How To Choose An Aviation Training Organisation.

Choosing An Aviation Training School

The cabin crew member licensing course involves demanding and strenuous training which includes fire fighting, emergency evacuations, aviation medicine, dangerous goods, decompression, ditching, survival, security and many other modules.  This process normally takes an average of 6 weeks to complete and the purpose of this training is to prepare you to efficiently handle any situation which could occur on board an aircraft.

Licencing training is undertaken by individuals who wish to apply for a position as a cabin crew member with an airline operator.  When airline operators advertise crew positions, they have been known to advertise these positions for “licenced” cabin crew members.  Thus individuals often stand a better chance of getting a position as a cabin crew member when they are in possession of a crew licence. 

The benefits to airline operators hiring licenced cabin crew members is that the duration of their training can be decreased substantially and operators are then not accountable for paying their medical assessments, SACAA examination sittings, licences etc.

Even though airline operators hire licenced cabin crew members, these crew members will still be required to undertake additional training when they join an airline operator to ensure their own standard operating procedures are followed.  The duration of this training will vary from operator to operator.  

There are many Aviation Training Organisations (ATO’s) in South Africa and you are advised to carefully select the one you choose.  Check the credentials of the company you choose to do your training with. Suggestions and warnings include:

Prospective cabin crew members are required to undergo x-rays and a medical assessment which forms part of the licencing process.  Have this medical done prior to enrolling for training as this will avoid you paying training fees with an ATO which are normally not refundable should you be found medically unfit.  Also check cost of the x-ray and examination prior to committing to a specific laboratory and Doctor.

  
Ensure that the price you are quoted for by the ATO is inclusive of all modules and requirements to complete the licensing process.  These charges include:
•    Aviation Medicine Training
•    Dangerous Goods Training
•    Fire Fighting Training
•    Security Training
•    Swimming Lessons
•    South African Civil Aviation Authority Examination
•    South African Civil Aviation Authority Licence Issue

Aviation Training Organisations can NOT guarantee employment.  Airline operators advertise, interview and employ their own crew, so be cautious of an ATO who “guarantees employment”.

As many individuals aspire to be cabin crew members it is advisable to attend an ATO who assists individuals with interviewing skills and compilation of CV’s, photographs for their CV’s and cover letters.  This will assist the applicant in being better prepared for the interviewing process as many of these learners will be attending their first ever interview.

Airline Operators want well groomed individuals who pay high regard to personal hygiene, make-up etc.  Choose an ATO who has knowledge of what Airline Operators require from their crew with regards to grooming and who offer a grooming course module.

Beware of ATO’s who promise “want to be pilots” a better chance of getting into an Airline if they first do the cabin crew member licensing programme.  No extra recognition is given to pilot applicants if they are cabin crew members.

Do not pay for information sessions on cabin crew member training as the syllabus is available on the South African Civil Aviation Authority’s website or you can attend free information sessions with some ATO’s. It is also a good idea to get this information through blogs, Facebook pages or making contact with learners who have attended the training.

CERTIFICATION

On successful completion of each training module learners are issued with a certificate confirming competence.  Learners attending the cabin crew licencing training course will be issued with a SACAA cabin crew member licence on successful completion of their training. Some of our soft skill training modules require submission of projects after classroom training prior to being assessed as competent.

 

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