I originally wanted to do this job for a year and then go back to my career, but as you can tell from the many adventures I've had, there are substantial travel benefits to this job. On a whole, the company treats us like crap - we can work up to 14 hours on a regular day, can receive reduced rest, are only paid for a small portion of the time we work, are regulated in every single way and then the company is not willing to help us out when we need it. To them we are not people, we are machines. We don't need time with our families, don't need time for sleep, grocery shopping, or laundry. We live at the beck and call of the airline. On top of it all, the pay is terrible.
So why am I staying another year?
1. I love the job itself. Dealing with passengers on the plane, for the most part, is very enjoyable. Most people are scatterbrained when traveling, but besides that are pleasant.
2. I travel very cheaply to anywhere around the world... and last minute. I can show up at the airport and jump on a flight at any time, as long as there are seats.
3. I get 12 days off a month. That equates to an extra week off compared to a traditional company.
However, I've decided that I'll find a new, full time, professional job by the end of 2015. Sounds easy enough, right? Well, it's incredibly overwhelming. I know the characteristics of a job I want and I know some characteristics that I don't want, but specifics... I have no idea.
Walking away from a job where I travel anywhere, anytime for free/cheap, skip security, and get extra perks from flight attendants is very difficult, so if I'm going to make this jump, it has to be for the right position. I'm open to any industry and any type of work, so long as it fits my requirements.
Here's what I'm looking for: An international firm that has a reputation for treating their employees well. A position where I deal with people at least 50% of the time and travel 60% or more. I'd like a project based job where I go to clients (domestic and international) and help them with a problem for a few weeks or months and then move to the next client. It has to be an intellectual, as well as socially interactive position. A lot of autonomy, but a lot of support if needed- mentorship, training, education.
What I don't want: A crappy company that only focuses on the bottom line, offers poor benefits, sticks me in one location with the promise that I can "work into a traveling position" or sticks me in a back office somewhere that I can't tell if it's raining or sunshine outside. I am not a person made to be stuck at the bottom. Now I just have to figure out where at the top I'd like to be.
My first idea in this search is to look up "best international firms to work for".
So... let the job search begin!
