How to get a job in Etihad Airways?

Many of you readers have asked me this question and now I will tell you how I got it.

1. Height.
First of all to be a flight attendant you need to fill some basic requirements weather you work in Finland or Emirates. There is a certain height requirement (that differs according to a company) but for Etihad you need to be able to reach a mark in 210 cm above with your hands. That's because you have to be able to open and close the hat racks that can be very high especially in Boeing aircrafts. And the bigger the plane is the higher and wider everything is.

2. Language skills.
When I first worked for TuiFly in Finland they needed all cabin crew to be able to speak finnish, swedish and english. The working language was swedish because we flew with crew from Sweden, so it was impossible for us to cope with only english. But english is the aviation language everywhere because the manuals and the commands are always in english. So you need to be able to understand it no matter where you fly. With Etihad the company language was of course english and all the other languages were an advantage for serving our customers.

3. Social skills.
This is a must and shouldn't need more explanation. Our job is to provide the best possible customer service and try our best to make the flight the best experience for the customer. It differs between companies what they expect you to do for them but if you work in the Gulf area prepare yourself to do basically what ever it takes.

4.  Coping with stress.
Flight attendant is a top class customer service provider who is also responsible in solving medical and other highly risky situations. You will face panicked customers, people vomiting, getting too drunk, fighting, trying to open the doors etc. So you need to have a load of patience and nerves that won't brake no matter what might happen.

5. No life.
If you'r a person who loves schedules and want's to know the life ahead then working in aviation is not your cup of tea. You will get your roster for the next month that tells you your flights and days off. But it also includes stand by days when you need to wait to get a phone call to be ready for a flight in one hour. And you never know if it's a 3 hour turnaround or a 13 hour long hall with 54 hour layover. So don't make any plans, you can't keep any. This also means having a normal social life with friends and boyfriends is sometimes quite hard. When they are off you are working. And remember that aviation doesn't recognize holidays like Easter, Christmas or your birthday.

There are some basic healt requirements as well of course and eye sight needs to be ok. Also the weight needs to be normal. Depending the company they also have different age limits. I should say that in Europe they hire people for long term and in Finnair they have flight attendants who have been working for the company for decades. But in Gulf area (companies like Etihad, Emirates, Gulf Air) they prefer young people with single status. They will use you for few years and that time you simply don't have the time or energy to even think of anything else. But eventually people want to marry and have families and then they'll quit and go back to their home countries.

Some asian companies have a very strict age policy, they'll fire you after you turn 30. Their policy is to have the most beautiful and young cabin crew to make their customers happy. And I think they've managed to do it. But for Etihad there's no official age limit, you only need to be single. It's actually in the contract. And by single they mean not married. In Islam you're not allowed to live with someone without being married so no boyfriends coming with you when signing the contract ;)

Here's the official qualifications for Etihad:

Qualifications:

To qualify for the opportunity you will need to meet the following criteria: - Minimum age 21 years - Ability to swim at least 25m unaided in open water, without a flotation device - Must be able to reach 210cms without shoes - No tattoos that would be visible whilst wearing the Etihad uniform - Medically fit to meet regulatory requirements. - Empathetic with a positive attitude and a willingness to work in a multicultural environment - Cabin Crew/Customer Service experience is an asset

Knowledge:

Educated to a minimum level of accredited secondary education or equivalent. Must have a high standard of English; verbal, written and comprehension. Fluency in another language is always an advantage.

So how to apply for Etihad?

Well it's very easy. Everything's online so you can start the process immediately. Go to etihadairways.com and there's a link "careers at Etihad". They have open cabin crew positions all the time so you can apply every time. But I just heard that they've recruited so much lately that all the training courses until the end of this year all full already! It means that if you get the contract you need to wait until they can assign you to a training before you can move to the UAE.

Be careful when filling the application. You need to tell them all the information and send all the documents, otherwise the process doesn't move anywhere. After that they will send you an email if you have passed this first stage and they will invite you to a recruiting day. There's an online list of all the available recruiting days they have all over the world and you can go to any of those.

I didn't want to wait for them to come to Finland (which they sometimes do) but took a day in Amsterdam. I had to pay the tickets and hotel by myself but I was thinking it was worth it. If I get the job I'll get the money back anyway and if not at least I've exceeded myself by going through a tough international recruiting process and gained a massive experience.


The interview

So i went to an interview and it was an experience. There was probably 100 girls seeking for the job. I had to bring all my employment and education certificates, passport pictures etc.

First task was the hight test. That was easy for me because I'm 172 cm. But there was one asian girl who was sent back home. Then the real tests started. We had our first group assignment where we were given different kind of difficult customer situations to solve in few seconds and there was a recruiter to observe us.

Second state was the english test. We had to complete a written test and complete it with high scores. Many girls were sent home. After that they called us all in one room and they gave us names who were proceeding to the final interview. It was a huge relief to hear my name and at that point I knew that I've got he job, I need to really screw the interview in order to mess my changes now.

The final interview was with one recruiter and she asked me more examples about how I've solved different situations in customer service. They look for a smiling, friendly, helpful people who can put their own pride to the back side when they meet difficult and demanding customers. And believe me that's what you'll get when working with over 120 different nationalities..

Also they want to make sure you are open minded and can handle the stress and you know what you're doing and where you're going. Not everyone find's their peace in such a different cultural environment. Some even leave in the middle of the 2 month long training. They realize it's not what they were expecting. It's not all glitz and glamour but hard work, short sleep, different manners, language, religion. And even the work it self it's not easy, it's really hard in many ways.

So if you get yourself through the final stage you can go happily home and wait for them to call you. If they send you an email it usually means you're not qualified or they need something from you, usually some documents are still missing. And when they call you they will ask you to sign the contract and tell them how fast you're able to move.


You'll get the contract to sign and the flight tickets few days before the flight. I was sent by Blue1 to Frankfurt and from there with Etihad to Abu Dhabi. And I have to say it was a memorable experience, they took such a good care of us on the flight.

After you pass

The contract is for 3 years and you'll have a 6 month probation. During that time you can leave but if you do you have to pay the expenses back to the company. It means the training, accommodation etc. But if you leave during the training they don't send you the bill. Anyway I think 6 months goes really fast and only after that you can truly know if you want to do it or not. Also after the probation you'll able to give discount tickets to your friends and families and have other benefits so it only get's better.

Oh i almost forgot! When you sign the contract and move to UAE they'll give you the visa, heath insurance, accommodation and allowance. But you need to pass the training and all the exams during it. If you fail they can determine you're contract and send you back. Also if you fail in the medical examinations they'll do the same. There they'll ask everything about your previous medical history and if you have suffered for example a migraine or depression even if that was10 years ago they will not hire you. Everything that can be seen as a risk for the company they will eliminate. So either be healthy or don't tell too much for them.

If I have the energy in the near future I could tell something about the training period as well. It's interesting because it's different from what I had here in Finland with TuiFly. Every company does things a little differently and even if you have been flying for a decade but when you change the company you need to do it all again. Every time.

If you've left with any questions feel free to send them to me. I'll try to give answers that help you to get there if you're interested :)