How to Become a Flight Attendant

If you like the idea of traveling and getting paid while you do it, you may be wondering how to become a flight attendant. These workers have direct contact with passengers to ensure that they have an enjoyable flight. The flight attendants on board an aircraft are also responsible for making sure that safety regulations are followed.

Major U.S. airlines Require the flight attendants to be U.S. citizens or registered aliens with the right to work in the country. Flight attendants must also have the right to travel to and from the countries which their airline services. An airline will also require flight attendant applicants to be willing to relocate if required.

Education and Skills Required to Become a Flight Attendant

Most airlines set the minimum level of education required to work as a flight attendant as a high school diploma or GED. A number of people working this career have at least some college level education, and many of them hold an Associate or Bachelor’s degree. Some people working as flight attendants have graduate degrees, but this is not required for an entry-level position. It may be helpful if they want to qualify for supervisory roles later on, though.

Airlines which are looking to hire flight attendants are also interested in people who have customer service experience. This type of career involves interacting with passengers on a daily basis, and someone who has worked in retail, as a server in a restaurant or as a customer service representative in a call center would be considered good candidates for this role.

Language skills are important to airlines hiring flight attendants. At the very least, you will need to be fluent in English. Being able to speak a second language, such as French, Spanish, Japanese, Chinese, or German, is an asset, especially if you would like to be considered for work on international flights.

Physical Appearance and Flight Attendant Jobs

Airlines have very specific criteria about the physical appearance of their flight attendants. They are looking for people who are attractive and very well groomed, since they are representing the airline to passengers while on duty.

You should probably consider an airline to be a very conservative employer regarding its flight attendants appearance. If you have visible tattoos, body piercings or an unusual hairstyle, you will probably not fit the profile that the airlines are looking for when recruiting for flight attendant positions.

Medical Exam and Background Check

Newly hired flight attendants undergo a company medical exam. It doesn’t make sense to add an inch or two in height or to shave a few pounds off your weight when applying for this type of position. The exam will also reveal whether you have a history of drug use, since you will be asked to provide a urine sample for drug testing. Make sure to share information about any medications (prescription or over the counter) which you are taking.

An airline will also conduct a thorough background check as part of its hiring process. You can expect that up to 10 years of your life will be looked at during this process. If the airline discovers that you lied on any detail of your application or have a criminal record, you will be immediately dismissed and will not be able to reach her goal to become a flight attendant. Now that you have this information about how to become a flight attendant, you’re well on your way to the career you’ve dreamed about.

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