Ground Attendant, Ground Stewardess, Passenger Service Agent or Customer Service Agent-- these are some of the titles given to people you see at an airport assisting passengers before they depart or after they arrive to their designated destinations.Like Pia Wurtzbach, I've tried three times before I finally got in. In the Philippines, the recruitment process for ground attendant is like a beauty pageant. You will have to go through many stages whereby each stage, there would be applicants who would be eliminated for the next round.
STARTING OFF
Submitting your resume is the first step. I suggest you submit your application to the office personally-- this gives your entry more chances of winning! As I have noticed, most applications submitted on the website are not usually given priority. Though in my case, I tried my luck on JobStreet. And yes, lucky enough, I got a call a day or two after my submission.
WHAT TO EXPECT?
The application process is not as fast as you might think. Applicants will have to go through three stages of interview: initial assessment, panel interview and final interview. Questions were not easy-- especially if you come unprepared. These interviews were scheduled on different days which did not happen in just a week. You'll most likely spend two weeks for the interview process alone including the waiting game. I've heard others waited for about a month so it really depends on the company where you applied. Nonetheless, if you aren't able to make it through any of these stages, you will not make it to the next step-- medical. While waiting for your medical results, you will be scheduled for a seminar and then proceed with the training for more or less a month. This training, however, should be taken seriously. Should you fail the exams, your efforts will go to waste. And if you are able to pass, congratulations! You are offically hired!
WHERE TO APPLY?
If you are aspiring to be a ground attendant, you have two options: one, you can apply directly to airlines such as AirAsia Philippines and Pal Express; and two, apply to agencies/ground handlers as most airlines are handled by them. Kindly see the list below for your kind reference.
MACROASIA AIRPORT SERVICES CORPORATION
Sky Freight Building, Ninoy Aquino Avenue,
Parañaque City, Metro Manila
Tel: +632 879 5882
Web: www.mascorp.ph
MIASCOR AVIATION SERVICES GROUP
Rm. 439, International Passenger Terminal 1 Bldg.
Ninoy Aquino International Airport
Pasay City 1300
Tel: +632 851 9685
Web: www.miascor.com
PHILIPPINE AIRPORT GROUND SUPPORT SOLUTIONS, INC.
3rd floor, PAIR-PAGS Center,
Ninoy Aquino International Airport,
Pasay City
Tel: +632 854 5734
Web: www.pagss.com
Note that I do not memorize the necessary info about these ground handlers and all the info is from Uncle Google.
WHAT'S NEXT?
I just finished my training a week ago. Since I am under a groundhandler, which handles variety of airlines, I still do not know where and which airline I would be assigned at. They will be the one to decide, you cannot choose.
As I am writing this blog, I am still in the waiting game for my HR Orientation, scheduled this week, whereas they will reveal all my assignment details plus the contract signing.
All in all, I am in no way an expert in this field (yet), in fact, I am still a newbie. Nevertheless, I do hope I gave you an idea or at least helped you in a way through my story. Again, I am just about to start my ground attendant journey in a couple of days. I hope you are with me on my new journey!
And oh, thanks for coming across and reading my first ever blog post!
Till then! ✈️
For further questions you may: leave a comment below/email me at fabiesdiary@gmail.com/ follow me on my newly created Instagram account @fabiesdiary xx
