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LEISURE
I’m 21f I’ve always aspired to be a flight attendant. I don’t really know what to do with my life. I decided in my teen years that I wanted to apply when I got old enough… the only thing keeping me from doing it is the horror stories I hear about screaming kids every day on a flight.
Nothing against the children but I don’t wanna deal with irresponsible parents who see nothing wrong with letting their kids roam freely and constantly throw fits and then the entitled parents.
I knew I would have to deal with a few circumstances but recently there’s been more than just a few. Enough for me not to want to do it anymore and has me considering taking an office job instead.
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If flight attendant is truly your dream job, my personal opinion is that you should at least try for it. If you hate it, you're young enough to make a career change afterward. But, I think you'll regret it if you don't at least take a shot at your dream.
Perhaps with a bit of time, you can become numb to the screams. Perhaps you can be the force of good that keeps more of them quiet by getting something for them or finding out at what age a kid can be taught to close their mouth, hold their nose, and blow to equalize pressure in their ears during the landings. [edit: Some nice flight attendant taught me that when I was 4 years old.]
In my experience, the crying is worst during take-off and landing from kids too small to know how to equalize pressure.
For parents with truly misbehaving older children, I'm not sure what can be done.
Honestly though, I've flown rather a lot. It's not that common to have a child screaming nearby for the whole flight. Some flights, it happens. Some it's pretty quiet.
If you stick with it, as you gain seniority, perhaps you can work your way up to taking care of business class, which will be fewer people overall as well as fewer kids. But, there's more work to do per passenger with more food and beverage service.
Anyway, I think you should at least try since it is your dream. Just my opinion.
All the best and happy cake day!
I'm a frequent flyer (multiple times a year usually) and to be honest screaming children are really freaking rare. You're more likely to encounter a rude shitty adult than shrieking kids IME.
Try it! You're young! You can do it for a while and change careers later. No one grows old in that job.
Did you know that flight attendants don't get paid for all the hours they work, only from the time the plane door is closed to when it's opened?
Yes! I have an aunt that has a friend that retired with Delta who has loved her career and I’ve done a lot of research. I don’t have any expenses at the moment hardly. I live with my parents and I’ve been saving up money.
It's not about how much money you need but about what you deserve. Everyone deserves compensation for ALL the work they do. I vote No - travel as a passenger and volunteer at airports. But you know you best - you'll make the right choice for you.
I certainly understand the hesitation, but don't forget that you will also get to be the hero who tells the breeders they don't get to make people switch seats because they were too cheap to buy a seat next to their spawn.