Are you strong enough to be Cabin Crew?

We’re not just talking about the physical strength you’ll need to do the job (although this is an import aspect if you were trying to evacuate an aircraft full of passengers and operating heavy doors and survival equipment). We’re interested in your mental strength, or resilience.

Do you have what it takes?

One of the things a lot of Cabin Crew really value about the role is the variety. But whilst this might stop you from getting bored, it also means that you have to be constantly ready to deal with the unexpected.

Here are some of the biggest challenges serving Cabin Crew told us about:

• Dealing with a difficult or angry customer
• An emergency medical situation at 35,000 feet
• An emergency landing or take-off
• Long shifts, working anti-social hours
• Jet lag and sleep deprivation when you can’t get a decent sleep pattern
• Working if you are feeling unwell or have worries in your personal life
• Missing family or social events due to work commitments
• Not getting on with someone in the crew who you are flying with
• Last minute changes to your roster which means you have to change plans last minute

Even with the ups and downs of the job they all told us they wouldn’t change it. The benefits such as travel, job security, good pay, great team ethos and working for good companies far outweigh any on-board troubles!
We all have good and bad days wherever we work and having some good coping strategies is advice that many Cabin Crew suggest. Consistent advice on how to do well in the job is about being tough. Being able to push through barriers and stay calm and professional no matter how awkward a passenger is being or how rubbish you might be feeling. This is something recruiters will definitely be looking for when you apply.

So how do you show that you are resilient?

One tip is to always try to find a positive outcome however difficult the situation. Another is to always show a positive and helpful attitude, irrespective of what you are feeling inside.
Coping under pressure is something that will get easier, although will always present challenges however long you are in the job. Building strong relationships with your team is important- you want to know there are people you can call on for help if you find yourself stuck. But equally, you need to have confidence in your ability to roll up your sleeves without getting flustered, as you never know when a colleague or passenger is going to need YOU to step up.
Here’s a question which would be useful for you to consider; when was the last time you were thrown in at the deep end? How did you cope? What did you do? Give it some thought, you never know what recruiters might ask!