Singapore Expats

Hopefully ex-cabin crew get to see this and post some advice...
I suppose the shelf life of a cabin crew can be quite short especially if u are 1) a lady or 2) do not intend to stay on for long... So what kinda jobs have ex-cabin crew taken up? Easy to get employed?

By the way, does anyone know whether can break bond if u finally decide not to be cabin crew? I mean do you have to PAY back to the company...

let's see - generally the common professionals are: -


1. cabin crew for budget carriers for those who really love to fly but not young anymore
2. housewives (average) - yes, for those who marry for love and not $
3. rich tai tai - yes, i am not kidding, i seen quite a lot!
4. sales (because you got customer service skills and you basically know how to flaunt it)
5. real estate
6. front line
7. customer service
8. food & beverage
9. hotel
10. receptionist
11. public relations - yes.

those that are a bit more qualifications usually try being cabin crew for a short time and then move back
to their real jobs - i know of one law grad who is now a polytechnic lecturer. i also know one who is an accountant, she quit and did ACCA.

if you have like professional degrees - like law, medicine, dentistry, engineering with good honours and then do cabin crew jobs and then return to the real world remember you will be grilled and hr will wonder "is this girl stupid or only know how to serve and nothing else" - trust me, it has happened to me! my interview was like "so you only fly, what makes you think you are qualified" - stuff like that.

YES, you have to pay back the bond, they will not hesitate to take action against bond breakers. usually i stay clear of companies with bonds - reason being something has to be wrong - high turnover or they are worried you'll run away. i was with one "bond" airline and gosh, the experience was like....

in my current company, and some of us that went to normal office jobs after being cabin crew did have a shock - one of my batch girls ended up applying for PA and during interview they asked "so you're not qualified coz you only know coffee, tea and service". basically the work is specialised in cabin crew so expect to start again at the bottom.

the ones that end up really long in this profession are categorised into 3

- those who can't quit coz they need the cash
- lazy coz they knew they can't work office jobs
- educationally they know they won't earn the same salary anywhere else.
- passion for the job - yes, some of those really inspire you to try harder - however, you find some gems too

Wowee toygirl. Very informative!

Thanks for the reply.

Supposed u are a FA? Do you really get to TRAVEL a lot? Or does a FA usually get so tired after a flight that SLEEP becomes more important??

Plus, how do u adjust to the time differences? Suppose u hv to fly to London, then a few days later Tokyo?

toygirl wrote: if you have like professional degrees - like law, medicine, dentistry, engineering with good honours and then do cabin crew jobs and then return to the real world remember you will be grilled and hr will wonder "is this girl stupid or only know how to serve and nothing else" - trust me, it has happened to me! my interview was like "so you only fly, what makes you think you are qualified" - stuff like that.

What you are saying in so many words is a factor not uncommon in the lives of graduates elsewhere that is they are over-qualified. All too often graduates leaving University find no market for their skills and turn to employment that is below their abilities and just have to convince or maybe even deceive the employer that this is their passion in life.

Believe me this happens in the UK and often results in frustration and a feeling of dissatisfaction or in some circumstances laziness and cynicism.

Plavt.

toygirl wrote:let's see - generally the common professionals are: -


1. cabin crew for budget carriers for those who really love to fly but not young anymore
2. housewives (average) - yes, for those who marry for love and not $
3. rich tai tai - yes, i am not kidding, i seen quite a lot!
4. sales (because you got customer service skills and you basically know how to flaunt it)
5. real estate
6. front line
7. customer service
8. food & beverage
9. hotel
10. receptionist
11. public relations - yes.

those that are a bit more qualifications usually try being cabin crew for a short time and then move back
to their real jobs - i know of one law grad who is now a polytechnic lecturer. i also know one who is an accountant, she quit and did ACCA.

if you have like professional degrees - like law, medicine, dentistry, engineering with good honours and then do cabin crew jobs and then return to the real world remember you will be grilled and hr will wonder "is this girl stupid or only know how to serve and nothing else" - trust me, it has happened to me! my interview was like "so you only fly, what makes you think you are qualified" - stuff like that.

YES, you have to pay back the bond, they will not hesitate to take action against bond breakers. usually i stay clear of companies with bonds - reason being something has to be wrong - high turnover or they are worried you'll run away. i was with one "bond" airline and gosh, the experience was like....

in my current company, and some of us that went to normal office jobs after being cabin crew did have a shock - one of my batch girls ended up applying for PA and during interview they asked "so you're not qualified coz you only know coffee, tea and service". basically the work is specialised in cabin crew so expect to start again at the bottom.

the ones that end up really long in this profession are categorised into 3

- those who can't quit coz they need the cash
- lazy coz they knew they can't work office jobs
- educationally they know they won't earn the same salary anywhere else.
- passion for the job - yes, some of those really inspire you to try harder - however, you find some gems too

I however, think you're just stereotyping others. In this world, there are no perfect person. Why bother about what others think when you haven't even bothered about yourself yet? The world just need good ad bad people like we need hardworking and lazy people. Without these, this world won't be perfect. The good wont be rewarded and the bad, punished.

these are the most common professions that cabin crew end up with. you also have to consider on the part of Human resources - assume that you have a BEng (1st class) and go and be a cabin crew for 5 years and then return - you will be placed at the basic level all over again, you must be dreaming if you think they are going to take into consideration non-relevant work experience for increments.

anyway, it's not a stereotype, these are the most common ones that they end up in - i know, i've been through it, and my buds too! to each his own?

oh dear - there's isn't any "perfect person" in the world - but the reasons given are basically a general idea of what happens. some are lazy - it's plain fact to venture out because it's a comfortable job once you get used to it and manage to evade getting involved in anything.

"The good wont be rewarded and the bad, punished." - LOL, try saying that to the chief stewardess in a confucius way - i bet with you - they'll dump on your lavatory duty thorough the whole flight! hehehe - just kidding

damme, i must have been too engrossed typing too fast.

What i meant was:

The good will be rewarded and the bad punished.

*winks*

Jet lag will be a challenge when you first start - also depends on the airline you work here - some airlines have minimum rest periods and you're activated for duty. But it comes with the job. When I first started, I slept when I reached the hotel on long flights - it's different working on air then in the ground. I know of one airline that I will not name (it's not local) - that gives minimum rest period - Physically exhausting. They always recruit in Eastern Europe and Philippines for their crew extensively

Continue your enthusiasm, "See" the world and good luck in training. Did it for 7 years. There are positive sides to this job, but there are plenty of negatives as well. If you don't realise the negatives, then you're sadly decluded from reality!

Yes karma is a bitch - I always believe in retribution

"Yes karma is a bitch - I always believe in retribution "

yup. i like this quote.

toygirl wrote:these are the most common professions that cabin crew end up with. you also have to consider on the part of Human resources - assume that you have a BEng (1st class) and go and be a cabin crew for 5 years and then return - you will be placed at the basic level all over again, you must be dreaming if you think they are going to take into consideration non-relevant work experience for increments.

anyway, it's not a stereotype, these are the most common ones that they end up in - i know, i've been through it, and my buds too! to each his own?

oh dear - there's isn't any "perfect person" in the world - but the reasons given are basically a general idea of what happens. some are lazy - it's plain fact to venture out because it's a comfortable job once you get used to it and manage to evade getting involved in anything.

"The good wont be rewarded and the bad, punished." - LOL, try saying that to the chief stewardess in a confucius way - i bet with you - they'll dump on your lavatory duty thorough the whole flight! hehehe - just kidding

I've a friend, a first class honours genius graduated 3 years ago from NTU, has been flying with SIA ever since. No intention to quit anytime soon & feeling very proud to be working for the Best & Most reputable Airline of the World.
Had never once felt that degree earned has gone to waste.
Any comments out there?

Try going back to a non-flying job and asking HR to consider your flying experience! (Sorry couldn't resist)

Best and most reputable? - SQ slipping nowadays but still considered premier in Asia.

Let's see - You deprived someone else who really wanted to study that discipline at NTU and ended up as a flight attendant. Is he going to use the academic skills up in the sky - I doubt so. That's why I always like the polytechnic hospitality grads - They know what they want.

As we say, it's up to the individual. As your mention, your friend is still flying, reality sinks in once you are not flying and get back to a desk job!

Good luck!

toygirl wrote:Try going back to a non-flying job and asking HR to consider your flying experience! (Sorry couldn't resist)

Best and most reputable? - SQ slipping nowadays but still considered premier in Asia.

Let's see - You deprived someone else who really wanted to study that discipline at NTU and ended up as a flight attendant. Is he going to use the academic skills up in the sky - I doubt so. That's why I always like the polytechnic hospitality grads - They know what they want.

As we say, it's up to the individual. As your mention, your friend is still flying, reality sinks in once you are not flying and get back to a desk job!

Good luck!

Are you happy flying after all these years or do you find it a chore now? Why is SQ slipping nowdays as compared to the time when you first join the airline.
I thought SIA still No. 1 airline in the world.
Is it because standard of new stewardesses slipping which equals to SQ service slipping too?
Why SIA wants to relax on their selection & recruitment when they know SQ is slipping. There are still so many young beauties around I see everyday (not including me), why SIA want to lower it's standards.
At least if pretty, passengers will still close an eye if a mistake is made. But if not pretty, it will only make passengers even more angry & complain.
Am i right?

No longer flying - Done it 7 years. It's not a chore - It's work. Standards slipping? - Only raters, cabin crew management will know the reason plus frequent flyers. No. 1 airline in the world? - Huh?????

Oh dear - Mass recruitment are held to compensate for turnover, promotions, additional flights, A380. I guess the approach now is take anyone decent and pleasant looking, transform them at STC and hope for the best.

Models do not neccessarily equate to excellent hosts onboard. Pax pay a premium to get excellent knowledgeable, attentive service.

Hahahahahahaha (sorry, I couldn't stop laughing) - "Pretty, close one eye?" - Depends on the situation, I've used that before, sometimes it works. Sometimes it can BACKFIRE. When passengers are pissed and mad, winking your eye and lifting up your skirt isn't really going to help - Most passengers want things resolved to their satisfaction, unless you're going to fornicate with them to resolve all their displeasures, then it's going to be interesting! Unless you're going to execute service recovery by giving free sexual favours!

Nikki - You're new! - Go and do some more reading about the job, ask around, etc.

SIA has expanded it services in order to compete with budget airlines not to mention the coming introduciton of the A380 in an industry with a high staff turnover. Under such conditions it is not always possible to maintain the high standards which were so noticeable years ago.

Plavt.