Stereotypes, unfortunately, are a fact of life. Some are positive, some negative. Sometimes they’re even true, but they’re rarely universal. The aviation world is no exception.
What do you think of when you think of flight attendants? Young, pretty women? Perhaps just out of college, just beginning their lives and looking for adventure? Of course, that last one is probably true of all flight attendants (and aspiring flight attendants) or they wouldn’t enjoy the job very much.
But what about the others? Who are the people serving up meals, bringing blankets and otherwise taking care of passengers on airplanes – particularly on corporate and private planes? The answer might shock you, but it shouldn’t: slightly more mature, divorced women.
There are many reasons these women are ideal for the job, especially in corporate and private flight attending. More life experience means they have more experience dealing with demanding people. Perhaps they’ve raised children and handled husbands for many years – what better way to prepare for a job in service? They’re good in a crisis. Spilled milk? No problem! There will be no crying on that airplane.
Besides their life experience, though, is their renewed sense of vigor. Divorce, of course, is usually a stressful and traumatic experience and often the end of years of struggle. The culmination is a person who suddenly feels full freedom for the first time in a long time. Like that recent college grad, she’s rediscovering herself, loosening her bonds and looking toward the figurative and literal horizon.
What better way to express one’s newfound independence and also meet new people – people who don’t know you as “Mrs. So-and-so” – than to take to the skies? As a private flight attendant, you also have the luxury of making your own schedule. You get to choose your clients, which means you get to choose when and where you work. You aren’t bound by an airline’s schedule. You aren’t stuck to the same route over and over. Reinvent yourself. Reinvent your life.
Do you wonder if you don’t have the proper background for the job? The beauty of becoming a flight attendant is that, with training, it doesn’t matter. All you need is the right personality and to want to do it. It doesn’t require that you be a certain age or that you have been born with some innate talent. All you need to do is show up, learn the job, smile and have a great attitude.
All that’s left is a little hard work and the reward of travel, fun, adventure and stories to take back home to friends and family. What are you waiting for?
