Training to become cabin crew can vary depending on your preferred route to entry.
Aspiring cabin crew can undertake a college course, an apprenticeship or apply directly to an airline. Some airlines and external providers also run cabin crew courses which could improve your chances of getting a job.
College course
Budding cabin crew could undertake a full or part time college course, such as the Level 2 Certificate in Air Cabin Crew. Students could undertake a full course dedicated to becoming cabin crew, or they could study the subject as a module within a broader travel and tourism course.
The length of time needed to complete the course would depend on the college provider.
While proceeding through the recruitment process at your chosen airline, you will still need to undertake further training specific to the airline. This training can be completed in around six weeks.
Airlines who offer more choice in terms of routes, cabin classes and aircraft, may run a longer training course, simply because there is more content to cover.
Apprenticeship
The apprenticeship route will usually take around 12 months to complete. During this time, you will do ‘on the job’ training and spend time studying within college.
Similar to the college course, you will still need to undertake further training as you proceed through the recruitment process at your chosen airline.
Apply direct
Aspiring cabin crew can apply directly to their preferred airline. All the necessary training will be provided by the airline, but a background in customer service, travel, tourism, hospitality or catering could provide some useful knowledge and transferable skills. The length of time this process takes will vary from airline to airline.
External providers, such as Cabin Crew Wings, provide short courses (usually 1-2 days long) with the aim of fast tracking candidates who apply directly. Cabin crew jobs are in high demand; by completing a course prior to your application, it will show that you are serious about a career as cabin crew. Courses run by external providers can vary in time and cost.
Before you embark on any of these routes, it’s important to take a good look at the basic job requirements which cabin crew will have to meet. For example, many airlines have a minimum and maximum height requirement.
This is especially important if you have a particular airline in mind which you are hoping to join.
Airlines have very strict requirements and if you don’t confidently meet their prerequisites, your application will be instantly rejected, no matter how qualified you are on paper.
Cabin crew can also go by the name of flight attendant, air hostess, air steward or air stewardess.
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