Careers for Freshers

'Air' you being served !

Is your head always in the clouds? Wish to eat, sleep and work on the seventh heaven? If the sky is your limit and money your target, then here's career that will take you in the blue yonder.

Ready to start on a global trip? You'll be a jetsetter in the true sense of the word. Before you know it, you'll be having breakfast in Alaska, lunch in Paris and dinner at a five-star hotel in… who knows… Rome!

• Job Profile
Alright, get this straight…an airhostess does not lead a glamorous life! The job profile ranges from passenger safety to good public relations skills. You need to make people feel comfortable during the flight and ensure their safety at all times The positive point of course is that you get to see new places!

If you thought that the job was nothing but a ramp walk in the sky, you are wrong! Your duty as an airhostess starts much before take-off. You have to reach the airport an hour-and-a-half before check-in time and undergo briefing by the senior flight attendant. Briefing includes a basic lecture on safety, take-off and service procedures during the flight.

If you fail the test or can't answer even a single question correctly, you stand the risk of being offloaded from the flight 20 minutes before take-off. You will then need to undergo the entire training procedure once again before you are allowed to fly.

Once the briefing is over, airhostesses have to run a safety check on the aircraft. This includes testing safety equipment, life jackets, mikes, etc. Airhostesses also have to make sure that pillows, blankets, books, food, plates, glasses, napkins and medicines are in stock. The final check includes making sure that the aircraft has been cleaned and is ready for boarding.

It's after embarkation that real duty begins. Airhostesses have to assist passengers and help them settle down in their seats. You also begin explaining safety procedures and try building a rapport with passengers, as you will be serving them for the next several hours.

• Eligibility
Requirements vary according to the airline but the basic ones include:

• Confidence

• Clear complexion and a pleasing personality

• Eligibility for an Indian passport

• Pleasing and accommodating personality

• Readiness to work long hours

• Added advantage: A diploma in hotel management

• Institutes
It is imperative to check the credentials of the institutes that offer these courses. If you are chosen by an airline (domestic or international), you will be trained for the job by the airline staff. Cathay Pacific, an airline based in Hong Kong will send you to Hong Kong on a three-month training period at the cost of the airline. Watch out for the advertisements.

• The early years - getting there
Interview sessions, conducted by a panel of judges, comprise of three rounds. You qualify for the 2nd and 3rd rounds only if you clear the first. The first and second rounds are rather easy and you are asked questions about yourself and why you want to become an airhostess.

If you make it to the third round, you will be asked about the airline and other related aspects.

Once selected, candidates need to undergo a training period of two-three months, depending on the airline. Here, they will be taught all that's there is to know about the job. Candidates will be taught on-ground and in-flight training during the course. It covers both theoretical and practical aspects of in-flight service. Curriculum includes aviation terminology, history of the airline, getting familiar with the aircraft, information on stations where the airline operates, geography, time differences, passenger handling, bar sales and currencies, passenger documentation, travel regulations and tourism.

Training on in-flight service such as cuisine, wine, cheese, liquor and meal service, grooming, speech and voice training is also given. Most airlines train potential hostesses only for serving passengers in the economy class during the basic training. Hostesses are trained to work in the executive and first class after a few years.

Flight safety classes are conducted in a fully equipped safety mock-up where simulated evacuation drills are held. Once you clear your test and are reviewed by the Cabin Crew Training Centre, you will be ready for take-off - in other words, take your first solo flight.

Airhostesses also have to take progressive exams at regular intervals, if they're interested in a promotion.

You start off as a junior hostess and could, after a few years, be promoted to senior flight attendant and then, senior attendant if you clear all your tests.

• Prospects
The prospects of an airhostess are many and obvious. You could be promoted to post of senior hostess once you've been in the profession for about 8-10 years.

You could also branch off into several fields once you're done as an airhostess.. You could become a ground hostess, check-hostess or diversify into any of the various departments in the airline industry.

• Money
The money is pretty good in international airlines. You however, cannot make much if you're flying domestic and most airlines offer Rs 425 per flight.

Junior domestic hostesses could earn upto Rs 14,000 per month. The amount increases to Rs 600 per flight (domestic) once you're promoted to post of senior hostess.

The money scene is any day better in international airlines and you could earn a minimum of Rs 40,000 per month if you're working with a reputed airline. Though these flights are time consuming and it could take you almost six days before you're back home, the money more than compensates.

However, you must remember that you cannot fly for more than 72 hours in a month. So this would greatly limit the amount of money you can make, especially if you're flying with a not-so-reputed airline.

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