High school courses for flight attendants
If you’re wondering which high school courses you should take to give you an advantage in becoming a flight attendant, here are a few suggestions:
- Foreign Languages: Flight attendants interact with passengers from diverse cultural backgrounds. Taking foreign language courses, such as German, or French can be invaluable.
- Communication and Public Speaking: Flight attendants must have strong communication skills. Courses in public speaking, debate, or communication studies can help develop your ability to convey information clearly, engage with others, and handle various communication scenarios.
- First Aid and CPR: Flight attendants are often responsible for passengers’ safety and well-being. Consider taking courses in first aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) to gain essential life-saving skills and knowledge.
- Geography and Cultural Studies: Flight attendants frequently travel to various destinations worldwide. Courses in geography and cultural studies can enhance your understanding of different regions, customs, and travel-related information, enabling you to engage with passengers and provide relevant assistance.
- Travel and Tourism: Exploring courses related to travel and tourism can provide insights into the industry, including aviation operations, travel planning, and tourism trends. This knowledge can enhance your understanding of the broader travel context and contribute to your expertise as a flight attendant.
- Time Management and Organization: Flight attendants must juggle multiple tasks, adhere to schedules, and work efficiently. Courses that focus on time management, organization, and prioritization skills can help you develop these essential abilities.
- Health and Wellness: Maintaining personal well-being is vital for flight attendants. Consider taking courses that promote healthy living, stress management, and physical fitness to ensure you’re equipped to maintain a balanced lifestyle while fulfilling the demands of the profession.
Other activities you should consider:
Foreign Language courses
German
If you have the opportunity and if it’s available in your school, take a class in German. German is in the same language family as English and Dutch, which means that (in theory) it is easier for a native English speaker to learn German. And German is the language of many countries in Europe.
Notice, I said easier, not easy! It is important to realize that learning a language takes time and effort.
French
Taking a French class would be another good choice. French is the language of many countries in Africa and the Caribbean.
Spanish
American Airlines flies to South America so they are always looking for people who can speak Spanish and Portuguese
So which language should you study?
That depends on the airline that you plan to apply to:
- Air Canada, English and French fluency is preferred but of course other languages are useful.
- United Airlines flies to Asia so they are looking for Japanese, Korean, and Chinese speakers.
- American Airlines flies to South America so they are looking for Spanish and Portuguese speakers.
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- Do research on the Airline you’re interested in to determine which languages are the best fit for you and your prospective employer
- Demand for specific languages is constantly changing. So you’ll have to check the online job sites to see if there is an opening for your language.
and then you'll have to take the Language Proficiency Test
To get a better understanding of what the Language Test is like, we invite you to explore our article titled “Language Proficiency Test” This resource will provide you with valuable insights into how the test is conducted and what is expected of you.
A part time job
The large airlines like Delta, United and American ask for 1 to 2 years of customer service experience. You can start getting this experience by getting a part time job that is customer facing.
Want some examples?
- Waiter / waitress
- a cashier job at the local restaurant
- A shift manager at a restaurant would be great
- working in a hotel / motel, as long as it has customer contact (not a maid)
- anything in the healthcare field such as taking care of the elderly, dental assistant
- The airlines really like people who have experience with the police and fire departments
Take a quick course on being a Flight attendant
Cabin Crew Career – The Complete Introduction
from the description: “This course Prepares you for a Successful Career as a Cabin Crew”.
From the description: “Become An Air Hostess OR Cabin Crew OR Flight Attendant”.
Customer service
The courses below should give you an idea of what the airlines are looking for.
Aviation : Passenger service and handling
From the description: “By completing this course, you will not only have an advantage when you start your initial training, but you will also greatly improve your chances of being employed”.
Aviation: Customer Service In Airline Industry
This course talks about what the airlines expect in customer service. Improve your customer service skills to increase customers loyalty and sales performance.
A first step on the path of getting a job in Aviation as an airlines’ passenger service agent
This course is geared for the Passenger Service Agent’s position (Ticket counter). But it will give you an idea of what the airlines consider customer service. And the Ticket counter could be a good stepping stone to get to a flight attendant position.
Language Courses
Airlines that fly international routes are constantly looking for flight attendants that have language skills other than English and Spanish. If you have the language skills the airlines are looking for, you could put yourself a step ahead of your competition and increase your starting pay! Below are a couple of inexpensive language courses that may be helpful.
Learn German Language: Complete German Course – Beginners
From the description: Learn German with a Native Teacher. Complete Course – German for Beginners. German Grammar, German Vocabulary
Learn Dutch -The Fast, Easy & Fun Speaking Dutch Method 14hr
From the description: “Learn Dutch for Beginners: Fully Master the Essentials of Dutch Speaking (A1-A2) – Unique Learning Dutch Method, 14 hrs”
Complete French Course: Learn French for Beginners
From the description: Learn French FAST with this non-stop French speaking course for BEGINNERS: learning French will be easy and fun!
Complete Italian course: Learn Italian from level A1 to B2
From the description: “Learn Italian with this complete course for beginners. Learn this beautiful language in a fun and easy way!”
Courses to take to make it easier to get through training
Red Cross, first aid and CPR
During your flight attendant training, you will be trained on CPR and the use of a defibrillator. The Red Cross has on site classes that will do this for you. They also have online courses. A description of one is bellow:
“Adult CPR/AED online course equips students with the knowledge necessary to recognize and care for a variety of breathing, and cardiac emergencies involving adults. This course is taught online only”
To check out the courses they offer, click here
Online Aviation Security
Security will be taught during your training. Any information about it should help you get through it easier.
Security Operations, Processes & Strategies in Aviation
This course will give you an overview of aviation security.
This course looks at chemical, explosive and cyber threats among others.
Are you willing to get a degree?
Most flight attendants have a bachelor’s degree and most majored in business. Other popular subjects are psychology and communication. So if your school offers classes in one of these subjects, or in something listed below, and you’re interested in it. It would be a good idea to take the class.
It’s true that a high school diploma is the minimum educational requirement. But because the competition for flight attendant openings is so fierce, it’s not unusual to have an Associate degree being the minimum requirement.
Here is a list of subjects you can major in and get an advantage when you apply for a flight attendant opening.
- Aviation Science
- Hospitality Management
- Business Administration
- Human Resources
- Communications
- Foreign Languages
- Psychology
- Customer Service
- Airline Operations
- Air Traffic Control
- Safety and Security
- Tourism and Travel Management
- Airline Management
- Human Resources Management
If you’re interested in more information about getting an Associate or a Bachelor’s degree and what subjects you should major in, click here.
Why get a degree?
Getting a college degree can help you gain the knowledge and skills needed to become a successful flight attendant and it can be a great way to improve your job prospects, increase your knowledge and skills. Additionally, it can provide you with the opportunity to network with other professionals in the industry.
Let's talk about Flight Attendant schools
Although Flight Attendant schools may be popular in other countries, it really doesn’t make sense to attend one in the US.
Why?
If you’re able to get accepted at an airline, the airline will train you the way they want you to be trained. So it won’t cost you anything, and you’re guaranteed a job as a flight attendant after graduation.
You can enroll in the best independent flight attendant school and you’ll get nothing like that!
So it makes much more sense to spend your time and money building up your resume. By getting a job in customer service, taking a class, or going for one of the college degrees in a subject listed here!
For example, Delta Airlines currently pays for training hours, housing, air travel and some food during the on site training. So, for the student, the training doesn’t cost anything, Delta gets to train you exactly the way they want, and you get a guaranteed job after graduation.
Yes, it is difficult to get into Delta, but it’s difficult for a good reason. It’s a good company to work for.
It’s very possible that attending Flight Attendant School can harm your chance of being hired by an airline. Because the airlines don’t want to untrain and then retrain you. So they may simply not bother to hire you!
So spend your time building up your resume and making YOU the applicant the airline wants to hire!
Take advantage of what you have!
The fact that you’re still in school isn’t a disadvantage, it’s definitely an advantage! Taking foreign language and business courses while in high school can greatly improve your resume. These courses can help to develop the skills and knowledge you need to be successful in the field. Additionally, they can provide a competitive edge when applying for jobs.
Are You Ready to Become a Flight Attendant?
Still wondering how to become a flight attendant?
Then check out our post: How To Become A Flight Attendant – The Ultimate Guide!
Or you can check out the next post in the series, The best degree for a flight attendant, where we give you subjects to study and talk about Bachelor degrees versus Associate degrees.