“Flight Attendants Speak: Stories from Flight Attendants”

February 19, 2024 305 Views

Deciding what to do for a living as you move forward in life is not an easy task. The world of professions often creates information asymmetry for job seekers since there is not enough information available until they gain direct experience.

In modern society, senior professionals who have experienced a particular occupation often write down their experiences and know-how in books. Listening to the voices of those who have firsthand experience before making a career choice can be very helpful.

“Flight Attendants Speak: Stories from Flight Attendants” is a book written by Won Hye-kyung and 11 other individuals with flight attendant experience. It contains various information and experiences about flight attendants. The book explores why they decided to become flight attendants, the process they went through to become one, the experiences they had as flight attendants, their primary duties, and how their work unfolds.

Published in 2008, the book may differ somewhat from reality today. Particularly, due to the COVID-19 pandemic originating in China in 2019, air travel came to a halt. Fortunately, we are now entering a post-pandemic era, and the skies are reopening, but the atmosphere is not the same as before due to the economic downturn caused by the aftermath of COVID-19.

“Like Listening to Stories from Friends or Seniors”

Nevertheless, the essence of the flight attendant profession may not have changed much before and after COVID-19. One advantage of the book is that it is not very thick, allowing readers to approach it with a light heart.

The statement in the early part of the book that “flight attendants are similar to celebrities” is something that anyone considering the profession should take to heart. When you think of airlines, the first profession that comes to mind is often “flight attendant.” The image of flight attendants, whom you always encounter while flying, often represents the airline industry. Thinking of airlines like Korean Air or Asiana Airlines, the image of their flight attendants comes to mind first, so it can be said that flight attendants are similar to celebrities.

“Becoming a Flight Attendant”

The book not only shares anecdotes from flight attendants’ experiences but also introduces how to become an airline flight attendant. Although the information from 2008 may not be very helpful now, referring to the information provided in the book is not a bad idea.

For example, Emirates Airlines recruits directly through their website, but other foreign airlines mainly recruit flight attendants through “flight attendant training academies.” However, it is said that you do not necessarily need to enroll in a flight attendant academy to become a flight attendant.

“If You Dream of Becoming a Flight Attendant…”

Even the author studied humanities in college. Her major was English language and literature. Since her major was in the humanities, she naturally saw quite a few people around her get jobs as flight attendants after graduation. She even saw a student she got to know through a summer semester program at Sookmyung Women’s University get a job as a flight attendant at Qatar Airways.

“The Limitation of Information is the Limitation of Opportunities”

I once saw a saying in materials related to “game planning” that went, “The limitation of knowledge is the limitation of creativity.” If we slightly modify it, we can say, “The limitation of information is the limitation of opportunities.” Ultimately, even in employment, in order to apply, you need to know what jobs are available and what tasks are involved in each job.

Even before graduating from college, I applied to various jobs, including flight attendant positions. I even got through the initial screening for a flight attendant position at Jeju Air and went for an interview. Since the competition was fierce at the airline, and I had no relevant experience as a flight attendant, I think the reason I was able to pass the initial screening was probably because I could indirectly experience the job through the contents of the book and express them in my cover letter.

If you consider becoming a flight attendant as a profession, this book is a good choice for a light read. Since the book is not thick, doesn’t contain difficult content, and mainly focuses on the experiences of various individuals, it’s a good introduction to the world of flight attendants.

“Flight Attendants Speak: Stories from Flight Attendants”