person besides the cabin crew. In other words, you can fly from Istanbul to London with your spouse for 120 euros, which is an incredibly cheap amount.
9. You Learn Everything About Your Colleagues
There may be hundreds of flight attendants on the airline you work for. For example, on a 3-day flight, you will be with 5 other flight attendants on the plane, at the hotel, and at meals. Therefore, you can learn a lot about your colleagues in a few days. However, your next flight with these people maybe 9 months away. In other words, you may never see a flight attendant you are “best friends with” again.
10. You Can See Places You Never See In Your Life
Of course, you also experience the advantages of constantly traveling to different cities and countries in this profession. You may find yourself in Tokyo the next week while flying to Iceland one day. Especially if you have free time while waiting for the next flight in these cities, you can see magnificent places and gain unforgettable experiences.
11. We could survive a situation like in the TV series Lost.
One of the many important skills that cabin crew acquire is survival. Flight attendants are trained on how to prepare shelter, gather food, find drinking water, and find help in different environments, from the Arctic to rainforests and deserts. In short, you’re in safe hands.
12. They are not allowed to gain weight.
To enter and exit any door on the plane, your weight must remain at a certain level. In other words, if you gain too much weight, it is very possible to lose your job. Some airlines also require flight attendants to be taller than a certain height to reach the overhead locker.
They give you your uniform once and you never have a chance to change it. In other words, you can’t get a bigger size just because you gained a few kilos. In such a case, the airline gives you 1 month to lose weight. Otherwise, you will be put on a weight management program.
13. They can give birth during the flight.
If the movie you are watching on the plane is interrupted by labor pains, don’t worry. The flight attendants are trained to deliver safely until you land and hand the job over to the medical team. What’s more, your baby born on the plane may be given free air travel for the rest of his or her life. However, if the miracle of birth happens while you are flying on a budget airline, don’t get your hopes up.
14. Before each flight, they are subjected to a short test.
Before each trip, the most senior cabin crew member will ask the other crew members 2 emergency procedure questions and 1 medical question. If they cannot answer correctly, they will be removed from the flight.
15. Hostesses know the best places to have a good time.
The cabin crew loves to party, and once you reach your destination, it’s all about having as much fun as possible. Instead of buying a travel guide, ask the cabin crew for advice, or even better, go out for a night out with the cabin crew. Flight crews are known for their ability to sneak into VIP areas.
16. Many of them have received training in different fields beforehand.
Many people start as flight attendants after leaving another profession. In other words, the flight attendants you see on the plane today may have been teachers, judges, nurses, or police officers in the past. There is room for everyone on the plane.
17. They have seen everything.
People doing striptease during flights, mothers trying to place their babies in overhead lockers, sanitary pads used instead of eye patches… These are just some of the incidents that flight attendants encounter in a working day.
How to Become a Stewardess in THY in 6 Steps?
1- Apply through the kariyer.thy.com website. Complete the online aptitude and English exam given to you during the application.
2- Stewardess candidates whose applications and test scores are found suitable are invited to the THY Human Resources Assessment Center in Istanbul Florya, where they take the computer-based English exam.
3- If you have successfully completed these steps, you will be invited to an interview at the same place. In this interview:
- Document control,
- English interview,
- Height-weight-tattoo-scar control,
- 2. Foreign language interview,
- Board interview,
- Psychologist interview,
- A group evaluation study is conducted.
4- Candidates who pass these stages must obtain a flight fitness health report from hospitals authorized by the General Directorate of Civil Aviation. These reports are checked and approved by the THK Health Directorate.
5- If you have come this far without any problems, you are eligible for 2 months of flight attendant training. This training is carried out at the Florya Flight Training Center.
6- Candidates who have successfully completed their training are now ready to start working and flying.
How Much is the Salary of a Stewardess?
Although cabin crew (stewardess) salaries vary from company to company, the average is between 70 and 150 thousand Dollars.
We will continue to research the best professions that pay the most for those who do not yet have a job and are wondering which profession to choose.
