Emirates airline is hiring - this is what it takes to be cabin crew

The average starting salary is Dh9,770 a month - with at least 50 applicants for every available position

Emirates airline has launched a major recruitment drive. All photos: Emirates

The Dubai-based airline is looking to recruit 6,000 new cabin crew members.

The average starting salary is Dh9,770 per month.

Those looking to apply need to have more than a year’s experience in hospitality and customer service, and be a high school graduate.

Candidates also need to be fluent in both written and spoken English and those who are multilingual will rank highly in the application process.

Cabin crew will be trained and rostered on both the Airbus A380 and Boeing 777 aircraft that Emirates currently operates.

Ever thought about a career in the skies?

If yes, then now is your chance to pursue it because Emirates airline has launched another major recruitment drive to boost the number of cabin crew in its workforce.

The Dubai-based airline is hoping to recruit 6,000 new cabin crew members from this month and has called for applicants to have “a personality that shines, the ability to adapt to any situation and make people feel at ease".

The average starting salary is Dh9,770 per month and the airline is presently training about 120 new recruits each week at Emirates Aviation College, an Emirates spokesperson said.

Emirates revealed that it has received more than 300,000 applications for cabin crew jobs since launching its first post-pandemic recruitment drive in August when it announced plans to hire 3,000 cabin crew and 500 airport services employees.

In October, the airline said it would recruit more than 6,000 staff – including pilots, cabin crew, engineering specialists and ground staff – over the coming six months to boost its workforce as travel demand rebounded.

“As we focus on recovery and further ramp up our operations, we are accelerating our recruitment drive with the objective to hire roughly 6,000 cabin crew positions during this financial year, from April 2022 to March 2023,” the Emirates representative said.

“Since we launched our cabin crew recruitment drive in August 2021, we have received more than 300,000 applications from all over the world, demonstrating the tremendous level of interest in this role and in Dubai’s growing reputation as one of the best cities to live and work.”

Am I eligible to apply?

Per the job description, those interested in the full-time, entry level positions have to be at least 160 centimetres tall and must be able to reach 212cm while standing on tiptoes to enable them to access emergency equipment on all aircraft types.

As Emirates cabin crew, new candidates will be based in Dubai and will need to meet the UAE's employment visa requirements.

Those looking to apply need to have more than a year’s experience in hospitality and customer service, and be a high-school graduate.

Candidates also need to be fluent in written and spoken English and those who are multilingual will rank highly in the application process.

Fully digital recruitment process

Here's what you can expect as you progress through the selection stages when applying for a cabin crew job at Emirates:

• Complete a short application form
• If successful, you’ll complete an online English test and video interview
• If shortlisted, you’ll complete the full application and sign the relevant declarations
• If picked for the last stage of the selection process, you’ll be invited to a short face-to-face interview

Once cabin crew are hired, they will undergo eight weeks of training at the Emirates Aviation College.

There is also a dedicated induction team that takes care of the recruits when they arrive and settle into Dubai, introduces them to the city and guides them on the culture and traditions of the region.

Working for an airline also has its perks and successful recruits will benefit from free shared accommodation in Dubai, free transport to and from work, as well as concessional travel benefits for themselves, family and friends.

“Once they successfully complete their training and are certified, they can begin flying immediately.”

The training facility has supports learning in the areas of safety and emergency procedures, medical training, cabin service training, and image and uniform.

Throughout the intense training programme, new recruits have to undertake a variety of tasks that they could face when flying on a real aircraft, including leaving the plane’s emergency exit via an inflatable slide, ditching into water with a lifejacket and navigating through a smoky cabin.

Will new recruits be working on long-haul, domestic flights or both?

All new cabin crew will be required to operate on flights travelling to all corners of the world.

They will be trained and rostered on the Airbus A380 and Boeing 777 aircraft that Emirates currently operates.

They will also be assigned to medium, long-haul and shorter turnaround flights across the airline’s 130-destination network to ensure they experience different types of operations.

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