Start your Career as a Flight Attendant in Japan

WeXpats

2023/07/26

Work in Japan

Japan’s airline industry is known as one of the best in the whole world. With friendly Japanese flight attendants with excellent and efficient service, passengers are surely guaranteed to have a safe and comfortable flight. If you are interested in establishing a flight attendant career in Japan, read on!

Originally Published: 2021/11/05
Updated: 2023/07/26

Table of Contents

Japanese Flight Attendant Schools
Know the Best Airlines in Japan
Flight Attendant Jobs & Requirements in Japan

Working as a flight attendant in the Japanese airline industry is both an amazing and exciting experience. Imagine being able to see the world while working for one of the most prestigious airline industries globally, known for its world-class service.

There’s a variety of ways to become a flight attendant for a Japanese airline. If you are a foreign national, you could train to become an international flight attendant in your own country and then apply to work for a Japanese airline that frequents your local airport. This would more than likely require studying at least basic Japanese, but having knowledge in English and your local language may be enough.

Are you having any issues with job-hunting in Japan?

Have you been able to find the best job for you? Not sure how to find a job in Japan Can't find jobs hiring foreign nationals Not confident about Japanese ability

WeXpats will solve any issues you have job-hunting in Japan. Find a job with WeXpats Jobs

Japanese Flight Attendant Schools

But if you want to come to Japan, be based here and become a flight attendant, the path may be much stricter. One of the best ways is to go to a flight attendant school.

With the excellent reputation of Japanese airlines, Japan also offers quality courses for people who want to be flight attendants in Japan.

General Requirements

For foreign nationals who wish to enroll in a flight attendant course in Japan, they must have the appropriate student visa and status of residence, the required language level requirement (Many schools require near native Japanese (N1 level) to enroll, so this may require you to study in a Japanese language school prior to attending a flight attendant school if you don’t have a high Japanese level), and passing the entrance examinations and interviews depending on the school requirement.

There may be additional aid for international students so it’s important to check the specifics of each school - some even provide Japanese classes!

Some Options for Flight Attendant Schools

There are of course many vocational schools that may have flight attendant schools. Here are just some of them and the perks & requirements for foreign students.

Osaka College of Aviation

Perks

2 year program
Only 35 minutes away from Kansai International Airport
Can intern and attend school simultaneously
Has student dormitories and apartments
100% students find jobs after graduation; 92.6% find jobs in the airline industry (2020 result)
Biggest school in Western Japan

Requirements for international students

N1 Japanese level
12 years of education abroad (graduated from high school)
Proper status of residence

※Osaka College of Aviation

Technos College Tokyo School of Air Travel and Hotel Management

Perks

2 year program
Students have found jobs in major airlines
100% of students in 2022 found jobs
Students will be prepared to work in international airlines
Student dorms/apartments available

Requirements for international students

At least 12 years of education
A laptop (requirement for all students)
6 months or more of Japanese classes of a government accredited Japanese language school OR
Minimum N2 Japanese level

They have a pamphlet specifically for international students thinking about enrolling, so please contact the school to receive said pamphlet and information.

※Technos College Tokyo School of Air Travel and Hotel Management

AIRLINE BUSINESS COLLEGE OF NARITA

Perks

2 year program
Japanese lessons provided for students non-native in Japanese
Students will be prepared to work in international airlines
Can also study two courses at once (eg. Cabin Attendant & Ground Staff)
Closest airline vocational school to Narita Airport
Student dorms/apartments available

Requirements for international students

Have graduated high school
Minimum N2 Japanese level (Japanese language placement test may be given)

※AIRLINE BUSINESS COLLEGE OF NARITA

Writer's Pick

Know the Best Airlines in Japan

Do you know your Japanese airlines? Here’s the basics on the two biggest ones you need to know.

Japan Airlines (JAL)

Japan Airlines or JAL is one of the two major airlines in Japan. It was first established in the early 1950s and blossomed into one of Japan's most prestigious airlines with its philosophy of upholding the values of customer safety, customer service quality, sustainability strategies, and partnerships with other global airline industries. JAL has 14,000 employees to date with over 200 aircrafts with over 100 domestic destinations and over 60 international routes.

Japan Airlines is a 5-star airline and ranked 5th in the world (in 2023) according to Skytrax.

※ Japan Airlines, "History" "Company Profile" "Number of Aircraft in our Fleet" "Number of routes"
※ Skytrax, “World Airline Awards 2023” “Japan Airlines Rating”

All Nippon Airways (ANA)

The other worthy contender in the top 2, All Nippon Airways or ANA was established in the early 1950s and is considered Japan’s largest airline with respect to its number of accommodated passengers and its company revenue. ANA has more than 30 global partnerships around the world, which enables it to provide a world-class flying experience to more than 30 international destinations and 50 local ones. Their philosophy is to be the inspiration of Japan.

Their flight attendants are known to adhere to qualities such as being sincere, polite, and humble, shown through how they’ve won the Best Airline Staff in Asia Award by Global Skytrax in 2023, and have been a 5-star airline for 10 consecutive years.

※ All Nippon Airlines - ANA, "Corporate Data (ANA HOLDINGS INC.)" "About ANA" "Award History"

For more information about Japanese airlines, check out our article.

Flight Attendant Jobs & Requirements in Japan

Requirements

If you are interested to pursue a flying career as a flight attendant in Japan as a new hire in Japan (other requirements may apply if applying at an overseas branch of the airline), here are some of the most basic requirements:

Graduated with a diploma from a vocational school or with an associate, bachelors or masters degree
Have a TOEIC score of 600 or above for non-native English speakers; knowing other languages of course is a plus
Certain airlines still have height restrictions (prior standard is minimum 160 cm give or take) but this is becoming less strict so check with the airline; height and arm reach relate to helping passengers with overhead baggage
Good health condition with no major issues; have enough strength, energy and endurance for the job
Excellent eye vision (contacts allowed, no glasses)
Applicant must not have tattoos or braces
Ability to work weekends, holidays, early mornings and late nights when necessary
Live within a reasonable distance to the airport you are based out of
Ability to swim in case of emergency

Training

Once hired, your training for the particular airline begins. As we’ve stated, Japanese airlines are held to the highest standards, so be prepared for the rigorous training exercises for the new staff.

Expect training in the following:

Language and speaking mannerisms (again, you may be expected to know a certain level of Japanese, depending on where you’re based, and all flight attendants are expected to have a high level of English ability)
Grooming, makeup and hair (you must look professional at all times and first impressions are everything)
Ability to act quickly, safely and efficiently in an emergency situation
Bowing and greetings (yes, there is a proper and improper way to bow!)
And more!

Salary of Flight Attendants in Japan

For those who want to go through the rigorous journey of becoming a flight attendant in Japan, you can expect that your salary range is around 4 million yen to 5 million yen on an annual basis. This depends of course on your airline, how many years of experience you have, and so on. When you first start out, your paycheck will only come out to be around 170,000 yen per month (this also depends on your airline and your level of education.) You will also most likely be getting a “flight” pay, which is additional hourly pay for the flights you work on. There will also likely be housing support, such as subsidized housing, and other such bonuses that may add to your salary.

※ Heikinnenshu, "Cabin Attendant (CA) Annual Income"

To Sum Up

Indeed, Japan offers a path to become a globally-competent flight attendant. If you are interested in earning your wings as a flight attendant, be sure to consider Japan and its world-class airlines in your options, check out the schools mentioned above, keep in mind the challenging roles and responsibilities, as well as the perks and benefits of becoming a flight attendant in Japan.