What happens at the Emirates cabin crew assessment day

Emirates runs two kinds of cabin crew recruitment event, and where you live largely decides which one is near you.

On the calendar published on 21 September 2026, the airline listed 76 open days and 28 invitation-only events, and no city appeared on both lists. Dusseldorf, Manchester and Sydney were open days. Jakarta, New York and Cape Town were invitation-only. For most candidates there is no choosing between the two formats, which makes reading the label on your nearest event the first practical step.

Here is what Emirates states about those events, and where its careers page stops.

The two formats

For open days, Emirates writes: "Walk into any of our Open Days happening all over the world. Take a moment to review the role requirements in advance and arrive at the venue on time to ensure a smooth start to your journey with us."

For the others: "Candidates are required to complete an application online to be selected for our invitation-only recruitment events."

The open-day block carries an "Apply" button alongside that text, exactly as the invitation-only block does, and Emirates nowhere states that an open day requires no prior application. The language invites you to walk in. It does not say an application is unnecessary, so treat any guide that promises one or the other as going beyond the source.

A handful of invitation-only events are held with an agency Emirates has appointed. Against those the airline writes "In collaboration with our appointed agency in Belarus, Jetexpo", and similar lines naming appointed agencies in Japan, Brazil, Argentina and Ukraine.

If nothing is listed near you, Emirates' answer is: "Don't see your city? Apply online and we'll inform you when we are visiting nearby." You may also travel: "feel free to check out the Emirates website for a list of open days happening around the world. You're welcome to attend any of the ones listed!"

What Emirates asks for

The published requirements are short. To be considered, Emirates states you need to be:

• "Fluent in written and spoken English (additional languages are an advantage)"
• "A natural team player with a personality that shines"
• "At least 160cm tall and able to reach 212cm high"
• "Able to meet the UAE's employment visa requirements"
• "At least 21 years old"

And to have:

• "At least 1 year of hospitality or customer service experience"
• "A minimum of high school (Grade 12) education"
• "No visible tattoos while in Emirates cabin crew uniform"

The tattoo requirement is scoped to what shows in uniform. Emirates states no requirement covering tattoos the uniform covers.

The height figure applies to everyone, with a reach measurement attached. Emirates publishes no separate height by gender, no weight requirement and no BMI range.

The day, in three stages

Emirates sets out the day under the heading "Recruitment Day Process", answering the question "What to expect on the recruitment day?" with three stages:

"Introduction: Our recruitment team will take you through the role, what it's like to work as cabin crew with Emirates and life in Dubai."

"Assessment: You'll join group activities and take an online test at the venue."

"Final Interview: We'd like to get to know you better and why you'd like to join our cabin crew team."

Its FAQ expands on the second and third of those. The group stage: "Group discussions/activities: This is your chance to shine in teamwork, communication, and problem-solving." The interview: "Individual interviews: Relaxed one-on-one discussions about your motivations, your customer service experience, and why you're perfect for the cabin crew role."

The online test is the stage Emirates says least about. The page confirms one exists and that you sit it at the venue. It gives no subject matter, no duration, no pass mark and no retake policy.

None of it happens remotely. Asked directly, Emirates answers: "At the moment, we're not offering online assessment days."

What to bring

Emirates states: "Please have a valid ID for entry and have digital copies of the following documents on your phone ready to share if required."

It lists three: "Up-to-date CV in English", "Education certificate copy", "Passport copy in PDF".

Candidates without a passport can still attend, and Emirates says so plainly: "If you don't have a passport just yet, you'll need to bring a photo ID (such as a driver's license or national ID) to the assessment day. If you're selected for the role, we'll ask you to provide your passport at that stage." The passport becomes a requirement at selection.

If you hold an invitation and cannot attend, Emirates says to "just reply to your invitation email and request to meet us on another day."

The dress code, which exists only as a picture

Emirates publishes dress code guidance for recruitment events only as a picture, with no text equivalent on the page.

The section is headed "Recruitment event dress code" and shows a woman in a black skirt suit and a man in a black suit and tie, with four labelled categories beside each. On a desktop screen it is a single image with no alt text at all, so a screen reader conveys nothing.

Read from the image, the guidance runs:

Because it is a picture, any written version of this is a transcription. Look at the original on the Emirates careers page before your event.

What Emirates does not publish

Searching the whole cabin crew page, including its collapsed sections and all three FAQ panels, turns up none of the following.

No pass rate, and no number of candidates cut at any stage. No timeline between the assessment day and a decision. No English test score or level, despite fluency being a stated requirement. No description of what the online test covers. No swimming requirement. No timing for measuring height and reach, and no statement on shoes, though the job posting does give the method: the 212cm is reached "while standing on tiptoes, to enable you to reach emergency equipment on all aircraft types". No pay figure for any grade above the entry grade.

If you see figures for any of these elsewhere, they do not come from this page, so confirm anything you are relying on with Emirates before your event.

What an offer leads to

Emirates publishes what follows an offer, which gives a first-time applicant a sense of scale.

Training is in Dubai. Emirates describes it as "an intense seven and a half weeks" and separately lists seven stages with durations: Induction Experience 3 days, Safety and Emergency (SEP) 13 days, Group Medical Training 5 days, Security Training 2 days, Emirates Hospitality Experience 2 days, Uniform Learning Experience 1 day, Service Learning Experience 14 days. Those durations total 40 days, against seven and a half weeks, which is 52 and a half calendar days. Emirates publishes both figures and does not reconcile them.

On pay, Emirates publishes a starting package for Grade II, its Economy Class entry grade, and states: "Your pay is made up of three components: a fixed basic salary, an hourly pay for operated flights and an overseas meal allowance." It gives basic salary as AED 4,980 a month, flying pay as AED 69.6 an hour on an average of 80 to 100 hours a month, and an approximate average monthly total of AED 11,244, converted on the page to USD 3,061. Emirates footnotes these as approximate numbers for that grade, and publishes no figures for the grades above it.

Accommodation is "provided free of charge, including utilities", shared with colleagues of the same gender. Transport to and from work is provided. Leave is "30 calendar days leave per year", with one free annual leave ticket to your country of origin.

A note on sourcing

Every requirement, stage, quotation and figure above comes from the Emirates Group Careers cabin crew page, read on 21 September 2026, except the reach method, which comes from the Cabin Crew Opportunities job posting the page's Apply now button leads to, read on 23 September 2026. The event counts and city comparison come from the recruitment event listings on that same page on 21 September, and those listings change continuously.

The dress code is the one item that could not be quoted from text. Emirates publishes it only as an image, and the wording in the table was read from that image.

Where Emirates does not publish something, this piece says so rather than filling the gap. Nothing here comes from candidate accounts, coaching sites or recruitment agencies.

Requirements and event formats change without notice. Confirm on Emirates' careers site before travelling to any recruitment event.