Many people dream of seeing the world, though the goal is a terribly expensive one. Unless you are traveling for work or you have trips paid for by other means, it could severely break the bank. This is exactly why so many people are attracted to the idea of becoming a flight attendant: you practically get paid to see the world! This job is definitely suited for the person-friendly and charismatic student who is looking for a career path that will allow them to meet many interesting people on their travels.

It is not all fun and games, however. Flight attendants have many responsibilities, including: ensuring that all emergency equipment is ready and fully functional just in case an emergency situation arises, give safety briefings for all passengers on the flight so that everyone knows what to do in an emergency situation, distribute snacks and refreshments, take care of passengers’ needs, helps out in cabin cleaning between flights, amongst other general day-to-day tasks to make a flight run more smoothly.

What are the perks of the job?

The biggest perk of the job is not only being able to see the world, but actually being paid to do it! As well, you can interact with many different worldly people and hear interesting stories. If you are a people person, you may find that this job is quite enjoyable. There is also a clear line of promotions that you can enjoy if you are hard-working and talented enough. A flight attendant only needs to have a high school diploma to be able to earn the job, though post-secondary graduates are more likely going to earn the job over an applicant who did not graduate from a college or university.

What are some of the setbacks?

This career can be somewhat stressful when you have to constantly tend to the needs of all passengers on board and many people can come across as rude and ungrateful. It can also be a very physically demanding and exhausting job to constantly run around a flight cabin and keep everything in order, especially on flights lasting over six hours. Furthermore, the median wage in Canada can be somewhat low with an annual salary of about $35,977 according to PayScale.

How can I grow with this career?

There are a few career advancement roles that a flight attendant can take once they have proven themselves to be effective in the field. A flight attendant can be promoted to be a “ready reserve” flight attendant, a senior flight attendant, a check flight attendant, a flight attendant supervisor, a base manager or an inflight manager (also known as an inflight vice president). A flight attendant may also find themselves earning small salary increases on an annual basis after supervisors assess how well they have done over the course of the year.

That’s all great, but could I be hired for other careers?

Other relevant fields include becoming a flight attendant instructor (where you can teach up-and-coming flight attendants the ropes) and a flight attendant recruiter (because at this rate, no one knows the role better than you do, so you should be able to find the right person for the job). A flight attendant can be hired for many other careers that require strong social skills and have a patient disposition within the service industry.

Reference:

Career Flight Path, “Flight Attendant Career Advancement: What’s Next?”:

https://careerflightpath.com/flight-attendant-career-advancement/

Government of Canada, “In-charge Flight Attendant near Toronto, ON”:

https://www.jobbank.gc.ca/marketreport/outlook-occupation/20655/22437

Truity, “Flight Attendant”:

https://www.truity.com/career-profile/flight-attendant

PayScale, “Flight Attendant Salary”:

https://www.payscale.com/research/CA/Job=Flight_Attendant/Hourly_Rate