How to Become a Flight Attendant in Australia: Unlock Your Dream

Have you ever dreamt of traveling the world, or even just your own country, and getting paid to do it?

Flight attendants get to do just that, and the best part is, you will get heavy flight discounts to travel on your days off too!

It’s important to note that while traveling is a definite perk, flight attendants often have to work long and hard hours, and it’s not almost glamorous, but if you are a people person and love working in a team, then the cabin crew life might just be for you.

Keep reading to find out what it takes to secure this amazing job in Australia.

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Requirements for Becoming a Flight Attendant in Australia

Some of the requirements for becoming a flight attendant in Australia differ slightly from airline to airline, but there are a few requirements that are standard across all of them.

Must be above 18 years of age and completed high school
Must have previous customer service or airline experience
Must not have visible tattoos in uniform
Must not have any criminal history
Must have a valid First Aid certificate
Must have a valid RSA certificate
Must be able to swim a certain distance with clothes on

List of Airlines in Australia to Work for as a Flight Attendant

Australia is home to regional, domestic and international airlines, although the international airlines are in the minority and only include Qantas and Virgin (with limited routes). Here is a full list of airlines to work for as cabin crew in Australia:

Qantas Airways (domestic and international)
Qantaslink (regional)
Virgin Airways (regional, domestic and international)
Rex Airlines, including Rex Express (regional)
Jetstar (regional, domestic and international)
Alliance Airlines (regional and domestic)
Bonza Airlines (regional)
Air North (regional)
Aviair (charter)
Eastern Air Services (regional)
FlyPelican (regional)
Fly Tiwi (regional)
Hinterland Aviation (charter and regional)
King Island Airlines (charter routes between Moorabbin Airport and King Island only)
Link Airways (regional)
Maroomba Airlines (charter)
Sharp Airlines (regional)
Skippers Aviation (regional)
Skytrans (charter)
Sky Traders (charter)

How to Apply For a Flight Attendant Job in Australia

Who can apply?

Anyone can apply for a job as cabin crew in Australia, however, not everyone will be considered.

The first thing you need to do is make sure your resume is up to date and reflects all of your great experience (e.g. customer service).

Each airline goes through a screening process where they filter out those who have the relevant experience from those who don’t.

So make sure your resume is filled out properly before applying!

Make sure that you do have the mandatory requirements before you apply for the position of cabin crew.

If you don’t have a high school certificate or customer service, it’s better to get it first even if it means waiting a while, because if you don’t, you will simply not make the cut.

On that resume topic, I really recommend reading our article How to Write a Killer Flight Attendant Resume, Even With No Experience. It has helped a lot of people already.

What about a cover letter?

In addition to providing an up-to-date resume, you also need to make sure your cover letter is looking and sounding convincing to the employers!

Now is the time to show your excitement for being a flight attendant, as well as explaining to them why you are the best fit for the job.

Leave the whole “I want to travel the world”, and instead say something like, “I want to use my customer service experience to make memorable connections with the passengers, and make their flights as comfortable as possible”.

Here too I recommend checking our article How to Write a Persuasive Flight Attendant Cover Letter. It even included a full example of a cover letter.

Just ensure you are putting everything into your own words, and making it unique to you.

Where to find job openings?

Long gone are the days where airline job openings would be found in your local newspaper! Now you can start to fulfil your dream job as a flight attendant with just a simple web search.

Job seeker websites such as seek.com.au and indeed.com.au list the most recent job openings, but when you apply it will always take you to the airline’s career website, so it’s sometimes advisable to cut to the chase and look there instead.

What to expect during the recruitment process?

The recruitment process for any airline generally takes a few months, starting with the assessment day.

The assessment day covers an introduction, group activities, handing over key documents, a reach test and a one-on-one interview with the recruiter.

The assessment day is nerve-racking for a lot of applicants, but is really just a day to show them your bright and bubbly personality!

It’s important to note that the assessment day will feature several rounds of elimination.

If you make it to the end – congratulations!

You’re on your way to fulfilling the job of your dreams!

If you don’t make it through, try again in 6-12 months time, or apply for another airline.

I remember I went to the Emirates recruitment day in Sydney, and didn’t make it past the second round. Instead of being up in my head about it, I walked out of the event with a positive feeling I’d get through with Etihad who were also hiring… and I did!

Another thing to remember is, airlines are always hiring, so whether you are just starting out or switching airlines, you will always have another chance at becoming a flight attendant.

So you’ve passed the assessment day, what’s next?

The next stage of the recruitment process will depend on the airline that you’ve applied for, but a lot of the time involves a long and lengthy process of submitting photos and other key documents, submitting your medicals, applying for a police check, undertaking a swim test (at your own expense), doing an alcohol and drug test, and more.

This can take several months, but patience is the key, and will pay off in big ways.

Once everything has been submitted and provided everything is in the clear, you will receive the golden call or email.

This is the most exciting part of the whole recruitment process and definitely something to celebrate!

Sometimes a ground school won’t be available for several months, but the airline will surely let you know so that you can prepare for it when it does finally get scheduled.

Again, patience is a virtue!

Training and Induction with the Airline

This may be the most stressful part of your whole flight attendant career, but with that comes great accomplishment and an official job as a flight attendant!

Depending on which airline you are hired with, ground school aka flight attendant training, can take anywhere from 4-8 weeks.

It generally covers the following areas:

Introductions and group activities
Company policies and guidelines
Emergency procedures training
Aircraft familiarization
First aid training
Service training
Uniform fittings

Location of the training will take place at the airline’s training base.

This could be anywhere in Australia, or even overseas if it’s with an international airline such as Qantas, and you will be expected to fly up to the base and stay there for the duration of your training.

In many cases, you will be paid for the training you undertake as well as have accommodation, transport and meals provided.

During the induction process, you can expect to get to know the other trainees and trainers, familiarise yourself with company policies and procedures and get an inside look into what it takes to be a flight attendant at the airline you are hired at.

Flight attendant training is nerve-racking but on the other hand is an exciting period because everything is fresh and exciting, and you really have a chance to mingle with other trainees, as well as getting the opportunity to slowly plan for the near future!

💡 The best advice I can give to you is that you are switched on at all times (coffee helps), do your study each night and ask questions to the trainers whenever you don’t understand something.

A lot of people are afraid to ask questions in case it makes them look stupid, but no question is a stupid one, and chances are someone else in your class is wondering the exact same thing you are!

Remember that your trainers want you to pass the flight attendant training, and so does the airline!

These airlines spend a lot of money on you from the moment they recruit you, so it’s only fair that they don’t want to see you fail.

Use your resources as much as possible, and look to other candidates for help in order to enhance your chances of doing well at the exams!

Having a study group is also an excellent way of studying, and may even help you to retain more information.

Whatever it is that helps you to retain information, and have fun in the process, do that.

Remember, there is no right or wrong way to pass the training, the only important thing is that you do!

Tips for Aspiring Flight Attendants on How to Succeed in the Role

Prepare and submit a convincing resume and cover letter
Perfect your people skills and confidence prior to attending the assessment day
Mingle with other candidates and don’t be afraid to let your true personality shine!
Keep positive no matter how stressful times may be, this will keep you going even during the toughest days
Keep your connections strong with your friends and family, their support will help you through thick and thin!
Keep up your fitness – it will help you to maintain a healthy body and state of mind which is crucial in the flight attendant role
Study your airlines procedures regularly, this is not only mandatory, but will help prepare you for the emergency procedures recurrent training that comes around every 6-12 months
Don’t be afraid to travel the world on your days off/annual leave!

Conclusion

Becoming a flight attendant in Australia is exciting and fulfilling – not only do you get to open the door to indefinite travel, but you get to meet new people constantly, embrace new experiences and pick up new skills that you otherwise wouldn’t know even existed.

The key to becoming a flight attendant in Australia is to let your true personality and skills show to the recruiters, and keep excelling at your job even when you succeed in getting it!