For our readers who hold European Economic Area (EEA) passports or are authorized to live and work in the UK.

For more information and to apply, see British Airways’ official website.

Mixed Fleet Cabin Crew Japanese Language Speakers

Ref UKLHR1385
Region UK – Heathrow
Location London – Heathrow
Category Customer Contact
Closing date: 23rd October 2011

Job Description

This is a fantastic opportunity for Japanese language speakers to join our Mixed Fleet where you have the chance to excel and be recognised for your individual contribution as Cabin Crew. If you aspire to be the very best, you are customer focused and work well as part of a team, then this could be the opportunity you’ve been looking for.

You’ll build on your previous customer service experience and be encouraged to accept responsibility for the delivery of excellent customer service on-board delivered in both English and Japanese. You’ll have the opportunity to develop new skills, take control of your career path and be recognised and rewarded for the outstanding performance you demonstrate.

As a Japanese language speaker, the majority of your flying will be to the Mixed Fleet destination of Haneda in Tokyo where you will have stays of up to 3 nights. There will also be opportunities to fly to other destinations on the Mixed Fleet network.

This unique opportunity will provide you with the chance to immerse yourself in Japanese culture, enhancing the outstanding customer service on board for our Japanese customers. Another benefit will be the opportunity to regularly travel to Japan. For some of you, this would provide a chance to further improve your knowledge of Japanese language in its natural environment. For others it would provide a chance to reconnect regularly with friends or family in Japan.

More details on all of the Mixed Fleet roles can be found on www.ba.com/beoutstanding .

Total Reward Package Cabin Crew: c£20,000pa includes basic salary, elapsed hourly pay and performance related incentive reward.

Principal Accountabilities

• To ensure operational safety, security and health and safety responsibilities are performed to the highest standard and are compliant with EU-Ops, British Airways requirements and all other relevant legislation
• Maintain compliance at all times with SEP/Recency
• To deliver world-class customer service style and standards reporting to the Senior Cabin Crew Member on the day
• To act as a British Airways Ambassador to crew, colleagues and customers
• To ensure compliance with all corporate policies, (including uniform and punctuality), local processes, procedures and relevant legislation, including Dignity at Work
• To work independently, proactively offering support to colleagues
• To build effective working relationships with crew colleagues and service partners to work as one team
• To deliver the crew objectives set by the business and a personal development plan, developing self-awareness through 360 feedback
• To proactively provide further levels of customer service to our Japanese speaking customers
• Provide public announcements in Japanese as required

The Individual

Essential Capabilities

Always focused on safety
Passionate about customers and service
Confident in dealing with premium customers
Strong team player, able to communicate clearly and build relationships with colleagues, customers and service providers
Effective and confident in prompt decision-making
Able to remain calm and diffuse challenging situations and resilient under pressure
Demonstrates pride and knowledge of the British Airways Brand and understanding of the business objectives and issues
Champions dignity at work and diversity

Japanese Language Requirements

• The ability to speak and understand Japanese including the ability to understand complex sentence structures
• Confident and accurate usage of a wide variety of Japanese vocabulary appropriate for food and beverage service, first aid, tourism or other uncommon aviation technical terms
• Confident in making public announcements in Japanese as required, both pre-prepared and ad-hoc (scripts provided in both Kanji and Romaji)
• Ability to read and write in Kanji is not essential

Essential Qualifications

• To be aged 18 or over at the time of application
• To be the required height, with weight in proportion, and meet the minimum reach requirement
• To be medically fit to meet regulatory and role requirements
• To have English and Maths to GCSE level or equivalent
• To have proven customer service experience
• To have a valid EEA passport allowing unrestricted worldwide travel and the unrestricted right to live and work in the UK
• To be prepared to undergo a Criminal Record Check for all countries of residence for six months or more in the previous five years
• To wear the British Airways uniform to the required standard with no visible tattoos or body piercings, and to be prepared to remove any headwear in the event of an emergency

Experience

12+ months customer service experience

Expertise

Knowledge of safety procedures, service style and standards needed to ensure delivery of world-class customer service.
Ability to confidently use Japanese language (including honorific and humble forms) suitable to a customer service environment.

Testing

There will be a test carried out during the interview process. You will need to demonstrate that you are capable of delivering the following:

• You can hold a general discussion in Japanese with a Japanese speaker
• You are able to read a pre-prepared public announcement aloud (this will be provided in both Kanji and Romaji)
• You are able to translate an English verbal public announcement and deliver this announcement in Japanese

Your Application

To apply, you will need to successfully complete a series of multiple choice questions which may take approximately 30 minutes. These questions form part of the selection process and your responses will be assessed. The subsequent stage will consist of the following questions:
1. Please describe why you are applying for this role and what attracts you to both British Airways and Mixed Fleet? (Max 250 words).

2. Give an example of when you have recently delivered excellent customer service. Please be explicit about the situation, your role within it and how you knew the customer was satisfied (Max 250 words).

We are planning to assess candidates at our Heathrow recruitment centre. Please be aware we have limited assessment slots, so we recommend you submit your application at the earliest opportunity.

For more information and to apply, see British Airways’ official website.