Help with QF advice
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Help with QF advice
Hi guys, I'm yet another newbie with more questions to ask (but i promise if QF give me a job i will be more than willing to answer questions here 
lol)
Anyways to the question. I've just finished year twelve and really want to become a flight attendant for an Australian company. I received some advice from a great FA on my last flight and thought i'd have it checked out by the experts
His advice was to go for a ground crew position (as i said i was looking at getting a job at STA travel) at Qantas work there for a while before applying QF. What im wondering is whether this is still good advice as it is a year old and I’m not too sure whether QF has changed their recruiting practices etc. Is applying for a QF position different for a current QF employee to Joe Blow off the street? If not is there any benifit to having a job at QF before applying for the FA position (other than being able to wear the cool new uniform
haha) - Is the QFcollege open to Ground Staff?
He was a rather busy and i couldn’t finish my interrogation but he did mention that QF are ALWAYS recruiting ground staff but recently there has been nothing on their website - is ASO the checkin position or ramp positions? Will these positions take the brunt of QFs push for casualisation?
One last question, i have been reading these forums for a couple of months now and i have the feeling that QF Shorthaul seems to be where most people want to be, i would have thought it would have been long haul (i cant remember which thread it was but it said that there is a large number of staff wanting to transfer to short haul. is there a reason for this or is there a equally large number of people wanting to transfer to Longhaul and i have just taken the wrong end of the stick?
I know there are alot of questions above, but if you can help with any of them it would be greatly appreciated
lol)Anyways to the question. I've just finished year twelve and really want to become a flight attendant for an Australian company. I received some advice from a great FA on my last flight and thought i'd have it checked out by the experts
His advice was to go for a ground crew position (as i said i was looking at getting a job at STA travel) at Qantas work there for a while before applying QF. What im wondering is whether this is still good advice as it is a year old and I’m not too sure whether QF has changed their recruiting practices etc. Is applying for a QF position different for a current QF employee to Joe Blow off the street? If not is there any benifit to having a job at QF before applying for the FA position (other than being able to wear the cool new uniform
haha) - Is the QFcollege open to Ground Staff?He was a rather busy and i couldn’t finish my interrogation but he did mention that QF are ALWAYS recruiting ground staff but recently there has been nothing on their website - is ASO the checkin position or ramp positions? Will these positions take the brunt of QFs push for casualisation?
One last question, i have been reading these forums for a couple of months now and i have the feeling that QF Shorthaul seems to be where most people want to be, i would have thought it would have been long haul (i cant remember which thread it was but it said that there is a large number of staff wanting to transfer to short haul. is there a reason for this or is there a equally large number of people wanting to transfer to Longhaul and i have just taken the wrong end of the stick?
I know there are alot of questions above, but if you can help with any of them it would be greatly appreciated
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Can answer a couple of your questions:
Yes - QFCollege online is available for ground staff. Some really good courses available and you get a certificate for most of them.
The benefit of being ground staff before flying is that you will have chance to work alongside crew and get a better feel of the day to day job. You would also get staff travel benefits after 6 months.
The other thing is that you would gain a bit of seniority. However its unlikely you would get enough to affect your trip bidding because ground staff don't 'bring over' their whole seniority.
There are around 700 long haul crew on the list to come to short haul and about 150 on the list to go to long haul. I wouldn't say short halu is the way to go necessarily because our flying is under threat from the proposed 'budget airline'.
The main reason long haul crew want to come over to short haul is lifestyle. Basically short haul crew are home more often than long haul crew and there are a lot of LH crew who started flying when they were younger and now they have families etc. they would rather be home than away for 12 days at at time.
LH pays more though so it all depends on what you want.
Yes - QFCollege online is available for ground staff. Some really good courses available and you get a certificate for most of them.
The benefit of being ground staff before flying is that you will have chance to work alongside crew and get a better feel of the day to day job. You would also get staff travel benefits after 6 months.
The other thing is that you would gain a bit of seniority. However its unlikely you would get enough to affect your trip bidding because ground staff don't 'bring over' their whole seniority.
There are around 700 long haul crew on the list to come to short haul and about 150 on the list to go to long haul. I wouldn't say short halu is the way to go necessarily because our flying is under threat from the proposed 'budget airline'.
The main reason long haul crew want to come over to short haul is lifestyle. Basically short haul crew are home more often than long haul crew and there are a lot of LH crew who started flying when they were younger and now they have families etc. they would rather be home than away for 12 days at at time.
LH pays more though so it all depends on what you want.
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My advice
Forget applying to groundstaff if you want to be a flight attendant! Find any job that involves working with teams in a shiftwork environment and dealing very closely with customers. Customer service skills are EXTREMELY important. Working with a Bank / Teaching English in Japan etc are very good starts!
If you were in QF groundstaff there is a high chance it could work against you! I think even working at a Videostore or Maccas is a really really good start!
Forget applying to groundstaff if you want to be a flight attendant! Find any job that involves working with teams in a shiftwork environment and dealing very closely with customers. Customer service skills are EXTREMELY important. Working with a Bank / Teaching English in Japan etc are very good starts!
If you were in QF groundstaff there is a high chance it could work against you! I think even working at a Videostore or Maccas is a really really good start!
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Thank you all for your advice.
Red Rat
I finished my HSC last year so have been working as a teachers aide for a year now but i am starting to get bored, while i do want to become a flight attendant i also think i would enjoy being ground staff.
How would being ground crew hurt my chances of getting a position as cabin crew? Would i be better getting a job with another airline as ground crew? I really like the idea of being ground crew until i can get a spot in the cabin but if its going to hurt my chances rather than help i guess i'll have to check out other jobs.
Any other comments/oppinions?
Thanks
Red Rat
I finished my HSC last year so have been working as a teachers aide for a year now but i am starting to get bored, while i do want to become a flight attendant i also think i would enjoy being ground staff.
How would being ground crew hurt my chances of getting a position as cabin crew? Would i be better getting a job with another airline as ground crew? I really like the idea of being ground crew until i can get a spot in the cabin but if its going to hurt my chances rather than help i guess i'll have to check out other jobs.
Any other comments/oppinions?
Thanks
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heloo V8
all of the advice above sounds really good.. but i wouldnt know.. im in the same boat as you. im studying hospitality at a college in sydney, and work in a 5star hotel in the rocks. Hospitality experience will be very beneficial i think. Also... ive waited on hundreds of guests since starting at my hotel, and ive gained alot more confidance when dealing with complaints and difficult customers. Also, ive learned to sell myself (EEEEK!!! NOT in THAT way
) i mean... when i have an interview.. or the Food and Beverage manager is drilling us on the menu.. i can not only handle it... but really impress him. (I have an interview in about 2hrs with the Manager of the Japanese Restaurant on 36... fingers crossed I can impress )
Hotels have tremendous turnover... so it might be an idea to drop your CV into a few of them. Im not sure where in Oz you are... butif youre in the sydney area let me know cos i have heaps of friends from college who work in hotels everywhere.. and they can tell me if there are any places.
Good luck V8...
hopefully i can fly with you someday (soon)!
TSSOV
all of the advice above sounds really good.. but i wouldnt know.. im in the same boat as you. im studying hospitality at a college in sydney, and work in a 5star hotel in the rocks. Hospitality experience will be very beneficial i think. Also... ive waited on hundreds of guests since starting at my hotel, and ive gained alot more confidance when dealing with complaints and difficult customers. Also, ive learned to sell myself (EEEEK!!! NOT in THAT way
) i mean... when i have an interview.. or the Food and Beverage manager is drilling us on the menu.. i can not only handle it... but really impress him. (I have an interview in about 2hrs with the Manager of the Japanese Restaurant on 36... fingers crossed I can impress )Hotels have tremendous turnover... so it might be an idea to drop your CV into a few of them. Im not sure where in Oz you are... butif youre in the sydney area let me know cos i have heaps of friends from college who work in hotels everywhere.. and they can tell me if there are any places.
Good luck V8...
hopefully i can fly with you someday (soon)!
TSSOV
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a little bit of advice
Hi V8Trolley
I know exactly what your going through.
Working in groundstaff would be great. It would also be great experience to have before working in Cabin Crew but a million other people also know this, it's very competitive and applying internally for cabin crew from groundstaff will take forever and ever! Just think about all the other groundstaff who would like to make the same transition as you! If you really want to work in groundstaff I suggest you plan on staying in that field.
You mentioned working for another airline in groundstaff then applying to QF cabin crew. My opinion is to try and stay with the same airline. The reason is that big airlines like QF have big Egos and they dont want to employ someone who is tainted by another airline. For example I know many ex Ansett staff having difficulty trying to get back into the industry by applying to QF. Many do not mention they worked for Ansett.
Big airlines like QF like to think they have found perfect material to mould you into what they want. However you do hear of people working from one airline and then transferring to another so please dont think it's the end because on the same note Airline jobs are few and far between and you could be waiting forever if you dont just apply to any/all airlines. Many people on pprune have said they do their job because they love it but they dont necessarily love the company they work for!
I suggest that if you REALLY want to work for Qantas you apply to the Qantas group for cabin crew positions with cabincrewstaffcv.com - Also dont forget that between now and then that dont put your career on hold, you just never know when or if you'll ever get in. So like I said try applying for a customer service position (outside the airline industry) that allows you to move up ranks into supervisor/management roles. (you already have great experience and skills) This is probably the best way to use this "waiting time" most effectively. When it comes to airline interviews they will see perfect material to recruit and mould for themselves.
Please feel free to ask myself or any other ppruney for advice about this WACKY industry!
I almost forgot to mention...
Sometimes working in a different dept of a company can work against you because of its' reputation with another dept of the company. For example just say you were groundstaff at XYZ port and turned up at a cabin crew interview it's quite possible that XYZ port had a bad reputation with cabin crew. You yourself may have been excellent at your job and service but it's your dept that brings you down. This is an example of how it CAN work against you...trust me!
I know exactly what your going through.
Working in groundstaff would be great. It would also be great experience to have before working in Cabin Crew but a million other people also know this, it's very competitive and applying internally for cabin crew from groundstaff will take forever and ever! Just think about all the other groundstaff who would like to make the same transition as you! If you really want to work in groundstaff I suggest you plan on staying in that field.
You mentioned working for another airline in groundstaff then applying to QF cabin crew. My opinion is to try and stay with the same airline. The reason is that big airlines like QF have big Egos and they dont want to employ someone who is tainted by another airline. For example I know many ex Ansett staff having difficulty trying to get back into the industry by applying to QF. Many do not mention they worked for Ansett.
Big airlines like QF like to think they have found perfect material to mould you into what they want. However you do hear of people working from one airline and then transferring to another so please dont think it's the end because on the same note Airline jobs are few and far between and you could be waiting forever if you dont just apply to any/all airlines. Many people on pprune have said they do their job because they love it but they dont necessarily love the company they work for!
I suggest that if you REALLY want to work for Qantas you apply to the Qantas group for cabin crew positions with cabincrewstaffcv.com - Also dont forget that between now and then that dont put your career on hold, you just never know when or if you'll ever get in. So like I said try applying for a customer service position (outside the airline industry) that allows you to move up ranks into supervisor/management roles. (you already have great experience and skills) This is probably the best way to use this "waiting time" most effectively. When it comes to airline interviews they will see perfect material to recruit and mould for themselves.
Please feel free to ask myself or any other ppruney for advice about this WACKY industry!
I almost forgot to mention...
Sometimes working in a different dept of a company can work against you because of its' reputation with another dept of the company. For example just say you were groundstaff at XYZ port and turned up at a cabin crew interview it's quite possible that XYZ port had a bad reputation with cabin crew. You yourself may have been excellent at your job and service but it's your dept that brings you down. This is an example of how it CAN work against you...trust me!
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I have to agree with some of Red Rats comments, I work in a part of the QF group of companies and I think it has worked against me I'm already thinking I have to leave where I work to apply externally just to get in.
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Concur. However there is another way to skin the cat...err...so to speak, anyway
Get a job as ground staff, put in a really sh#thouse performance. I mean so unspeakably bad you'd almost omit your time with QF in the highly unlikely event that you'd subsequently apply for a job elsewhere. Then, when your supervisor is asked for feedback on you he/she will almost fall over themselves giving you a great rap just to see the back of you
Jobs On!
Get a job as ground staff, put in a really sh#thouse performance. I mean so unspeakably bad you'd almost omit your time with QF in the highly unlikely event that you'd subsequently apply for a job elsewhere. Then, when your supervisor is asked for feedback on you he/she will almost fall over themselves giving you a great rap just to see the back of you
Jobs On!
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Thanks for all your replies, even ACB lol. All taken on board - now i just have to sit down and really think it all out.
maybe i will keep trying for a job at STA travel and keep applyinag at QF.
Im up north - so would be looking at DRW. Anyone know what kind of reputation these guys have lol. Just thought of something - are the ground crew contracted out in DRW? i know DJs are.
ohhh im soo confused now
lol. All taken on board - now i just have to sit down and really think it all out.maybe i will keep trying for a job at STA travel and keep applyinag at QF.
Im up north - so would be looking at DRW. Anyone know what kind of reputation these guys have lol. Just thought of something - are the ground crew contracted out in DRW? i know DJs are.
ohhh im soo confused now
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hi v8,
Im over in NZ working as groundstaff for an airline here, and I see LOADS of people transferring from Ground to Cabin Crew with my airline. Management see them to know the company inside out, and so therefore take their knowledge to the air. I had applied and had got in until they realised that I wouldnt be able to stand in the cabin without bashing my head on the roof (turboprop a/c) so I sat back at worked on the ground, and have just applied and been through the interview and medical process for PacificBlue, and am just waiting to hear back.
In my personal opinion, I would try and get a job in the industry ie groundstaff, and transfer that way - but then thats how it seems to work here in NZ, it could be completely different over in OZ.
All the best - and I know how exciting it is to think about flying! I cant wait to find out if im in!
TrafficBoy
Im over in NZ working as groundstaff for an airline here, and I see LOADS of people transferring from Ground to Cabin Crew with my airline. Management see them to know the company inside out, and so therefore take their knowledge to the air. I had applied and had got in until they realised that I wouldnt be able to stand in the cabin without bashing my head on the roof (turboprop a/c) so I sat back at worked on the ground, and have just applied and been through the interview and medical process for PacificBlue, and am just waiting to hear back.
In my personal opinion, I would try and get a job in the industry ie groundstaff, and transfer that way - but then thats how it seems to work here in NZ, it could be completely different over in OZ.
All the best - and I know how exciting it is to think about flying! I cant wait to find out if im in!
TrafficBoy
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Just a quick question!!! I haven;t got much customer experience what should I do? I been around all the tourism shops and things like that few places around and asked for work and they said have you got any experience!!!! I am just stuck, cant even get a part time job while i am studin tourism. I did work exp for a week with QF at Cairns airport that what good.
any advice.
any advice.
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When I was studying I asked all the airlines for work exp, with the general response being we dont have the resources to offer work experience... I ended up applying for a part-time job with the airline that I have been working for the past 2 years, and I got it while still studying my travel and tourism diploma. To be honest, I had never even heard of this airline until this job opportunity came up - so my advice is to go in search of the lesser known small airlines, as they tend to be MUCH more accommodating in terms of work exp and you may even get a job out of it, which will then get you that foot in the door.
the airline industry is such an incestuous one, where you'll find that there seems to be movement around quite a bit once you're in the industry. Well - in NewZealand anyways!
Hope you find something soon... I wouldnt give up working in this environment for anything!
trafficBoy
the airline industry is such an incestuous one, where you'll find that there seems to be movement around quite a bit once you're in the industry. Well - in NewZealand anyways!
Hope you find something soon... I wouldnt give up working in this environment for anything!
trafficBoy
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OzSkiper
I would if i knew how LOL i will have a look now
( Found it :/)
Ranjha,
When i was at school a trainer from the International College of Hotel Management told our class while on a visit was that one of the best workplaces to have on your resume when your starting out in the customer service industry, beleive it or not, is McDonalds because they provide great training and they have a great repuation for service. She said even though it's a bit of a 'shame job job' it does look good on your resume. She said if you stay long enough and become manager it looks great.
Cairns is full of small cafe's, restaraunts and bars. Even a casual position will help move the next step up and allows you to continue to study.
goodluck
I would if i knew how LOL i will have a look now
( Found it :/)
Ranjha,
When i was at school a trainer from the International College of Hotel Management told our class while on a visit was that one of the best workplaces to have on your resume when your starting out in the customer service industry, beleive it or not, is McDonalds because they provide great training and they have a great repuation for service. She said even though it's a bit of a 'shame job job' it does look good on your resume. She said if you stay long enough and become manager it looks great.
Cairns is full of small cafe's, restaraunts and bars. Even a casual position will help move the next step up and allows you to continue to study.
goodluck
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Yes do not undestimate places like Maccas honestly they do provide GREAT training and experience. You will learn great skills in places like that. I highly recommend places like that if you want to start in the industry.
