How to Get a Job As a Steward
- 1). Check for open steward positions and review the job qualifications. Visit the career pages of airline websites to find steward openings. Some airlines may post notices in newspapers and online at local open house events where people interested in steward positions are invited to meet company representatives. Where open positions are not available, visit the career pages or website for the airline you are interested in working for and look for general job descriptions for a steward position.
- 2). Review the qualifications and identify requirements you might be missing. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, most airlines require a minimum of a high school diploma or its equivalent but increasingly they prefer applicants who have attended college or hold a degree. Areas of study that interest airlines include psychology, nursing, communications and hospitality. Customer service skills and the ability to interact with the general public are also highly prized in applicants.
- 3). Obtain any missing education or training. For instance, if a job as a steward on international flights is of interest, the applicant will need to learn to speak a foreign language. Obtaining several years of college may be of advantage before applying.
- 4). Arrange your life so that you can work on short notice. Most airlines place new stewards on a reserve status for the first year after they complete their training and expect them to be available to fly at a moment's notice. Flights occur during holidays, weekends and during the night, and stewards are expected to be available during those times. Some airlines may require stewards to relocate once they are hired to meet flight needs in certain areas of the country.
- 5). Prepare your finances so that you can live on reserve status. Because new stewards are not working regular hours, the first year their income will likely be less than a full-time steward would receive.
- 6). Prepare your body for the rigors of a steward's job. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, flight stewards experience a high rate of injury and illness. They are faced with irregular eating patterns and work in a pressurized environment and breathe recycled air.
