I didn't really.. kinda fell into it I guess. My best friends sister was already working for the company as a trolley dolly and got me the job. When the FA manager asked if she knew of anyone wanting to fly.. she called me and said "do you want and interview". I was nursing and needed out, I said "yeah sure" when, she said tomorrow, I said OK and found out the following night I was employed and to start within the fortnight.
Like Easternboy, I travelled regional NSW, flying on the exquisite SAAB aircraft. They were very noisy and partial hearing loss has caused me some grief, but I can't sue, they went broke.
With no APU I somehow survived the 47 degree c cabin temp during turnarounds in Broken Hill, and enjoyed pillfering the left over chocolates from the catering.
The lifestyle was the winner out of it all, but the reserve days the down fall.
Sometimes it was like I never left nursing. Vomit, coughing, spluttering, wheel chair pax, baby poo and sometimes adult poo. Quiet often it was like the geriatric express and you felt like getting out and panting a Red Cross on the tail.
And the cabin cleaning. On a good day the guys from the pointie end may help with crossing those belts, wiping tray tables, cleaning seat pockets, but their standard was not always the best. Emptying garbage and changing atlas boxes full of catering and lugging them all 6 kilos of them up steep narrow stairs in high heels, did cause many a spill and twisted ankles.
Rushing the cabin service so you could sit back down and rest (aka BLUDGE) for the remainder of the flight and write a shopping list was also common practice!
At the end of the day I made some great friends, meet some nice people and saw the countryside. It is a job I really enjoyed and would of been quiet happy to remain their for a fare while if some dodgie airline from across the Pacific didn't ruin it all!!!