Ladyinred,
The following is an excerpt from an article written by John Deakin for Avweb when he was flying a corporate jet. It gives some insights into the role of the flight attendant.
The flight attendant on these airplanes can make or break the flight, and the business, possibly making her (they are overwhelmingly female) the most important crewmember on the flight. We pilots have very little exposure to the clients, other than meeting and greeting, and saying goodbye. One pilot usually does baggage duty, not meeting the passengers at all, except when coming forward through the cabin for takeoff.
But the FA is right there in close proximity, the entire time. She orders the catering, and must be acutely aware of the needs and desires of the customers, with no fallback if they don't like what she has ordered and prepared. One group asked for "BBQ" on the way home. The FA found a local famous BBQ, and the three of us went to lunch there, to check it out. She ordered take out for the next day, quite an assortment for eight, but no pork. When asked, she just smiled gently, and said, "Our passengers are Jewish." I never would have thought of that! Catering is extensive, and expensive, for some passengers really want what they want, right down to the brand name of bottled water. Others just say, "Oh, get a couple deli sandwiches, or something." It is a job I could not do. The in-flight portion can be easy on the FA with just one or two passengers, but with any more than that, it's a nightmare for the FA, and she'll be working hard the entire flight. All of ours attend annual emergency training, and are fully equivalent to airline FAs in that regard. Other operators stint on that training, call their FAs "Stewardesses," and place all the responsibility for emergencies on the flight crew. Since the airplane cannot hold more than 19 passengers, there is no legal requirement for anyone in the cabin at all, and some of the smaller airlines take advantage of that, too. I'd much rather have a well-trained FA back there, thank you very much. In any emergency, the pilots are going to have quite enough to do up front.
I hope you enjoy the new job.