Is 38 too old to become cabin crew?

[Cappuccinowithonesugarplease]

Live in Europe and looking to go back to work full time now DS3 is 2.5 this is one of my options. Other is remote work of some sort.

https://www.charityjob.co.uk/jobs?Workplace=remote

I just typed remote in the search box and this is what I found. These aren't scam jobs as I found my job through this site. Also have a look at your local university and college for admin roles. You need to think sideways to find your new job & not be so fixed on one type of job only.

Go for it!!

I wouldn't do this with such young children, there's always an illness they pick up that you either need last minute childcare or stay off work for

Perhaps when OP's on shift, her part time, flexibly working DH might just step up.Given that they're both adults I'm sure they can figure this out for themselves.

Honestly, no wonder women's careers stall when they have kids if some if the attitudes on this thread are anything to go by.

I was caning crew for ten years and gave up when my children were 4 and 2. Dont underestimate the impact it has on life.
Short notice call outs, delays that turn into night stops, night flights and weekends.
Great job I loved it but it's gruelling with young children

With 2 very young children I’d pick the remote working option personally. You can’t expect your mum to help out all the time- what if she’s away, tired, poorly, doesn’t want to etc

Yeah this. It’s gruelling. I hated it but loved it at the same time. Back in my day competition was tough - it sure how it is now though post covid .

Thanks,
I've been back to the uk to visit my eldest for almost a month before, he is great with the childcare and running of the house so i have no concerns there. If I'm honest he is better at it than me! 😂

@Cappuccinowithonesugarplease

The generic answer is no you are not too old but you need to take a really objective look at the pros and cons before jumping in, I’m thinking mostly about issues such as basing and rostering, especially if you have family commitments.

A few examples:

How is rostering performed, do you get any choice or not, predictable pattern or not (e.g. 5/3), are rosters stable once published, what are the chances of unscheduled nightstops away from base?

Are you going to working out of an airport near home which you can travel to/from at unsocial hours?

If the answer is “no” and you don’t live near the airport is the company going to provide accommodation for any nights off at base during blocks of short haul work (answer will almost certainly be no)? If not you are going to need to find and pay for something like a B&B near the airport?

Is there any standby commitment and if there is will you be able to do that from home or will you end up camped out in a B&B or hotel near the airport?

There’s lot more beyond this and a lot of the answers to things like the above will be airline specific (for example rostering and standby/reserve commitment) so you need to cautious about generic answers. It’s best to get info from people actually currently working at any airline(s) you are interested in working for.

Good luck.

@orangewasp I thought if one parent had a flexi role and the other had a fixed role then the cabin crew job could just about work. However, if both have fixed work schedules then a cabin crew job becomes harder when navigating school & childhood illnesses.

My comments had nothing to do with the op being a woman & having to pick up the "wife work". More to do with this being a potentially stressful job during the already stressful early years period. Why add another complication to an already stressful situation?

Why are your two options cabin crew or remote work of some sort? One means you'll potentially be away a lot working long shifts I a demanding job, the other means you can be at home every day. Surely there's a wealth of choice of roles in between that could also be an option.
Don't under estimate the impact shift working has on your wellbeing, particularly with young children. It doesn't get easier as you get older.
Childcare is important, but you seem to have that covered.
Have you thought about how you feel about working long days and sometimes being away from home overnight? What about how your partner feels about it?

I think @notimagain has offered some relevant points of consideration. The age isn't an issue at all as that isn't what would make this difficult. Being 3 hours away from the airport is the biggest issue as you simply can't be late for a flight when you are cabin crew. That you also don't speak the language is an issue but you say that it's a British airline which is a little weird as they tend to have a British airport as their home base and therefore that's where their cabin crew works out of and flies out of and return to.

I think it's probably quite a limited job market since they live 3 hours from a main airport, her experience is in call centres and she doesn't speak the local language. It rules out a lot of jobs.

No, not at all. For example, I’d wager a fair percentage of Emirates’ crew in Dubai don’t speak Arabic.

My 58 year-old friend, bored with early retirement from the police force, just got accepted, having been told airlines are actively recruiting older people (as others on the thread have said). Go for it!

@GnusSitOnCanoes I don't expect OP wishes to relocate to work for such an airline though. Working out of Europe on short haul flights is very different. 2 young DC and a husband that works away part of the time wouldn't really allow for much else

Is there any expat organisation you could ask for help identifying other job opportunities?

Or could you improve your language skills enough to function in an office? Office roles often have templates for letters etc so you don't have to start each one from scratch.

Depending what country you are in (and where) you might find that some companies operate in English or have some call centre staff who answer calls in English. Although from the sound of it you may have already explored this option.

It's not a 'family friendly' option OP. My daughter is cabin crew and is often away for days at a time.

Your two options (cabin crew or WFH) are so polar opposite, it feels like you're not really sure what you want to do. One would take you away from home frequently, the other would keep you IN the home permanently! 🤦‍♀️

What is it you actually want/need from a job? Perhaps start with this question, make a list, then match that list to specific jobs that suit.

I could look into it, I can speak basic conversational. I suppose maybe courier work could also be an option but the pay is rubbish

I'm not fussy to be honest. I just want to do something that's permanent that I can do while living where I am where I won't have to be away for months at a time. I would love to do something within the travel industry though. A lot of the remote jobs I am finding seem to be wanting managers which I have no experience in.

Is it a tourist area at all?

From the info the OP has given, I think it's wizzair she's considering and the only requirement is speaking English

It's not the most well known but we have skiing in winter and beaches for summer holidays

No it's ryanair

They are not a British airline. They are Irish.

I meant they are English speaking.
They have bases all over Europe. Only this one, Wizz and easyjet fly to my country all year round.