You want a career in aviation, you’ve heard that the lifestyle can be difficult on the family. You have heard correctly. A career in the air may seem glamorous; breakfast in different cities every day of the week is pretty cool. However, that’s a trade of for sleeping in a hotel bed for a week straight. Granted, some hotel beds may be more comfortable than yours, others however might have undesirables.
The reality of aviation as a career will have you missing a couple of family life events. Holidays are also gone for the most part because guess when are peak travel seasons? That said, it isn’t all doom and gloom. Although you may miss your favorite niece’s first soccer game, you will be there to drop her off at school, pick her up, drive her to soccer practice and to babysit her on a random Monday.
You trade weekends off for regularly having anywhere from 2-7 days off in a row every scheduling month. Another perk of being in aviation, one that is very popular; Travel passes. You get discounts on flights and sometimes vacation packages. This perk doesn’t equally apply to all airline jobs though. The size of your airline’s network map and your code share agreements determines how much of the world you can see for cheap. With certain airlines, you may be able to fly coast to coast across the country for the amount it would cost you to cross the city in an Uber.
Additionally, being in aviation does quite a number on your social life. Decline enough Friday evening supper invitations from friends and you may find the invitations eventually stop coming. You’ll work through the weekend to find yourself home with nothing to do on a random Wednesday morning. Sunday becomes just another workday albeit with a shorter commute to work. On the plus side, you gain a whole network of work friends who will go bar hopping with you on a Tuesday night, or have a Thursday beach day.
How can you be sure the aviator lifestyle is for you before you invest thousands of dollars into your training?
Fortunately, these problems persist only while you’re at the bottom of the seniority list. You accrue seniority the longer you work at an airline, stay for long enough and you will have holidays off and never have to miss another game. With high enough seniority, you basically write exactly which days you’ll work and which days you’ll have off. That said, how can you be sure the aviator lifestyle is for you without investing thousands of dollars in training?
You can become a flight attendant! As a flight attendant, you live with all the conditions stated above. However, you can cut your losses and jump ship if you find the lifestyle is not for you; without having to worry about the huge loan you have to repay or your life savings that you just blew. Best of all, there is usually no expensive study requirement to become a flight attendant. All you have to do is apply and pass a series of interviews. The airline will put you through all the training required to perform your duties. In the coming months, we will be showcasing various stories from pilots who started their aviation dream from being flight attendants. Hope you have a great week ahead, and remember, anyone can attain limitless heights!
Cheers!