IKON
The haunting photo of her bloodied face, shredded yellow jacket and hair dusted with rubble became the iconic image of the horror in Brussels. She is Nidhi Chaphekar, 41, a Jet Airways flight attendant and married mother of two. It was 1 p.m. in Mumbai on Tuesday when her family received the heart-rending call she’d been wounded in the attack, husband Rupesh Chaphekar told the Times of India. She was being operated upon for injuries and burns. We hope to talk to her once the surgery is done,” Rupesh told the media outlet.
Nidhi has worked for the India-based airline since 1996 and was due to staff a 10:15 a.m. flight to Newark, according to the UK Sun. Another Jet Airways staffer identified as Amit Motwani also was injured in the bomb blasts. “Both of them receivied medical care at hospitals,” a statement from the airline said. Two Cabin Crew girls who in their line of duty were hurt, but today are back in their jobs.
What is this job all about?
This Career has a lot of glamour surrounding it. Such as, meeting a host of people (including celebrities, diplomats, business men, etc.), the uniform, the salary and travelling around the world for free, all these add a special aura to this job. But behind the glamour there is a lot of hard work, in as much as, one has to provide a high class service with a ready smile. The Air Hostess or Air Steward (for male) is to ensure the safety of the passengers and comfort of the Passenger. She/he must be calm, especially in emergencies.
Can you go for it?
Primary requisites:Height and proportionate weight, good looking, ready smile, proficient with at least 2/3 languages, well read and must be caring, patient and service oriented.
Secondary requisites: Must be prepared to work awkward hours, invariably sleep in different countries / hotels two-three times a week. If you do not have any qualms about this, then by all means give it a try.
Basically, besides being good looking, you must have a “presence” with lots of self confidence. So if you really want to be in this business, you can go for Public Speaking programs (Toast Master’ Club YMCA, Panaji) develop your confidence levels and grooming/deportment Some passengers can be savvy, some outright rude and some are nervous workers traveling for the first time. You ought to be able to take all this in your stride. Passengers can be of any colour or creed and therefore one’s own prejudices must be clearly left at home.
Is there a future in this career?
Unlike other careers – especially Air Hostess, the life span in this job is relatively short i.e. for around 3-5 years. Ladies usually want to settle down so they prefer ground based jobs thereafter. Men too change to ground jobs but some continue flying for many years.
Where to Begin?
Preferably a graduate (Graduate from a Hotel Management/Hospitality is a plus)
Must be able to speak fluent English and Hindi (for local airlines) and preferably one foreign language – for International operations (e.g. French, Spanish, Chinese, Japanese, Arabic or German, etc.)
Should be able to swim well.
Proficient in First Aid.
Special Training:
Air India and Indigo have dedicated training facilities for Cabin Crew. Besides this there are several Institutes that train crew. Frank-Finn has a strong presence in the country – though the fees are steep. The Institutes in Mumbai, like Clare’s Academy or Wings Academy offer similar training with reasonable Fees. The advantage in big cities is that one can pursue many Courses simultaneously such as Language training, Public speaking, First Aid Course, etc.
Also persons could also work for Hotels in front office jobs or major MNC, Banks or Embassies to gain experience and confidence.
Vacancies are usually advertised – but invariably now vacancies are indicated on Company’s website.
Employment Avenues:
Besides our national Carriers (Air India), we now have a host of private airlines e.g. Indigo, Spice Jet, Go Air, Air Asia, Vistara, etc.
On the international front we have airlines like Emirates, Singapore Airlines, Qatar Airways, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Virgin Atlantic, Lufthansa, Gulf Air, Air Muscat, Saudia Airways, Malaysian Airlines, Air Brunei, Quantas, Air New Zealand, South African Airways, Kenya Airways, etc.
Money:
The salaries in these job are excellent –and the perks as well. In local airlines, it could start with around Rs.30,000/- p.m. and go on to Rs.75,000/- plus perks. In foreign airlines it is quite easily double these figures and in some, much much more.
Please do not be satisfied with just acquiring a Degree/Diploma – try and enhance your CV by doing online learning programs (with a certificate) of programs relevant to your choice of career. Your chances of employment will be much better than just a plain degree/diploma.
Please check this website under other details for places you can learn online. Also try and develop your confidence by doing a public speaking training program with people like Toast Masters International.
For government jobs: please check : http://www.employment-newspaper.com/