Probably one of the most frequent questions I get after I mention that Lessno.com is offering great deals on round tickets is the question about the flight attendants. Do not get me wrong, but we are not air carrier though last week a colleague suggested to have our own Airbus (as some companies have shuttle buses). Now, back to the flight attendant careers.

Each company has its own requirements regarding the people that are hired for the positions of cabin crew members. Basically there are some essential requirements, but then companies are quite flexible to add their own rules. Keep in mind that being flight attendant is not just a matter of travel experience, but it is a job like any other and therefore the responsibility and emotional pressure can reach quite high levels sometimes.

Often it is a question of personal skills and problem solving abilities rather than pure technical information or good look. Do not forget that primary responsibility is to make sure that safety regulation on airplanes are followed and then comes the leisure.

Obligatory requirements:

• High School Diploma, GED or equivalent education required.
• Must be at least 18 years of age.
• Must have authorization to work in certain country (this depends on the nationality of the air carrier)
• No conviction, guilty plea, or judgment not guilty by reason of insanity
• Minimum height (must be able to reach overhead bins)
• Ability to swim (overseas flights)

Additional requirements:

• Speak at least one foreign language for international airlines
• Up to 30 years old (but I have seen older and I have heard stories for ladies who started their career in their 50s)
• Good physical health, able to lift heavy carry on luggage
• Have bachelor degree in Nursing, Tourism, Hotel Management or other relevant
• Good team worker, ability to identify and solve problems fast, communicative and responsible
• Tolerant family or friends, because you will travel a lot and you may not see them as often as you would like to
• Able to work midnight shifts

Where to search for open positions:
Often companies have special sections on their websites where they announce the open positions.
Other companies use recruitment agencies or publish directly on job-portals.

For example:
SouthWest: http://www.southwest.com/careers/careers.html
Lufthansa: http://www.be-lufthansa.com/index_en.html#/de/home/flight-attendants-wanted/
If you are looking for something specific, Google it!