According to CNN Travel, lots of flight attendants are quitting their jobs. This is due to burnout, family responsibilities, bad work-life balance, and much more.
As a flight attendant, you might be considering a new career, too. However, you’re not sure what’s the best path to go.
I’m here to help. I’ll list the 12 best alternative career options for flight attendants. I’ll make sure to give you somewhat similar jobs. This way, it can match your transferable skills as a cabin crew. So let’s go!
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What Are the Career Options After Being a Cabin Crew
If you’re looking for a flight attendant career change, here are the 12 best alternative career options for flight attendants:
- Pilot
- Aviation Trainer
- Superyachts Crew
- Travel Agent
- Reservation and Ticket Agents
- HR, Communication Specialist, Marketing, Sales, Executive Assistant
- Real Estate
- Recruitment Consultant
- Hospitality and Tourism
- Customer Service Representative or Manager
- Travel Blogger
- Influencer/Vlogger/YouTuber
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1. Pilot
Maybe you love flying but hate dealing with passengers. Well, why not train for that pilot license? Yes, flight school can be expensive. But if you’re determined, you will be willing to save and learn as much as you can as a crew member.
If you can achieve that dream, then you’ll be earning at least 6 figures! The average salary for pilots in the USA is $105,841. Plus, you still get to travel on air regularly. Only this time, you’re in charge.
2. Aviation Trainer
Maybe you’re a great teacher. If so, you can try your hand at aviation training. Here, you’ll be the one to instruct aspiring pilots or aviation professionals.
You’ll teach them about airway navigation, safety procedures, and technical skills. You’ll utilize simulators, conduct theoretical lessons, and oversee practical exercises. You’ll be in charge of training the new generation of pilots and cabin crew members.
3. Superyachts Crew
OK, maybe you want nothing to do with airlines and aviation. Instead, you’d love to travel by sea. In this case, consider becoming a superyacht crew.
A superyacht is a luxurious and often privately owned yacht. You can apply to be a stewardess there. And since you already have flight attendant experience, it shouldn’t be too hard to get in.
Here’s what Kelly, a flight attendant turned superyacht crew, says:
I have been onboard for a week now, lots of cleaning and laundry and packing up ready for the crossing. I am getting to know the crew who are all brilliant. I know it has only been a week and it’s been hard work but I am having an amazing time, loving every minute. I am so glad I made the decision to change my career from cabin crew to working on Superyachts. This has been such an amazing experience, and you never know, I may end up in that Marina in St Lucia for Christmas!
4. Travel Agent
If you’re working as cabin crew, you probably love to travel. And that is a good enough reason to love being a travel agent. You’ll be there to help families plan out their dream vacations.
As a travel agent, you’ll deal with booking all their travel arrangements, including hotels and flights. You can even partner up with big airlines, such as Emirates and Etihad Airways. And of course, you don’t have to deal with the pressure of flying around ALL the time.
5. Reservation and Ticket Agents
As a former cabin crew member, you might still want to work in aviation. Well, a reservation and ticket agent is the behind-the-scenes maestro.
You’ll craft seamless travel experiences. Your responsibilities will include bookings, answering queries, and ensuring passengers embark on smooth journeys. If you love helping people out with their trips, then no doubt you’ll love this job.
6. Corporate Jobs
What if you want to go into a completely different career? Maybe you’re more interested in a corporate job. Well, you can choose to work in human resources, marketing, sales, administration, and communication.
I listed these jobs as a flight attendant usually has a lot of transferable skills perfect for these roles. This is also more of a “normal” job – some are even more flexible than a normal job.
Here’s what someone on Reddit says about working a normal job instead of a flight attendant:
You have the same holidays, you spend time with your family, you spend time with your friends and loved ones and see birthdays and weddings and everything along with it.
Read More: 17 Best Alternative Career Options for HR Professionals
7. Real Estate
Do you have a love for all things real estate? Then why not ditch your Emirates cabin crew job and become a real estate agent? The best part is that it’s so easy to get a license.
Moreover, you can easily find clients online. 58% of the National Association of Realtors members use LinkedIn to connect with clients. If you’re burned out with your job as cabin crew, a real estate agent will allow you to be very flexible.
8. Recruitment Consultant
As a member of cabin crew, you probably have a lot of people skills. So one job that can fit your skill set is a recruitment consultant.
With this job, you’ll help job seekers find a match. You’ll link them to the right organizations and businesses. If you work for a business, your days will be filled with understanding staffing needs, creating job descriptions, searching for suitable candidates, etc…
9. Hospitality and Tourism
If you want to stay in the hospitality industry, then why not go for tourism? It’s a very rewarding career, as you’ll be able to create memorable experiences for travelers.
Working in the hospitality industry in tourism, you’ll manage hotels and restaurants, organize events and tours, and ensure top-notch customer service. You don’t need to leave your home country to keep busy and develop your love for travel.
10. Customer Service Representative or Manager
Whether you work with an aviation company or not, a customer service representative or manager will fit well with your skills and experience as a flight attendant. Here, you’ll deal with the company’s customers, whether with inquiries or complaints (sounds a lot like a flight attendant job, right?)
If you’re looking for the best alternative career options for air hostess, you can follow the example of Neha Gupta. She was a former flight attendant and is now a Customer Service Manager with Emirates Airlines.
11. Travel Blogger
Say you don’t yet have the means to quit your flight attendant job. Maybe you’re hesitant as you might regret it. In this case, you can start creating a travel blog.
You can write about all the places you visited. Or, you can write about your experience as a flight attendant traveling the country or world.
When you start to gain a following, you can try your hand at affiliate marketing. If you’re persistent, you can earn passive income while doing what you love – travel and writing.
12. Influencer/Vlogger/YouTuber
Are you great at content creation? Then consider becoming an influencer, vlogger, or Youtuber. You can even make your content about traveling or life as a former cabin crew with Emirates or any other airline. A lot of people love this type of content.
If you’re able to start earning with partnerships, this is considered freelance work. You’ll be self-employed. It will be a totally different scenario from the stress of being a flight attendant.
Final Words
A flight attendant is a job that takes away a lot of comfort. I mean, you’ll be flying constantly in a metal tube. If you want out, you can choose any of the 12 alternative career options for flight attendants that I listed here.
These jobs are all great as they can be closely related to your work experience and skills. What’s more, the jobs are diverse enough that you’ll be able to find one that suits YOU.
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