What subjects should I study to be Cabin Crew?

We often receive emails from students asking what subjects they would be best off choosing for their GCSEs or A levels.
Its daunting having to make decisions which you feel could impact on the rest of your life, and stressful when it feels like you don’t have the right answers.
So if you think you might like a career as cabin crew, what is the right thing to do?
Here’s our perspective:

• Studying can be hard so the most important thing is to choose subjects you like. The more interested you are, the easier it will be to commit to learning and the better your results will be.
• It will be useful to get reasonable grades in the basics i.e. Maths and English. Many jobs ask for decent grades in these, so if you are likely to struggle then make sure to get some help.
• Keep your options open by choosing as broad a range of subjects as you can. If all your choices are quite similar it may limit you more in the future.
• Having some proficiency in languages is always going to be an advantage for a career in the travel industry. Choosing a qualification in one or more of these will give you a great grounding in using different languages in practical settings.
• Qualification options vary depending on where you are studying, so you may have an option to choose a subject which covers the theoretical side of travel and tourism. Don’t worry too much though if you don’t have this option; real life experience is just as good if not more valuable.
• Airlines are particularly interested in the customer service experience of their applicants. So whatever subject choices you make, it would probably also be worthwhile to find a part-time job where you get to build on your experience of dealing with customers in the real world.
• Don’t worry about making the wrong decision. Nothing is irreversible. You may choose subjects now which you think will set you up for one sort career only to change your mind later. Most people have no clue what they might want to do when it’s time to choose their subject options and things tend to turn out ok!