Average salary (a year)

£19,000 (Starter) to £28,000 (Experienced)

Typical hours are 30 to 40 per week

You could work evenings, weekends, bank holidays and sometimes away from home.

Contract types:

- Full-time (30+ hours/week)

- Part-time (less than 30 hours/week)(2 weeks on, 2 weeks off)

- Zero hour

- Permanent, probation for the first 6 months

- Temporary/ Seasonal/ Fixed term. Usually working in the summer to October 13st

You can get into this job through a college course, an apprenticeship, and applying directly.

You could do a college course like an introduction to cabin crew, or study a cabin crew module as part of a broader travel and tourism course.

You could apply to do a Cabin Crew Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship. This will take around 12 months to complete. You'll do on-the-job training and spend time with a college or training provider.

You could apply directly to airlines for a cabin crew job. Airlines set their own entry requirements, which can vary. You'll be expected to have a good standard of spoken and written English. You'll also need to show that you have great customer service skills, so experience of working directly with the public is useful. Some airlines and private training providers run short cabin crew preparation courses, which may help your chances of getting a job, though these are not essential.

There are certain skills that you'll need to be a member of a cabin crew and these are: customer service skills, excellent verbal communication skills, patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations, to enjoy working with other people, knowledge of public safety and security, sensitivity and understanding, the ability to work well with others, the ability to accept criticism and work well under pressure, to be able to use a computer and the main software packages competently

There are also some restrictions and requirements, as you'll need to: be over 18 years of age, have a good level of fitness, pass a medical check, pass enhanced backround checks. You'll also be expected to: have a valid passport with no restrictions for the countries the airline travels to, live within 90 minutes of your base, have good written and spoken English. Many airlines also ask that you're able to swim up to 25 metres. There are also rules about height and weight, which vary between airlines. As a general guide, most look for people between 5ft 2in (157cm) and 6ft 2in (188cm), with weight in proportion to height.

For cabin crew, you work on an aircraft. Your working environment may be physically demanding and cramped and you may need to wear a uniform.

Before a flight you could: attend a staff meeting about the route and schedule, check onboard supplies and make sure safety equipment is working properly, greet passengers and check documents, and finally, demonstrate safety and emergency procedures.

During a flight, you would: make sure passengers are comfortable and respond to any requests, check dietary needs, serve food and drinks, and sell duty-free items, make announcements, give first aid and reassure passengers in the event of an emergency.

At the end of a flight you'll: make sure passengers leave the plane safely with all luggage items, complete a flight report and details of any incidents, add up payments for food and drinks orders, and duty-free sales.

Reference: Cabin crew | Explore Careers | National Careers Service

Average salary (a year)

£47,000 (Starter) to £150,000 (Experienced)

Typical hours per week are variable

You could work evenings, weekends, and bank holiday shifts

Pilot salaries can vary widely, depending on the size of the airline, your rank, how long you've flown for, and company bonus schemes and allowances.

There are several different ways to get into this job, such as, a university course, applying directly, a trainee scheme, and a specialist courses run by private training organisations.

There are key skills required to be an airline pilot such as: leadership skills, excellent verbal communication skills, knowledge of maths, thinking and reasoning skills, to be thorough and pay attention to detail, the ability to operate and control equipment, observation and recording skills, patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations, to be able to use a computer and the main software packages confidently.

However, there are also restrictions and requirements. You'll need to: hold a Commercial Pilot Licence (CPL) issued by the Civil Aviation Authority(CAA). You'll also need to pass the Civil Aviation Authority medical before you can take a course. The medical includes tests on your fitness, hearing and vision. You also have to be 18 to get a Commercial Pilot Licence (CPL) and 21 to get an Airline Transport Pilot Licence (ATPL), whilst also passing all enhanced backround checks.

As an airline pilot, you'll have day-to-day tasks with a co-pilot. These tasks are such as: flying the plane and communicating with air traffic control, work out the best route using weather reports and air traffic control data, create a flight plan and carry out pre-flight checks, communicate with cabin crew and passengers, follow procedures during take-off and landing to reduce noise pollution, write reports, check data during the flight and adjust the route if necessary.

Reference: Airline pilot | Explore Careers | National Careers Service

Average salary (a year)

£21,000 (Starter) to £28,000 (Experienced)

Typical hours are 37 to 45 per week

You could work evenings, weekends, bank holidays, on shifts

You can get into this job through: a college course, an apprenticeship, applying directly. A college course, would teach you some of the skills and knowledge that could help you get into this job. You could also apply for a place on an apprenticeship. These include: Aviation Ground Operative Level 2 Intermediate Apprenticeship, Aviation Ground Handler Level 2 Intermediate Apprenticeship, Aviation Ground Specialist Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship. These apprenticeships can take between 1 and 2 years to complete. You'll do on-the-job training and spend time at a college or training provider. For a direct applicant, there are no specific entry requirements but some employers may prefer you to have some GCSEs at grades 9 to 4, especially in maths and english.

Some of the skills you'll need to get into this job are: customer service skills, physical skills like movement, coordination, dexterity and grace, the ability to work well with others, patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations, knowledge of public safety and security, physical fitness and endurance, excellent verbal communication skills, concentration skills, to be able to carry out basic tasks on a computer or hand-held device.

On the other hand, some of the restrictions and requirements are such as: passing security checks, being over 18 years of age, passing a medical check, passing enhanced backround checks

Your day to day tasks as a baggage handler could be anything like: transfer luggage from check-in points to departure areas, make sure luggage is scanned and put onto the correct plane, move luggage to and from aircraft holds using trucks, cargo trailers and conveyor systems, store freight cargo in warehouses, loading inbound luggage onto carousels in the arrivals hall, and reporting baggage that's damaged or suspicious.

Finally, you may be working on an aircraft, at an airport or in a warehouse. Also, your working environment may be outdoors in all weathers.

Reference: Airport baggage handler | Explore Careers | National Careers Service

Average salary (a year)

£18,000 (Starter) to £34,000 (Experienced)

Typical hours are 37 to 40 per week

You could work evenings, weekends, bank holidays, all of this being on a rota.

You can get into this job through a college course, an apprenticeship, and working towards this role. For example a college course in travel and tourism could be a path into a travel agency job. Another path in is that you can start as a trainee travel agent and receive on-the-job training from your employer. There are no set entry requirements for this, but a good general standard of education is expected. Some employers may ask for English and maths GCSEs or equivalent. Good geographical knowledge will also be helpful. Finally, you could apply to do a Travel Consultant Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship. This takes around one year to complete, and combines work experience in a travel business with learning through a training provider.

To become a travel agent, you'll need a certain amount of skills which could be any of: customer service skills, excellent verbal communication skills, the ability to sell products and services, to be thorough and pay attention to detail, administration skills, active listening skills, persuading skills, a desire to help people, to be able to use a computer and the main software packages competently.

Some of your day to day tasks as a travel agent may be: talking to customers to understand what they need, helping customers find a package holiday or plan independent travel, making bookings and payments online, advising customers about passports, insurance, visas, vaccinations, arrange refunds and handle complaints, meet sales targets and report to head office. With this job, you could work at a store or in a contact centre and you may need to wear a uniform.

Reference: Travel agent | Explore Careers | National Careers Service

11th February 2025.