Dream of Being An SIA Air Stewardess? 5 Airlines Recruiting Cabin Crew in Singapore
Becoming an SIA air stewardess or part of the cabin crew is a dream of sorts for some Singaporeans, a way to escape a boring office job, see the world and get paid well while doing it.
But SIA is not the only airline that you can work for if you want such perks. If you’ve ever dreamt of becoming an air stewardess or air steward and getting paid to travel all over the world, here are some airlines that are recruiting cabin crew in Singapore right now.
Top cabin crew jobs in Singapore
Airline | Entry-level salary |
Singapore Airlines | $4,500 to $5,000 |
Emirates | 9,770 AED (SGD $3,638) a month |
Scoot | Around $2,200 |
Silkair | $3,100 to $3,500 |
Jetstar Asia | Around $2,000 |
*Salary depends on monthly roster
SIA air stewardess and cabin crew recruitment
While the requirements don’t sound like much, SIA’s recruitment process for cabin crew is notoriously stringent, with five or more rounds of interviews.
Not only do you need to show you’re someone who’s confident and articulate enough to interact well with passengers, you also have to look good in the uniform (and, for women, the makeup), so be prepared to worry about about your weight or physique. They generally do not accept female applicants over the age of 30, although this is not explicitly stated.
On SQ flights, the customer is always king no matter what, and you have to plaster a smile on your face come what may. They also have strict rules on hairstyles, hair colour and makeup.
Also know that SIA is known to be quite hierarchical, so you’ll need to know how to please your superiors and show your face when required, even during rest time. As you’ll have to serve out a 2-year bond before you can quit, it pays to get along with your colleagues.
You get paid five times in a month based on your roster. The further you fly, the more money you get. For instance, an illustration on flygosh.com shows that if you fly long-distance, you can get 40% more pay.
Requirements
At least 18 years old
At least 1.58m tall (females) or 1.65m tall (males)
Fluent in English with good communication skills
Emirates cabin crew recruitment
Emirates pays competitive salaries and has lots of good international destinations, so the airline is a popular choice for wannabe cabin crew who don’t join SIA for whatever reason.
Unlike at SIA, you’ll be working with an international crew rather than an all-Asian one. Expect service standards to be just as high, however. That means you’ll have to adopt a customer-is-king attitude.
You get paid in three parts: basic salary, flight per hour and allowance for any night stops and layovers.
One huge consideration is the fact that you will probably have to base yourself in Dubai, which depending on whom you ask, could be heaven or hell. The good thing is that the company will provide free accommodation, utility bills and transport.
One advantage is that your salary will be tax-free, another is that you won’t have to serve out a bond, so you can quit whenever you want if you find the job is not for you.
Requirements
At least 21 years old
Arm reach of at least 212cm when standing on tiptoes
At least 160cm tall
High school graduate (Grade 12)
Fluent in English
No visible tattoos
Healthy BMI
Scoot cabin crew recruitment
Working as cabin crew on a budget airline is a vastly different experience from working for full-service airlines. For one thing, your flights will be a lot shorter, and you are more likely to end up in Kuala Lumpur or Bangkok than Paris and New York. You will also rarely have layovers, which means that you return home to Singapore almost every night.
On the bright side, Scoot is generally less strict compared to, say, SIA when it comes to your appearance. What’s more, while you obviously shouldn’t be providing bad service, their standards are a bit more, let’s say, casual.
In terms of salary and perks, you can definitely expect to receive less than your friends working for SIA. And when you do have layovers, you are expected to share a room with another crew member.
Read more on Scoot’s website for hiring “Scootees” (what they call their cabin crew).
Requirements
At least 1.58m tall (females) or 1.65m tall (males)
At least 3 GCE ‘O’ Level or 4 GCE ‘N’ Level credits in English
Silkair cabin crew recruitment
Silkair is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Singapore Airlines and code-shares on certain flights with SIA.
That being said, SilkAir does have its own recruitment process and uniform. If you prefer to make shorter regional flights but don’t want to have to work for a budget airline, SilkAir can be a good compromise. They also get far fewer applicants than SIA, so there’s less competition for vacancies.
Like SIA flight attendants, you will have five pay dates and your salary will be more or less depending on your roster.
While you will be expected to uphold high service standards comparable to SIA’s, the job might be a bit less stressful due to the shorter flights, which leaves less room for infighting and politics.
Requirements
At least 1.58m tall (females) or 1.65m tall (males)
At least 3 GCE ‘O’ Level or 4 GCE ‘N’ Level credits including English
Jetstar Asia cabin crew recruitment
Jetstar is an Australian budget airline, but their Asian head office is in Singapore, which means that Singaporean-based cabin crew will not have to relocate. One thing to take note of is that Scoot has been muscling in on Jetstar’s market share, which could potentially affect your job at some point.
As Jetstar mostly flies to regional destinations, most of the time you will not be laid over.
Requirements
At least 18 years of age
At least 1.58m tall
At least 3 GCE ‘O’ Level, 4 GCE ‘N’ Level or 3SPM credits including English
For non-Singaporean applicants, at least a degree from a reputable university
What are the requirements to be an air steward or cabin crew?
The main requirements you’ll have to worry about are your educational qualifications and height. You generally need a minimum of 3 ‘O’ Level or 4 ‘N’ Level credits including English to join any of the above airlines, and a minimum height of 158cm (for women) or 165cm (for men).
While those are the explicit requirements, three other factors will come into play in the selection process: your personality, your physical appearance and your level of spoken English.
Fluency in English with an easily comprehensible accent is a definite plus.
As for physical appearance, you should look reasonably fit and not overweight. Some airlines like SIA are a lot stricter about appearance—other than looking pleasant, you’ll also have to fit their idea of the idea SQ girl/guy and be able to pull off the uniform and makeup well. There are accounts of SIA recruiting officers being particularly picky about scars and moles as well.
Finally, recruiters will be looking for a pleasant and somewhat outgoing personality, and generally favour those who smile a lot and are at ease interacting with others.
How to apply to be an air stewardess?
Airlines often recruit in batches, so check their website for the dates of their next recruitment drive. If you are not asked to submit your application online, that means you need to show up at their office on the recruitment dates with the necessary documents.
Make sure you look your best and are dressed professionally. If you are a woman, be prepared to wear makeup when you show up for the recruitment sessions, as candidates can be eliminated based on first impressions alone.
Are you planning to apply for a job as cabin crew? Leave your questions in the comments!
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The post Dream of Being An SIA Air Stewardess? 5 Airlines Recruiting Cabin Crew in Singapore appeared first on the MoneySmart blog.
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