This post provides details of becoming Virgin Atlantic Cabin Crew.

Application Process

Virgin Atlantic advertises all of their current openings on their website. Once you find an opening that you are interested in, an online application is filled out along with the submission of your resume to the airline. Now, this may seem very simple but don’t get too comfortable! Included in the application are questions aimed to learn more about your personality and some motivational questions to decide if you meet the criteria that Virgin Atlantic is looking for.

Now, if you move on to the next step in the process, you will be asked to submit a video interview where you will be asked to answer questions that center around Virgin Atlantic’s brand. If they feel you have what it takes to become a member of their team, you will be asked to attend an assessment day.

These assessment days consist of group activities to demonstrate your teamwork skills and problem solving skills as well as sitting on a crew seat and reaching the overhead bin. Being a certain height is actually very important when becoming a cabin crew member! There will also be a short test on your assessment day followed by an interview. After this full day, everyone will be sent home and the successful candidates will be chosen!

Training

For a very intense few weeks, the newest members of the cabin crew will be put through rigorous training. Some people won’t make it through these weeks but if you are determined, focused and study for the multitude of tests, you will do it!

The training will take about 6 weeks and includes exams everyday, emergency landings, fire training and security and ditching in water. The training is very physically demanding and can be emotionally draining but so worth it! You will learn all about the different Virgin Atlantic aircraft types, where everything is on the aircraft and you will also be tested on life support protocols.

Nervous about the training? I have it all covered in my Becoming Cabin Crew e-book.

Working Life

Unlike some airlines, such as British Airways, there is only one fleet at Virgin Atlantic, so you are all one big team!  Your rosters will differ every month but your flights will generally consist of long haul flights with a day or two stopover in the destination. Virgin Atlantic does the occasional charter flight which might be short haul, but otherwise all of their flights are long haul.

Working for Virgin Atlantic is great because they fly to some amazing destinations which you can explore during your stop overs. They fly to many holiday destinations as well as cities. Some destinations do not have regular flights, which means an extra long stay for you as crew too!

Salary

Virgin Atlantic cabin crew are paid industry average in terms of wages. Their salary is made up of base pay (around £13,000 per annum), trip pay (£25 per sector) and an overnight allowance. The overnight allowance varies depending on how long the trip is and the destination. This money is loaded onto a a debit card, known as the ‘little red card’, and you get to keep the money that you don’t spend. You are also entitled to generous staff travel benefits.

Accommodation 

There is no need for accommodation when working for Virgin Atlantic as you will be based at either London Gatwick or London Heathrow, where you will be expected to have your own accommodation. High quality hotels are provided down-route.

Are you looking for a job as Cabin Crew? Don’t let the chance slip through your fingers… make sure you have the right resources to maximise your chances of getting the job- check out my resources for Prospective Cabin Crew now!

For more like this visit www.becomingcabincrew.com, a Cabin Crew blog written by Hayley Stainton, a Dr in Aviation and Tourism Research.