The airline is currently looking to hire 17,300 people, equivalent to a mid-size town or the seating capacity of 58 Airbus A350 aircraft, across 350 roles, which include pilots, IT professionals, engineers, and cabin crew
Emirates Airlines is hiring new flight attendants, but applicants must meet strict criteria.
The airline is currently looking to hire 17,300 people, equivalent to a mid-size town or the seating capacity of 58 Airbus A350 aircraft, across 350 roles. Emirates hasn’t said how many of those job openings are for flight attendants, but it is likely to be within the hundreds, if not thousands.
Throughout the year, the group will be hosting more than 2,100 open days and other talent acquisition events in 150 cities to recruit pilots, IT professionals, engineers, and cabin crew roles. The announcement comes after Emirates banned power banks on its flights.
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Emirates has said that new recruits are required for some roles, including cabin crew, pilots, engineers, commercial and sales teams, customer service, ground handling, catering, IT, HR, and finance. Separately, Dnata is looking to hire more than 4,000 cargo, catering, and ground handling specialists.
Some of the benefits included with Emirates jobs are profit share eligibility, comprehensive medical and life insurance cover, travel benefits including flight tickets and membership cards that provide discounts at hundreds of retail, hospitality, and lifestyle outlets.
Although the airline has not advertised wages as part of this recruitment drive, Aviation A2Z reports that the average annual salary of an Emirates flight attendant working in the United States at approximately $47,000 (£34,000) as of last year.
While the salary and benefits appeal, Emirates is particular when it comes to what it is looking for in new recruits. They must be:
- Be fluent in both written and spoken English (additional languages are an advantage)
- A natural team player with a personality that shines
- At least 160 cm tall (5’2”)
- Able to reach 212 cm high
- Able to meet the UAE’s employment visa requirements
- Have at least one year of hospitality/customer service experience (desirable)
- Have a minimum of high school (grade 12) education
- Have no visible tattoos while in Emirates cabin crew uniform
“Irrespective of nationality, Emirates look for a positive attitude, confidence, flexibility, maturity, a friendly disposition and a genuine passion to help others to provide quality service. As the job can be physically demanding, it is imperative you demonstrate resilience and a determination to continually perform well”, the job requirements add.
Marika Mikusova, a flight attendant with Emirates, shared her recollection of the application process. “For example, I would definitely advise against wearing unnatural hair or nail colour! I personally attended open days twice. The first time I didn’t even pass the first round of the interview. I assume it was because of what I was wearing,” she explained.
Marika also had some, perhaps slightly more traditional advice for those angling for a job with Emirates. “So I would advise women to put on blazer and pencil skirt and style their hair in a bun. I would highly recommend putting a lipstick and heels on!”
For men, Marika suggested that they arrive clean-shaven or with a moustache only, and dressing in a suit.
“Mind your body language! Put on a gentle smile and present yourself in a calm manner. Do not cross your arms during interview as you would look unapproachable or even angry,” she added.
Marika even recalled a time when she attended her Prague Emirates Open Day, where several Korean women hoping to become flight attendants had flown in from other continents just to attend the Emirates Open Day.
“In fact, the interview was conducted entirely in English and was not limited by the nationalities of the candidates, the number of participants, or how many times each candidate attended Open Days in the past. So you can try multiple interviews outside your country,” Marika concluded.
Those aspiring to join the Emirates Group can apply for the various roles and keep a lookout for open days and recruitment events worldwide at www.emiratesgroupcareers.com.