Why we don’t call our courses Flight Attending courses

Posted on 29/01/2025 by Hayley Clark

One of the most surprising things we tell our students is that the airlines don’t want graduates who have been taught how to be flight attendants.

In fact, it might even put them off hiring someone who says they have studied to be a flight attendant and are ready to step into the role.

Surprised? There’s a good reason why! 

Why airlines don’t want to hire ‘Flight Attendant’ graduates  

The major airlines have told us that when a graduate comes to them ‘fully trained’, it only means that the airline must ‘untrain’ them.

That’s because each airline has its own way of doing things. It’s own safely procedures, company culture, products and services, and everything in between.

It takes more work for the airlines to kindly let someone know that the knowledge they learned isn’t always applicable, then to re-train them in everything they do need to know.

Instead, airlines want graduates who have all the foundational skills and knowledge they need – that’s exactly what ITC teaches you. 

What ITC teaches you instead (and why that’s so much more valuable!)

 At ITC, you’ll learn everything you need to know to set a strong foundation for working as a flight attendant, or for working in any role in the travel and tourism industry.

One of the key skills we teach you is communication. This is so vital to any job, and it’s especially important for flight attendants who must connect with every person who steps on board. You’ll need to be able to speak to people of all ages, from all walks of life, and from every culture there is. This is one of the biggest things any airline will be looking for in their job applicants.

Another important skill is confidence. And yes, it’s definitely a skill! We will teach you how to have confidence in yourself so you can stand in front of a full plane and calmly offer instructions. We even have a mock cabin on our campuses so you can practice and build that confidence ahead of time.

Customer service is so important, and something we ensure every one of our students knows how to provide. We won’t just teach you why you need to offer great customer service, but show you how, and give you chances to role play to perfect your skills.

Overall, our education is the beginning of the journey, not the end. The airlines will teach you the rest, and we know they will do that happily because one in four of our graduates go on to work for a major airline!

Training to become a flight attendant

Ultimately, it’s the airline itself that will train you to be a flight attendant with them. And that’s the way they prefer it by far.

After all, airline training is quite an in-depth process. In fact, what many graduates don’t realise is that the training is also part of the interview process – if you don’t pass your training, you won’t become a flight attendant at the end (although you can try again!).

As an example, here’s the quick version of the recruitment process with Air New Zealand:

• Step 1 – If you meet all the minimum requirements (age, citizenship/residency, etc), you will be asked to complete an online digital video interview
• Step 2 – Cognitive assessment
• Step 3 – Invitation to attend an assessment centre
• Step 4 – Successful candidates will go through an extensive vetting process, which includes: 2x references, medical clearance, police clearance, swim test (50 metres under two minutes and treading water for one minute) and St John’s Level 2 first aid course certification 
• Step 5 – You will then be placed into the candidate talent pool. You will then wait for the next available Cabin Crew training course.

And that’s all before you even begin the official Air New Zealand Cabin Crew training! It’s no wonder they offer such fantastic service on board.

Study with ITC to learn what the airlines want you to know

At ITC, we focus on giving you the skills and knowledge that will be most valuable to you in your career, and most valuable to future potential employers. We don’t pretend to train you to step straight into cabin crew roles, but rather give you all the foundational knowledge and skills you need to be a fantastic hire for the airlines.

Take a look at our New Zealand Certificate in Tourism with a strand in Aviation Level 3 to learn more, or get in touch with our friendly team with any questions!

Posted in News, Student success | Tagged Aviation, Flight attending, ITC Award winning training |