Closing this chapter

Over the past 2 and a half years I have received some amazing messages and feedback in my inbox about how helpful the tips and blogs have been to help you through the recruitment process not only with Emirates but other airlines and travel industry jobs aswell.

I am reflecting on this journey with Emirates beaming with joy. This job has created so much opportunity for me to expand my knowledge and to meet some incredible and influential people.
As my time is now ending in my career in aviation, I feel I am so blessed to have been granted this position.
In my travels I hold some special memories but the most special by far has been meeting my beau, Omar.
In all honesty, it has not been an easy journey flying - I have really struggled sometimes with the lack of sleep and stress it has put under my body. Not only that, but suffering from a health issue that flying has exacerbated and made working at 38,000 feet that bit more challenging.
Fortunately, Emirates were incredible support in helping with my recovery back into good health. My partner Omar has made such a positive influence in my life and trust me, good relationships here go a long way! It has made all the difference in my lifestyle here in Dubai.

With life taking it's course, it's time for me to close a chapter in my book. I will be staying in Dubai moving back into the health and fitness industry, focusing on my own wellness and building a stable life with my partner (Inshallah!)
So goodbye to Emirates - C'est la vie!

To everyone still wishing to apply or going through the application process, don't give up. This is an incredible job to travel, meet new people, expand your horizons and do the unimaginable.
To those on their way over starting their position now, stick in there. Come in with ZERO expectations and just simply experience it for what it is.
Will you find out the job isn't so glamorous? YES
Will you be fatigued and exhausted in every possible way? YES
But will you have amazing stories to share with your loved ones? YES!

Please send through any questions still, my mail is all linked so I won't be forgetting about this blog. A new blog awaits :)

Fly safely

B xxxxxx

First stop, Munich!

Feeling well rested after my first layover to Munich.

A 6hr flight over, along with me was one of my batch mates.

For our first 2 flights we are additional crew so observing service and procedures is the main goal.

I felt I learnt a lot and am feeling confident for my second flight (a turnaround to India which is meant to be challenging!)

Munich was beautiful, unfortunately I didn't get to see too much in the 24hrs I was there due to the fact it was a public holiday there and not much open.

The streets were lit at night, plenty of people cycling past and the metro crowded.

I enjoyed a dinner (PORK!) with some of the crew and came back to the hotel early to rest, I was exhausted.

I felt the layover allowance was quite generous and enough to have some left over.

My one and only picture from Munich; enjoying a delicious pastry on the street. :) 

College complete!

I haven't posted since I have been in Dubai, mainly for the reason that I have been focusing my energy on making Dubai my home and creating a routine around college.

Since posting last, there is a lot to update on!

I passed college! No repeats or re-sits of tests which I am feeling chuffed about.

College was hard. Early mornings, late nights, exams nearly every day and add that into trying to settle into your new apartment, new surroundings, new friends and pretty much starting fresh and over with everything!

The hardest, most challenging part of college was SEP (Safety and Emergency).

The batch I was placed into split up into other batches so I had to make a whole new circle of friends and in two short weeks at the end of the course you realise how strong the bond you created during the time - pulling together because you almost have to in a sense.

It's strange putting 120 people from different backgrounds, cultures and all with varied beliefs together, the mix was fresh and comforting. Many differences but still a common goal- to reach the end of training.

I returned to my original batch for the rest of the courses, GMT (Medical) and also Service training.

I have also formed a close friendship with a few girls who live in my apartment block.

Thankfully my housemates are lovely as well which makes my living situation more pleasant, as I am located slightly far out from the city.

I've attached a few photos from training- next post I will update on my first flying experience... X

Accommodation

Yesterday, the 28th I received my accommodation.

I have been placed in the Sarab Building which is apparently a little far out from central Dubai.
Regardless, I am still extremely grateful to receive free accommodation from Emirates and I am sure there are still many perks in this area.

Apparently the Sarab Building has it's own pool and gym on site which is super convenient.
It is 30 minutes from The Emirates HQ however a free shuttle is provided.

I am starting to become very excited for my new adventure and am happy to reside anywhere!

7 days to go!

Ticket & Visa received

This afternoon after logging in and out of my portal all day I finally was able to view my E-Ticket and E-Visa in my Travel Arrangements link.

It's set in stone and officially 'official'. 

I will be flying to Dubai on Friday the 5th of September from Sydney Airport at 6:45pm and will arrive in Dubai at 5:45am. 

I feel like all is slowly coming together - I now await the confirmation of my accommodation. I do hope to receive a place close to the malls and in the midst of central Dubai however wherever I am placed I will be grateful as I will not have to worry about rental expenses in my budget. 

Next post I am sure I will be blogging about it, hopefully tomorrow ;)

10 DAYS

Oh my gosh.

10 Days until the big move.

I have a few things to complete before I even think about flying away.

- I am awaiting a response from the Emirates Clinic in regards to some medication my dermatologist has prescribed me for my skin. I have sent a requested report from my doctor and uploaded it on the portal. It is a manageable condition which I hope will not affect receiving my ticket and visa!!!!

-I need to complete my pre-flight work book to 'Prepare for take-off.' I will probably leave this til last minute. This also has some exercises to be done whilst flying to Dubai, like obsvering the cabin crew, policies and procedures.

-I really, really, really need to practise packing everything up in my bags. I fear I will need to purchase another item of luggage! Annoying but has to be done.

I am allowed 50kg checked in luggage. Seems weird to be packing my whole life into a suitcase... There are a lot of clothes to be passed onto friends!!

-I need to print off all of my joining documents, copies of passport, families birth certificates and academic certificates.

-I still need to get some more head shots for my flying license and US visa.

Annnnd find time to relax and enjoy my friends and families company.

Under the pump but that's the way I like it!

Cannot wait to receive my e-ticket and visa. My accommodation status says that it will be provided shortly. I'm forever still checking the portal!!!!

❤️

Final Approval!

FA! FA! FA!

Final Approval given on the 31st of July 2014 - Only 2 weeks after my GC.

With your Final Approval, comes your medicals signed off and your next step becomes available which you are advised to resign from your current employer.

The Final Approval email is stated below;

Dear Miss Small,

Please read the below instructions carefully.  We are pleased to inform you that we have obtained the final approval on your application. You may now tender your resignation so that you can join our organization as early as possible. Once you have tendered your resignation, please upload the copy of the acceptance of resignation from your present company on our website by logging into CandidatePortal. The acceptance letter should be on a company letter head signed and stamped by an authorised signatory.Please complete the online joiners form if you have already not done so. If you are required to serve further notice with your current employer and unable to join on the scheduled date please notify by submitting a query on candidate portal. If you are currently a student, working on a part-time basis or unemployed, you are not required to upload the service letter. Please inform the Recruitment coordinator of the same through "Submit a Query". A week before your date of joining, the e-ticket and copy of your visa to enter the U. A. E. will be uploaded on the candidate portal and you will be notified through email and Candidate Portal. Kindly continue to check the Candidate Portal frequently.  NB: Now that you have completed your joining formalities. To help you get off to a flying start and prepare you for your Cabin Crew training programme, you will need to CLICK on the Induction Tab within the Candidate Portal.  Here you will find a link to the 'Prepare for Take-Off ' Cabin Crew Workbook. Please take time to familiarize yourself with the information and complete the tasks required. Your thoroughness in completing the workbook will set you up for success in your training.  Best Regards&,  HR Coordinator  HR Employee Services  Emirates Group Head Quarters,  Dubai, U.A.E

So the final countdown is officially on. This doesn't mean it's time to relax, I feel like I have a lot to prepare before I leave. My checklist is growing by the day!

Please remember to comment if you have any further questions to ask :)

Medicals

Keep calm and complete your Medicals.

Commencing your paperwork for your medicals may seem daunting and overwhelming.
With pages of questions, ticks, crosses and appointments to make it is understandable.

First things first, Start from the top.

Part A - Declaration of Health.
Very simple and straightforward document to complete - A signature is required for your understanding that Emirates will not emply you and The UAE will not issue you a Visa if you have any of the following

• Positive HIV result
• Signs of active TB or signs of scaring from TB on chest from X-Ray
• Untreated syphallis
• Positive Hepatitis B surface antigen

Emirates will do testing in the UAE upon arrival so you do not need to do these tests in your home country unless you are concerned.
Sign and date below and onto the next stage.

Part B - Medical History Declaration.
This section is 3 pages long and has a thurough checklist of items to place your tick, cross and further information on medications and dates of examinations.
Everything from your mental health, vision, skin, back, internal organs, BMI, medication list and sleeping must be completed with 100% honesty and if you tick any of the questions, make sure you elaborate in the column to give further information to prevent them from coming back and requesting you to complete the form and upload it again.
With the completion of these 3 pages, have your doctor sign off on this and date it.
This is not a hard section to complete however it may take some time if you have medical issues that you may need to look back on documents/dates for.

I stated that I was on a medication for my skin. I was contacted by Emirates and was told that I needed my dermatologist to provide a medical report.
I also had her sign a letter that I am able to travel with this medication (Just in case!)
I am keeping all of my medical reports, scripts and letters together to travel with just as confirmation that I have been prescribed these legally by doctors.

Certificate of Dental Health.
For this you will need to book an appointment with your dentist.
Fortunately I have private health cover in Australia and my appointment was free for a check up and had to only pay $25 AUD for my X-rays.
The Dental Health certificate requires your dentist to provide and assessment of your X-ray (note for missing teeth, fillings, crowns etc).
The remainder of the form includes details for your dentist to check and sign off that your teeth meet the expected 'standards.'
Your dentist needs to comment on the following criteria -

• Teeth and Gingiva
• General appearance
• Treatment recommended 
• Treatment carried out

You'll then need a signature, stamp and away you go.

Vaccinations.

For me, this was the most time consuming document.

I had to chase down previous records, some of which were lost - just my luck. 

Now, the compulsory vaccination to obtain before you leave is your Yellow Fever Vaccination. Many of the others will have to get done and can be done so in Dubai however it will be deducted from your salary. The cost of the vaccinations is unknown to me in Dubai so I chose to do them all in my home country. I am covered by private health and can claim part of the cost. 

Here is a full list of the vaccinations:

• Chicken Pox
• Polio (must be within the last 10 years) 
• Diphtheria (must be within the last 10 years)
• Typhoid
• Hepatitis B
• Hepatitis A
• MMR (Measles, Mups, Rubella)
• Yellow Fever
• Meningococcal 

It was quite expensive to get these vaccinations done - $650 AUD however I was able to claim half back.

Ensure that your document is signed and stamped by the doctor and you have your little book/vaccination certificate with you to travel with!

I uploaded these documents completed to the portal on the 30/7/14 and received my Medical Completed email on the 31/7/14

Yippee!

Post any questions in relation to the medicals here and I will answer as best I can :)

Step 1: Pre-Employment

I am writing this quite delayed.

I accepted my contract through the selected candidate portal on the 19th of July 2014.

This was completed by reading through and accepting. Once this was done, I received a tick on the left panel next to the 'Contract' link.

The next link available to complete was the 'Online Joiners Forms.'

This includes your information and your families personal details. Very simple and straight forward. I completed this on the 20th of July 2014 and again I received a tick next to the link.

My next stage was 'Documents for Security'.

You must upload an updated and recent copy of your Resume, a coloured scan of your passport and additionally 6 x passport size photographs (these can be smiling as they are for HR documents).

I completed these again on the same date, the 20th of July 2014.

I did not receive a tick to the next stage until the next day, the 21st of July due to HR needing to review the documents uploaded. 

Next step, Medicals! Please see my next blog for the Medical documentation as it is slightly more lengthy than the previous steps.

Again any questions please post I am more than happy to answer!

The Golden Call

It was the 6th week. 6 weeks after my Final Interview.

My anxiety levels were high. Every phone call I received I answered it in hope of the Golden Call!

I went through ups and downs - I even talked myself out of it and ensured that my expectations weren't too high on hearing back in time.

That 6th week for me was especially stressful as a family member of mine was terminally ill and had been at the hospital all week. With that to worry about and also the hope of getting a job with Emriates I was stressed.

On Thursday the 17th of July it was my day off work and I had been at the hospital until late afternoon.

That day I knew it was 'Friday' the end of the working week in Dubai and I was hoping to get the call, I had a feeling that I needed to keep my phone close by.

I went to the mall with my friend and had only just arrived when I got a phone call at 6pm from a private number.

As it wasn't the extension from Dubai, I wasn't expecting it to be the Golden Call but to my surprise it was!

I was told I had been successful in obtaining a position as a Stewardess with Emirates!!!!!

I was asked if I could join on the 5th of September. My answer was an obvious YES without thought.

She confirmed some personal and current employment details and mentioned to not resign yet until I have been confirmed to do so by HR.

She congratulated me and hung up.

I squealed in delight and my friend and I were in shock!

I tried to call my mum but she was not in service at the hospital so I phoned my dad and step dad. They were so excited - I was still in shock and not even sure what to say.

I knew I wanted to get home ASAP to accept my contract and start completing and uploading documentation.

This was the confirmation that a new life path is underway!

Test for Emirates Cabin Crew recruitment

On the 1st of July, 3 weeks post my Final Interview I attended Sydney Head Office to complete a 'test' as I hadn't finished Year 12 at school.

This test was meant to build my application stronger to present to HR in Dubai.

I met a HR representative at the Sydney Head Office who was lovely and made me feel comfortable immediately.

She questioned what the test was for as she hadn't had anyone come to Sydney to do this. I was a little shocked that she wasn't aware what it was for and didn't know if that was a good or bad thing!

She sat me in a room and gave me a sheet to mark answers and a hard cover exercise book.

The book was called Ravens Progressive Matrices.

She explained I had 45 minutes to complete this test and gave me the guidelines with a practise answer.

She left me in the room and I started the test, I didn't find it hard at first and the patterns were simple.

The test progressively got harder and by the end I don't even know how I came up with the answers! I felt confident I had worked them out but still there was uncertainty in my mind.

The HR lady came back in and we talked about the role of a Cabin Crew employee.

Our conversation was casual and she was very nice.

She explained to me that Sydney have nothing else to do with the recruitment process for Cabin Crew and that my test would be sent back to Dubai.

I left the office relieved that the test was over and hoping that I had done enough to impress HR in Dubai!

2 Weeks post Interview

I had submitted all of my final documentation and photos the week after my interview.

On the 16th of June, my status on the job page to 'Interview Completed.'

I received a phone call from a strange number 2 weeks later. I quickly picked up the phone to answer and it was one of the Recruiter's from my Final Interview.

I was told that my application was strong however they wanted to ensure it was everything that HR in Dubai were looking for.

I was told that completing Year 12 was a minimum requirement when applying for Emirates Cabin Crew. My heart sank as soon as she said this, I thought 'It's over.'

To my surprise, she told me that we can organise for me to sit a 'test' in Sydney and that I will be contacted by the Sydney Head Office to organise this.

I was so pleased to hear that I may have a chance.

I asked what the test entails, I was told it will have a series of pictures and questions and that it's more logical thinking and problem solving.

I got off the phone and instantly started to worry about the test.

Self doubt creeped in instantly but I was still determined to push through.

I was contacted later by a lady at The Emirates Sydney Head Office and we scheduled the test for the 1st of July.