Hostie Interrupted

Ex-cabin crew about to become crew again. 18 years ago I left flying, and finally I'm heading back to life in the cabin at 39,000ft...at the, not quite so, youthful age of 45...with 2 teenage boys in tow! ​ Crazy? Maybe. ​

[hostieinterrupted-blog]

Happy days!

Today my passport was delivered with my brand spanking new B1/B2 and C1/D visas inside it.  Huge buzz of excitement knowng that 3 months from now they shall be in use! 

Finally finished ploughing through all the AvMed coursework today too. I’m so glad it’s out of the way and, unless more courses are assigned, that’s it for the pre-course studying. 

Chatting with my course buddies, we’re all desperate to see our first roster and know our first destinations.  So nice to get to know some of the people I’ll be training with ahead of time...social media wasn’t around the 1st time around!!  Really good to knock around any worries, compare notes on how long coursework takes, how visa interviews work etc. 

Back to work tomorrow and on a countdown of 22 work days left to go...

[hostieinterrupted-blog]

All Set...

It's been a while but the past couple of weeks have been a flurry of activity! 

I had my medical, which was more indepth than the original one back in 1995.  Then it consisted of a French 'GP' asking if I was well before she stamped the form and took my money (about £40).  This time it involved 45 minutes of questions and tests...  Vision tests of small print, and a chart 6 metres away showed that I clearly need new glasses!!  Hearing tests were a comment spoken quietly from behind while I faced the wall and blocked one ear!!  Made me chuckle...expensive chuckle at £90 though!  Still, I’m passed as “fit to fly”!

Speaking of costly necessities...the B1/B2 and C1/D visas came in at £131.40 plus £18 delivery, so I hope the kids aren’t overly hungry before payday. My appointment was at 8.30am in Central London, so up at 0530 and headed bleary eyed for the station.  Paperwork was checked twice in 2 separate queues, then a passport check before clearing security.  Once finally inside the building the paperwork was again checked at reception and stamped with a number to appear on screen with a corresponding booth to go to.  I was called within 2 minutes of arriving in the hall.  Yet another paperwork check, a couple of questions confirming why I needed the visa, and a set of finger/thumb prints later, and it's on to another queue!  ANOTHER paperwork heck before handing it all in, more left hand fingerprints, and finally they told me my application had been approved and that my passport would be returned in 3-5 business days.

I also started the e-learning pre-coursework, which is 20-30 hours of study and assessment.  Cabin Safety Training and Flight Time Limitation work is done and the AVMed part of the course awaits. 

What else....  My references are in and Procius are waiting to request my CRC - Criminal Record Check - which can only be done nearer the start date so that it is valid.  So I’m as good as done!

Next up is the uniform fitting next month...so a few weeks to lose the excess of Christmas (and the last 15 years!).....

I think that's about all for now.  I'm excited to get started, but it is quite a daunting prospect sometimes now it is getting closer.  I'm swinging from "YAY!!"  to "What was I thinking??" several times a day. 

Some of us on the course have set up a Facebook page and a Whatsapp group so we can chat and discuss and compare things like visa applications etc.  It's nice to have some familiarity in the run up and to know everyone is feeling the same excitement - really looking forward to meeting everyone!!

[hostieinterrupted-blog]

Squeeeeeeeee!!

Mid December 2016

Okay, so I had a ton of airline emails arrive today, and in one of the letters was my start date - March!!  There is much to do before then though.  I signed and returned all the documents, including my contract.  I will be contacted for my background checks, and will have to pay for the CRC check part of it (£25).  The cabin crew initial medical is also payable as is the Visa.

I have to arrange my uniform fitting for a bit nearer the time, and also have to sort out my US visa with the Embassy before training starts...and look for accommodation...

The training will be on the B787 and 2 other aircraft....but not the B747, which means beach routes are unlikely and I’ll miss experiencing the crew favourite, but I’m so EXCITED!!  This is really happening!!

[hostieinterrupted-blog]

Tick Tock

Early December 2016

So, it's a couple of weeks on and the airline have updated with an email to be patient while they confirm the training course dates.  The latest one mentioned on the forums is late February, so I can safely say it will be March or April before the training starts. I do feel a little impatient, mostly because I am desperate to get started, but also so I can let work know what is happening and we can start to plan my replacement and hopefuly start training someone before I leave.  At the same time, Christmas is not far away and with lots planned, January will be here before I know it.

Once a start date is confirmed the pre-coursework will arrive.  Around 30 hours of work needs to be completed online before the training course so that everyone starts with the same basic knowledge.  I'm excited to get to work on that too, although I am thinking about giving myself a week off between jobs to get that completed and get myself ready for the enormous life change ahead of me (and my family) in going back to flying. The training alone will need some preparation not only for myself but for my kids.   I will need to spend some nights at Gatwick - I only live 30 miles away but the traffic is unpredictable and with 6 weeks of intensive training I could do without the stress each morning, having to leave super early to make sure I'm not late, plus the tiredness of driving home in rush hour knowing I have homework to do and Mummy jobs that need to be done.  

Thankfully the kids can stay with their Dad, Grandparents or at home my other half, so I know they will be fine...but they still need to have some structure to their lives while I am training. I guess my next update will be when I get a start date.  Until then.......

[hostieinterrupted-blog]

Assessment Day

Late 2016

The day finally arrived and the nerves were in full flow as I got ready...wearing heels for the first time in forever, hair up, and a face full of make up not seen since my flying days! The interview started at 9am around 30 miles away and so I left plenty of time to drive there, arriving with 45 minutes to spare.  I spent some time reading through my notes before reapplying lipstick and walking on wobbly legs to reception.

Several people were already there and we sat chatting until the recruitment team collected us at 9am precisely.  We were led through and arrived at a room of comfy looking sofas, with examples of the uniform on mannequins.

After a short chat from the recruitment team we all completed the reach and jumpseat checks, before watching a film about the company.  We were then divided into 3 groups (there were 17 of us) and were given a group task scenario with 10 minutes to complete it before presenting our results to everyone.  We then did a multiple choice memory test and completed various forms before an extended chat from the team about 'A Day in the Life...' before breaking for lunch.  The individual interviews were to take place after this.

After lunch we all gathered upstairs waiting to be called in for interview.  Four of the team were conducting the interviews, all of whom we had spent time with during the morning.  Thankfully I was in the first few to go and spend 30 minutes in a fairly relaxed but formal interview. Once it was over we chatted on the way back to the reception, and I was told to expect a response within 3-5 days but that they would try and get the emails out the following day so I would not have to endure a weekend of waiting. The drive home was spent replaying some of the day and wondering if I had done enough to get through.  I didn't feel particularly positive or negative about it but did think I would most likely be getting a "thanks but no thanks" due to a bit of rambling in the interview!

I travelled to France the following day for a long weekend and spent much of Friday updating my email with no luck!!  The weekend was spent trying to forget about it, and late on Monday a few of us who had kept in touch were all on Whatsapp saying we hadn't received anything. 

Minutes later one of the girls said she had been offered the job!  I couldn't get into my emails fast enough...and found my "Offer from ..." headed email!!  I couldn't believe what I was reading.  In fact I checked the email was for real for several days afterwards!

So now?  Now I am waiting for a start date, although it could be a while before it comes through.

Roll on training and a return to the skies!!

[hostieinterrupted-blog]

Application & Stage 1 Interview

...and so it begins. The job:  6 month contract as Cabin Crew.....

Online application form completed and submitted, and 2 weeks later I heard that I had been selected for a 30 minute telephone interview which would take place the following week.  I spent hours scouring the internet for information, picking the brains of ex-colleagues now working for the airline, and preparing examples of situations for possible interview questions, and wondering if this job was actually going to be a possibility.

Finally the day of the interview.  I'd moved my work hours to accommodate the interview so knew I didn't have to rush to work and could relax while waiting for the phone to ring at the allocated time.  Bang on 11am the phone rang and the interview began.  Two situational examples were asked of me, only one of which I had really prepared for, plus various questions about the company and a chance for me to mention everything I had learned in my research time!  Well, at least they know I can talk!

Forty minutes later it was over and all I had to do was wait for an email telling me if I had been successful, or whether I would not progress any further.  I say “wait”...I must have updated my emails every 10 minutes throughout the day and half the night.

The following day the email arrived.  I was through to Assessment Day!  Two weeks to wait...!

[hostieinterrupted-blog]

Back to the skies...??

It’s a strange feeling when you just know you have to follow your heart.

18 years.  18 long years since I left flying, and I have thought about my old life every day since.  Don’t get me wrong; I have mulled over returning before now, but then life just gets in the way…or death.  Time seems put on hold while life passes by and before you know it you’re mid-40′s and realise it is now or never.

I worked for British Midland, when flying still had an element of glamour.  We worked hard - 3/4/5 sector days of full service in 2 cabins on a Boeing 737, DC9 or Fokker 100, before all the cost cutting started and low cost airlines were born.  Yes…we worked hard, and played harder.  It’s the lifestyle I miss though.  The camaraderie of working as part of a crew, the laughs, the weird stuff, the daily moan, the awful coffee, and the leftover breakfast hot bits - bacon and sausage stuffed in a warm roll and crammed down between 2nd tea and coffee and clearing in…securing the galley and throwing yourself into the jumpseat seconds before landing.  They really were great days.

BUT…the airline world has changed.  Immeasurably.  No more full in-flight service unless the passengers have paid full whack…no more chatting with the flight crew IN the flight deck on the odd quiet sector…no more sneaky ciggies down the back on a turnaround, or on the jetty if the ground staff turned a blind eye (not that I smoke any more, but still…), and, more importantly, NO MORE LANDING DRINKS!

But…again…the life still appeals…the lifestyle, the people, the flying, the travel and exploring…and so here I am.

A few slightly backdated posts will follow as I started this blog and then left it unpublished until a lovely (ex-hostie) friend convinced me Tumblr was a good idea…

So here goes.