Becoming an air stewardess provides wonderful opportunities for travel. But the job is a good deal tougher than it looks. There's regular jet lag and the ups and downs of serving passengers who sometimes can be a little demanding.
Yvonne So began working for Cathay Pacific Airways 15 months ago. There were challenges to overcome, particularly in the first few months, and the safety training is regular and vigorous. But it has provided her with an opportunity to learn about different cultures and what is involved in working for an international airline on the operational side.
'My previous job in a language centre was my first job after graduation. After I came back to Hong Kong, it was really tough to get a job after studying in Perth, Australia,' So said.
'My degree was in hospitality management and then I did a master's in marketing. I had studied in Australia but I wanted to return to Hong Kong to be with my family.'
Before joining Cathay Pacific, So's job in a language centre meant she had to think on her feet, be resourceful, organised and ready for new challenges. When she joined, there was just one centre. Within a few months, there were four.
'The job in itself was not particularly challenging. But I had to do everything - hire people, do adverts, write the schedule for the teachers - so there was a lot of pressure and I learned quickly.'