Meet Will, 24, cabin crew for British Airways based at London Heathrow Airport. Find out more about how he uses Spanish in his role. Part of our Bitesize world of work series.
Will flies long and short haul routes to various Spanish-speaking countries. His knowledge of the language ensures he's able to communicate with customers effectively in everyday and emergency situations.
It's very competitive, but worth it to get the job of my dreams.
Will:
Mi nombre es Will y soy azafato en British Airways. - My name is Will and I am Cabin Crew at British Airways.
My name's Will. I'm cabin crew at British Airways.
Muy buenos días y bienvenidos en este vuelo British Airways BA320 con destino a Madrid. - A very good morning and welcome onboard this British Airways flight BA320 to Madrid.
I'm cabin crew and I fly long and short haul routes out of Heathrow Airport. So I work on board the aircraft and my key role is looking after safety, security and medical issues, but it's also a very customer service focussed job.
Hola, buenos días. ¿Cómo está? - Hello, good day, how are you?
No day's the same, which I love. One day you could be flying somewhere that's freezing cold, and the next, somewhere that's boiling hot. You're working with different customers every day. There are different aircraft, different crew and each flight is completely different.
¿Un té, un café o algún refresco para usted? - Would you like a tea, a coffee or a soft drink?
We fly to various countries where Spanish, French and Italian are spoken, and we get a lot of people flying with us who don't speak English. So, from a safety perspective, it's good to have someone on board that can speak to that person, both in a normal situation and in an emergency situation. Even if passengers do speak English, it's nice if you can speak to them in their own language as well. It's good customer service and provides an individual personalised experience.
Un café con leche para usted. - A white coffee for you.
To keep your language skills at a really high level, it does take effort, but it's just a case of consistency and practice, which isn't hard in a job like this.
¿Puede abrocharse el cinturón de seguridad por favor? - Can you fasten your seatbelt please?
I always knew I wanted to work in aviation. I'm a real aeroplane enthusiast and also starting to get jobs when I was sixteen, I worked a lot in customer service, in hospitality, bars and restaurants. I did French, Spanish and Italian at GCSE and A-level, and as part of my degree in Modern and Medieval Languages at university. I worked in Madrid for three months and then did another internship in Paris for six months, which really helped to build my confidence in speaking these languages.
En unos momentos, vamos a demostrar unos aspectos de seguridad muy importantes de este Airbus A320. - In a few moments, we are going to point out some of the safety procedures of this Airbus A320 aircraft.
The recruitment process is pretty tough. You do all sorts of online tests like psychometric testing and how to deal with different situations, then I had an assessment day, including group tasks based on all sorts of scenarios and at the end there was an interview. It's very competitive, but worth it to get the job of my dreams.
Once again, a very warm welcome on board this British Airways flight BA320 to Madrid.
Being cabin crew can be anything you want it to be. There are loads of opportunities to progress, whether that's climbing the ranks in cabin crew and becoming a manager on board, or going into different areas of the airline, that might mean going into operational management, customer experience, safety evaluation or becoming flight crew.
As cabin crew, you're really seeing everything and there are lots of directions you can take that in. My top tip for people considering becoming cabin crew is to really develop your communication skills. You'll get lots of training on the job, but it's worth making a head start and languages are perfect for that.
No dude en contactarse con un miembro de la tripulación, gracias. - Do not hesitate to speak with a member of the crew, thank you.
- The main skills Will uses in his role, include communication, the ability to work well under pressure and knowledge of public safety
- As a member of cabin crew, his key role on the aircraft involves managing safety, security and medical issues
- Being in a customer-facing role, his language skills are really important in allowing him to adapt his form of communication to suit different customers and cabin crew. From a safety perspective, this is really important too, as not everyone who boards the flights can speak English
- No two days are the same, one day he could be flying to somewhere really hot and the next, he could be landing in a country that's freezing cold
- His Spanish language skills gives him the opportunity to offer better customer service and create a more personalised experience, which he finds rewarding
- Before securing his job as cabin crew, he worked a lot in hospitality and so providing customer service is something he has always enjoyed
- He studied French, Spanish and Italian at both GCSE and A-level, as well as part of his degree in Modern and Medieval Languages
- During his degree, he did one internship in Madrid for three months and another in Paris for six months, which increased his confidence in speaking different languages.
Top tips
- To keep your language skills at a high level, it does take some effort, but it's just a case of consistency and practice, which is easy to do in a job like cabin crew
- Learning different languages can give you a head start when it comes to building strong communication skills, so start as soon as you can!
What to expect if you want to be cabin crew
- Cabin crew average salary: £15,000 to £30,000 per year
- Cabin crew typical working hours: 30 to 40 hours per week
What qualifications do you need to be cabin crew?
You could get into this role via a college course, an apprenticeship or applying directly.
Sources: LMI for All, National Careers Service
This information is a guide and is constantly changing. The information relates to cabin crew roles generally rather than Will's role with British Airways. Please check the National Careers Service website for the latest information and all the qualifications needed.
For careers advice in all parts of the UK visit: National Careers Service (England), nidirect (Northern Ireland), My World of Work (Scotland) and Careers Wales (Wales).
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