I Tried to be a Flight Attendant
7 Times
The Dream
I had wanted to be a flight attendant since I was 7 years old.
Some back story as to why it started when I was 7, we were flying with Emirates Airlines; since dad worked with them he got some discounted tickets apart of his benefits of being their employee.
So this perticular trip, we were on our way to thailand and this flight attendant would come to all the kids with a polaroid and snap a picture of them. She would then place give them the picture in these super cute cards which had stickers and an insert for polaroid pictures.
I don’t know how to explain what hit me in that moment that sparked the dream but I can tell you that I never wanted something more than to be her when I grow up. The dream stayed with me long into my teens and I did my best to prepare for the “Crew Life”.
Then when I was 15, a close family friend (or so I thought) asked me what I wanted to do after school and I was excited to say “I want to be Cabin Crew”. She laughed and told me “that’s only for pretty girls”…
You can imagine how crushed, broken and shattered I felt after hearing those words.
The feeling didn’t last long as my family were the most supportive and made sure i persued it and did not care what anyone said but still I would remember her words much later in life and trust me when I say it felt the same years later…
The First Try
It was 2018 when I finished my schooling with a drive to apply immediately for my dream job, oh the excitement was REAL.
I applied for Emirates Airlines being that it was the inspiration for my dream.
Didn’t take long for the much anticipated email “24th June 2019 – Interview” to make it’s way into my inbox.
I had butterflies in my stomach and a whole lot of anxiety, I did research and these interviews were as tough as could be. So I followed the email to the T, I did my eyebrows and my nails. They said formal with a full face of make up was the attire and I wasn’t gonna skip a thing when it came to grooming.
It was all there, I was so sure that this would be a normal interview, I am young and a fast learner and I thought it would be easy.
I couldn’t be more wrong…
The 24th of June started off well. I was scared beyond all reasoning but hey I was early and fresh and ready to take on the day.
I met some ladies with the same ambitions and like mindedness; all carrying the same hope that today is the day they get the job.
All the research I did on how to get in was kicking in:
- Speak to everyone, show you’re a people person.
- Do not chew gum
- Smile all the time but don’t fake it.
- Do not be on your phone
- Be confident in your answers
And so it began, first came the submitting of documents which I had all they needed, Then came the introduction round where each of us were given two minutes to talk about ourselves: You’d be amazed at how long two minutes feels when you stand up and all eyes are on you. I did not stammer, I didn’t let my nerves get the best of me for two minutes.
My downfall was the group exercise…
The Group Exercise was in the simplest form this: We each were paired up with another candidate and each team will get a laminated picture of something happening in the cabin and the the two of us will take turns explaining what we think is happening in the picture and end it by saying “I as cabin crew would do this or that in this situation”, simple right?
The recruiter had only two rules for this group exercise: You cannot take your partners answer and you cannot say ‘we as cabin crew’ it’s got to be ‘I’; I believe they were testing our ability to work as a team as well as individually be capable to handle situations.
My partner God bless his heart was shaking. Our laminated picture had a flight attendant leaning over and talking to someone near a window seat. He told me what he was going to say and I told him what I was and we were quite pleased with our answers.
Unfortunately, our turn comes up and he’s struggling, shaking and just unable to word things out without a stammer and then he broke the first rule. he took my answer.
I was so shocked that I didn’t realize the look on my face told the recruiters that he took my answer and when it came to my turn I could not think of anything to word another answer so I said his and in all the confusion, I broke the second rule.
I said “we”
I had alot of people tell me that these assessment days were a bit too strict when it came to how they evaluated people. but think about it. Would you want a person who couldn’t follow two simple rules in a very simple exercise handling your safety 40000 ft in the air?
Me neither… I understand this now but then oh I was devastated, I watched my dream of being crew blow up in my face.
He and I with some others were out this round, the recruiters were super sweet and encouraged us to try again.
And I did.
All My Other Tries
So since you can only apply 6 months later for the same airline, I started applying for other airlines in the country.
The thought of working anywhere else other than the airlines within the country I grew up in did not sit well with me. so I applied for Air Arabia as Crew. Sadly, during the grooming round the recruiter saw a scar on my wrist; or as I would like to call it “free tattoo by my cat”, and I was out once again. That was my second try and second meltdown.
Then my father encouraged me to work for ground staff with Emirates and work my way up and I thought if I couldn’t be crew let me live out my dream with the airline on the ground and keep striving for that ‘Crew Life’. I got a job in Marhaba Services Department with Emirates which is alot like VIP escorts through the airport with fast track though long queues and perks like that for whoever booked us. I worked for Marhaba for 4 years and within those 4 years I applied… believe me I did.
Third time : Emirates – Rejected
Fourth time : FlyDubai – Rejected
Fifth time : Emirates again – Rejected
Sixth time : FlyDubai – Rejected
All these rejections they never told me what I was doing wrong which I found the most frustrating and by now it had been 4 and a half years of trying. I was starting to think that maybe God is trying to tell me that the Crew Life isnt for me. I had been moved from VIP escorts to the VIP lounge and while it was something new and fun, it was not the career I wanted.
It was hard and my friends words “It’s only for pretty girls” rang loud and proud every single time.
The Victory
Seventh time : FlyDubai, much like my last three applications, I didn’t hold out much hope. I did the online assessment and then the english test that followed after my application and then I just waited.
I applied Nov 2023 and when a month had passed and I didn’t hear back, though the dissapointment was there, it didn’t get to me like it did before. Call it growing accustomed to rejection or whatever but I just refused to stress about it I guess and I was kind of getting into a comfort zone with my lounge position with ground staff.
But then Feb 2024 brought an old feeling I never thought I’d feel… Hope.
22nd Feb 2024 – interview – There was 18 of us. So just a break down of what I was to expect throughout that day.
Round One – Document checks
Round Two – Grooming (Height and Weight)
Round Three – English and Math Test
Round Four – Group Exercise
Round Five – One on One interview with the recruiter
Every thing from Round One to Three; although had the same nerve wrecking effect, was pretty nice and fun. However after the first two rounds they eleminated more than half of us and from 18 only 7 remained then again after the third round only 7 remained which told us how steep this assessment day is and that it can go south for anybody, no one was safe.
Then came the part I dreaded the most, the group exercise but I had God’s favor on my side. I had the best two people partnered with me, an ex crew for emirates and a young girl who was literally ready to be on our side with any decision made. A class A team player, how perfect was that?
The Group Exercise was different, we needed to decide and prioritize a list of scenarios happening on a delayed flight. For the first time, I felt the group exercise went very well.
The wait after while they made their decision was just excrusiating but it was so worth it when the guy came out and said we all made it to the final stage.
The Final stage was so much fun, I just needed to be alone with them to show them who I am and what I can do. Two recruiters and me and its like I was in a coffee shop with two friends and while the professionalism was there, they made me feel really comfortable in that moment.
I was honest with my answers and genuine when it came to how I felt about certain things and God really pulled me through.
They said I will hear back in 14 days with a Golden call telling me if my dream came true or not.
14 days later … it did.
Conclusion
Looking back at the whole journey and even as I write this I see three things,
1. I was not ready that first time, I was fresh out of school and didn’t understand what it truly meant to work. Marhaba prepared me for it.
2. Every failure taught me something new towards my next try and made me stronger to deal with the emotional side of it.
3. No matter and I repeat NO MATTER what anyone says, you keep going after your dream.
A couple of other things that still blow my mind till today as to how God works. The first time I tried and I didn’t get it was actually a blessing in disguise, months later I got my Marhaba job and all the girls that got in that day were made redundant due to Covid closing down the airport and I was safe in Marhaba. God used my ground staff position to give me a glimpse into what it’s like to be in one space and have the capability to care for people and make them happy in this one said space which was the perfect setting when it came to being Crew. I used that in my interview and truly it was all laid out for me.
Thank you for reading this far and to all the girls still trying you got this! Keep going after your dreams and work hard, it will pay off in the End.
Ecclesiastes 3 : 11 – He has made all things beautiful in it’s time. He has set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what He has done from beginning to the end.
Jeremiah 29 : 11 – “For I know the plans I have for you” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future”.