Emirates has long been recognized as a world leader among air carriers, but in addition to a comfortable flight, it also provides enviable working conditions for its employees. Flight attendants or, as it is popularly called cabin crew - stewards and stewardesses, have a number of privileges associated not only with free flights around the world, but also with a full social package in one of the richest countries on the planet - the UAE.
Every year, experienced recruiters select new employees for initial training in all the intricacies of the business in various countries, and Russia is one of them. Let's take a closer look at the entire path of employment.
General information about the company and recruitment
Before dismantling one of the most romantic, according to others, professions, you should get to know the Emirates airline itself. Flight attendants and stewards for the first time began to recruit inthis company in 1985, when the government of the emirate of Dubai decided to create its own aviation production for the development of tourism in the region. Within a few years, Emirates has become the largest carrier in the world with the newest fleet, including the latest modifications of the Airbus-380 and Boeing-777.
The headquarters is located directly in Dubai, so future Emirates flight attendants who have successfully passed all stages of selection are then invited to study in the UAE. Employment takes place officially with the signing of a mandatory three-year contract, without fulfilling which, the company has the right to recover from the employee the full amount for the training provided. Accordingly, further accommodation is also provided by the company. Salaries begin to drip from the first days of the start of trainings.
Where to start?
In order to become an Emirates flight attendant (after all, the female half of our planet dreams of this profession), first of all, you need to go to the company's official website and find the section with vacancies - career. Next, check for an open cabin crew or cabin crew position. After already submitting an application, by choosing the nearest country in which the next interview will take place, or an Assesment day. If a position is open, a new window will display the position of an Emirates flight attendant and interview dates. Most often, vacancies open in spring and autumn.
For prospective future airline stewardessesEmirates has two types of selection: closed, invitations to which are sent on an individual basis and open or the so-called Open day.
Differences between closed and open selections
So, if an applicant was sent an invitation to a closed selection of flight attendants at Emirates, then he will have to contact directly the company that represents the interests of the employer in the applicant's country of residence and send her his resume. The questionnaire or resume must be strictly in English, it is best to attach two classic photographs at once, in which the candidate must be captured in two poses: standing and sitting. If recruiters-intermediaries decide that this candidacy will be of interest to the airline, they send the applicant an invitation by e-mail indicating the day and time when the interview will take place.
Open type of selection or Open day is a certain day on which everyone comes. The first day is reserved for a preliminary interview and sometimes the number of people exceeds a thousand. For example, in 2018, two and a half thousand people came to an open day in Dubai, and some of them stood in line at three in the morning.
First stage
How to become a flight attendant at Emirates? What to choose: an individual interview, or come with a crowd of others who want to go to an open day? If the applicant lives in Russia, then all information should be obtained through one single intermediary working with the airline - the Global Vision agency. His representationis located in St. Petersburg, so interviews with Emirates recruiters are held in this city, although there were cases of meetings in Moscow.
To start working with the agency, you should send your CV or resume in English to their official email, attaching photos where the applicant is sitting and standing, measuring 3.5 by 4.5 centimeters (better if the hair on the head will be collected). After that, you need to wait for a response with an invitation or a refusal for an individual interview.
If the applicant has been to the open day and passed into the group selected for further tests for the position of an Emirates flight attendant, then he will be issued an invitation to participate in the next stages of selection.
Requirements
In order not to lose face, it is best for the applicant to familiarize himself with all the requirements in advance and familiarize himself with the photo of Emirates flight attendants in order to get a complete picture of the work ahead and how employees should look. Plus, this way the person will be prepared for some questions and tests.
It is worth considering that a flight attendant or steward is primarily a person responsible for flight safety.
Basic requirements for Emirates flight attendants:
- Flight attendants must be fluent in English, be able not only to speak it, but also to write correctly.
- The candidate must have at least a certificate of complete secondary education.
- The minimum age at which an applicant is eligible to apply for participation in the selection,equals 21 years. The maximum is not specified.
- Height requirements start at 160 centimeters. It should be borne in mind that at the interview, recruiters are asked to reach the mark of 212 centimeters in the form of shoes (standing on tiptoes is not prohibited).
- Good appearance (no visible flaws in the form of scars and so on).
- Excellent he alth in every sense, the absence of chronic diseases, in particular any problems with the cardiovascular system.
- Beautiful smile and straight white teeth.
- No piercings or tattoos on visible parts of the body that would be exposed when wearing an Emirates flight attendant uniform.
- Hair color should look natural, that is, not have unnatural shades (for example, blue, green, pink).
- Having good communication skills and good speech.
- Stress resistance. In addition to problems with passengers on board, disagreements with colleagues can often arise, and jet lags affect the nervous system. Plus, flight attendants can change more than one country in a week; for many, frequent changes of scenery are more than unusual.
All interviews are conducted in person with airline recruiters and not via Skype or other assistive computer applications and phone. According to updated information, from 2018, additional mini-videos with a story about yourself will be requested, along with a resume, in order to timely screen out unsuitable candidates. According to Emirates flight attendants,as well as those who tried to get a job in an airline, the whole selection is not like an interview, but like a real casting. Therefore, you need to seriously prepare for it in order to perform in all its glory and show off the maximum set of knowledge.
How to properly prepare for an interview?
After receiving an invitation to an interview, you must carefully prepare for it, because if there is a refusal, then wait at least a year until the next attempt. Firstly, you need to work out your appearance well, starting from shoes (it is better for women to wear shoes with medium heels), ending with manicure (neutral color), makeup (not very catchy, but noticeable, preferably with red lipstick on the lips) and hairstyle (ideal would be a ponytail or "bun" for girls and neatly trimmed hair with a clean-shaven face for a man). It would be best to look at the photos of Emirates flight attendants who have already passed the interview. Many post photos online before and after casting.
The candidate should re-read their resume and search the internet for any possible tricky questions recruiters might ask. Practice in front of a mirror in the answers to these questions, only not in Russian, but in English. You can ask a friend to help act out some scenes with such dialogues. On the day of the interview itself, you need to arm yourself with a good mood and positive. The candidate must exude confidence and create a friendly atmosphere around him.
Interview
The day of the interview runs from 8:30 am until 5:30 pm. It is usually held in the hall of a business center or hotel. You need to be prepared for the fact that a bunch of "identical" girls and guys will walk around, sometimes this causes sincere laughter. Absolutely the whole process takes place in English.
At the very beginning, all candidates are shown a video about the company and directly about working as a flight attendant, it tells some general nuances, shows the place where Emirates flight attendants live, and so on. It is best to note unfamiliar details in a notepad, as recruiters will then casually ask questions about the topic of the presentation - from this moment the real casting will begin.
Appearance check
After a small survey, two recruiters will evaluate the candidates and their appearance. They usually examine the arms and legs for visible tattoos or scars that do not add to the person's appearance. Facial skin should also not be problematic (without acne), and teeth without braces. Girls are allowed to wear one earring in each ear.
Next check the overall appearance and growth. As stated above, the airline requires the candidate to reach 212 centimeters without shoes. This is to make sure that the flight attendant can quickly get an oxygen tank from a shelf, or a first aid kit.
Ordinal numbers
For those who have successfully passed all previous checks, recruiters issue personal numbers and from thisCandidates will be called only by this serial number from the moment. During the registration process and obtaining a number, recruiters may ask questions such as: "How are you feeling? Do you like the weather today? Do you like living in your country?" and so on. Thus, company employees check how friendly candidates will answer the most simple and banal questions, whether they can maintain a friendly conversation and how well they speak English (a small listening test). Answer with a smile.
Join Interview Role Playing: Pair Work
Role-playing games are necessary for recruiters at least to understand how social a person is. The tasks themselves are aimed at testing the candidate's behavior in a stressful or conflict situation. By this time, the remaining candidates will be divided into two large groups. Then the people are divided into pairs.
Most often in a pair task, recruiters are asked to present their partner in front of the public as a candidate for the position of an Emirates flight attendant. Therefore, during preparation, you should get to know the selected person as closely as possible, find out everything about his hobbies, what position he currently holds and why he wants to become part of the cabin crew at all. When describing, you need to choose the best adjectives, but in no way put your partner in a bad light, because it is precisely such grief storytellers that are weeded out in the first place. A future flight attendant should strive to help in any situation.
Assignment for 3 and 5 people
BIn the next task, recruiters are asked to briefly describe the best and most interesting quality of one of the members of the mini-team. Here it is important to remember one rule of life: "Brevity is the sister of talent."
Recruiters are also asked to simulate a conflict situation, for example, where a dissatisfied client in the form of a celebrity demands a key to his room, which will be ready only in five hours. The candidate - the prospective receptionist, must deal with the screaming and unwilling to listen to the guests. You need to solve the problem here and now, so you should be attentive to your words.
Additional checks for candidates
During the day, recruiters take rest breaks to go to the restroom, have a snack, drink tea or coffee, and so on. During this period, they will casually communicate with candidates and observe their behavior. The situation with a dropped pen is quite popular, when one of the representatives of the airline allegedly accidentally drops the pen and looks at how potential future flight attendants behave. The best thing to do would be to pick up this pen and ask who it belongs to with a smile.
The basic rule throughout the interview is friendliness and a natural smile. You should not show dissatisfaction, because the face always betrays any emotions, and recruiters carefully monitor the behavior and facial expressions of applicants.
In addition to all the above tasks, candidates take an English test,consisting of 5 questions. Three minutes are allocated for each question and, in general, the test is not difficult, knowledge of the Intermediate level will be enough. At the end of the casting, which sometimes stretches over two days, the final results are announced. Upon successful completion of all stages, the candidate receives a list with the necessary documents to apply for a work visa in the UAE.
