Memoirs from the Orange Army

Crew Life is a Gypsy Life

Just before I start this chapter, I wanted to apologise for not uploading sooner. I've been busy at work and I've also suffered from writers block.

In this chapter I wanted to focus solely on Cabin Crew and the lifestyle that comes with it. Many people are under the general assumption that we are just employed to pour tea and coffee in a stylish uniform. Little do these people realise that when we tell them "the Cabin Crew are primarily here for your safety" we really do mean it.

Cabin Crew do the job because it's want they want or have always wanted to do. The aviation industry represents millions of dreams and aspirations across the globe uniting people into one large dysfunctional family. We all have the same thing in common and therefore we all speak the same language too.

I was just like millions of others. I dreamed of touching the sky. I used to daydream all day long of all the wonderful places and things yet unseen by my eyes. I would think about all the different cultures just waiting to be experienced. I always wanted to travel and see the four corners of the planet. Little did I realise that just like millions of others I would achieve my dream one day.

Cabin Crew is not an easy job to get and for those who successfully manage to get the job then have some rather large obstacles to face. Crew have to complete a rigorous application which delves into every aspect of your life leaving you no privacy. It usually takes anything between one and two hours to complete the application and once it is completed, it is then followed by a nervous wait which is anything between one and three weeks.

An email then follows up with results of your application. If it's not successful, crew are not allowed to reapply for at least twelve months. If crew are successful, then there are online assessments and more tough questions to follow. This eliminates more applicants to create a final shortlist. Those who are successful after this will then be invited to an assessment day.

The assessment day is one of the most difficult experiences to be dished out to willing applicants. There can be up to two hundred applicants on each day all fighting for a job. The morning is spent bonding with other applicants through a series of group activities to prove to each other the skills such as teamwork, integrity and motivation.

Once all of these tasks are completed, there is a short wait before the recruitment team appear and announce a list of names. This is the worst bit. Firstly, there is a risk you could be called or also you could hear the names of your new friends. At this point, having your name called could either be a good thing or a bad thing. A sense of dread fills the room and emotions take over as the list of names are read out. When the list has been called out, they are led out of the room into another which means the remaining applicants have to wait another few minutes. Is this the end of road? Are we unsuccessful? I can still remember my stomach twisting and turning over and over as I wait for the outcome. My hands are sweating profusely and I start to shiver with the tension and the nerves.

I then find out I'm one of the successful applicants.

Now I, like the others, have to wait to be interviewed personally. The atmosphere is a little bit more relaxed but I remember seeing the other successful applicants spending the afternoon revising over their answers for the questions.

The interview is really lovely and the recruitment team make sure applicants are comfortable to help put them at ease. A series of questions are asked so the applicants are required to provide examples of their skills relating to the questions. It is only a short fifteen minute interview and once it is finished, the recruitment thank the applicants for everything, informing them that contact should be made within a week.

The journey home is a quiet one. I remember thinking to myself where I could have gone wrong so that I didn't get my hopes up to then be let down. It's a very emotional and exhausting day but it's nice to meet new people from all walks of life and make friends.