i should become a flight attendant

[The_dip_sticks 0]

Due to my job and my husband not being able to travel here to visit me..... last night I got the crazy idea of leaving my job to become a flight attendant LOL Maybe that way I can go to London more often and be able to see my husband more frequently as well as be able to be here in Texas to help with my family. Since we got married we only get to see each other 2 weeks out of the year. I hope that our application gets approved soon because this is really hard on me.

Currently I have the most stable job in my family and my older sister just got laid off. My dad owns a small ice cream shop that is only open in the summer because as you can imagine ice cream does not sell in the winter. There is not much income in our household in the winter until mid March -April when the shop reopens, weather permitting there is demand for ice cream. So as you can see it’s hard for me to abandon ship and just take off when I have my loved ones needing help. To make things worse my mom has become ill and needs to have two surgery prodcedures soon because her legs swell up allot. She also has another internal medical issue that she has to get corrected with surgery before the doctor can take care of her leg medical problem. The insurance that my dad has told us they will only cover 1,500 dollars of it and the doctor told us that he wants $7,000 cash up front! Where in the world are we supposed to get that sort of money? We don’t have it. The other day my mom woke up and she started spiting out blood so apart from her legs now we are scared something else has come up. I have younger brothers but they are going to school and have part time jobs as well so they don’t make much. I love my family and I love my husband and it’s not fair that I can’t be with both at the same time. My family needs me and I also need the support of my husband. It’s not fair that people have to choose. I can’t exactly go to the UK relying that my husband will be able to help me send money home because he does not earn very much. If I go to the UK we will be able to get by just about, but, I won’t be able to work right away in the UK until I get the required work permit for the UK. I would then have the love and support from my husband and then when I’m there I would be worried about the situation back home. I can’t abandon my family when they need me. My first worry right now is that my mother gets well and that we can come up with the funds for her surgery. I would hate for my brothers and sisters to drop out of school to get full time jobs to help. Last week my dad also found out that his sister is very ill. My aunts eye vision all of the sudden started to get really bad so she want to the doc. Upon doing so doctors have found two swellings in her brain. Currently they are discussing the possibilities of doing surgery on her but the complications of the surgery are too risky and they have told us that she could possibly not survive the surgery. She has to make the choice of risking the surgery to have veins that are swollen removed in order to keep the blood clots from exploding in her head or just stay as she is and lose her eye sight...and wait for the worst. She is currently in Mexico because there is no way in the world that our family could afford an intervention like that here in the states. We need more working hands because things are rough at the moment. Dad has always said that blood is thicker than water so as long as we stick together we will overcome everything. Does any one know of any good health insurance because apparently the one that my dad has just sucks. =0(Six months ago my mom was on the verge of getting a heart attack. She started telling me that she was getting dizzy spells and felt pressure in her brain and felt that her eyes were going to pop out and then she would sit and recover and said that she felt better a day or two latter. This came and went. The family doc that we went to said that this was just due to her high blood pressure. Well eventually I got frustrated and I tried to get medical help else where so I called the Texas women’s hospital here in Houston and they would NOT EVEN SEE my mom because we did not have medical insurance at the time. My husband told me to give her some chopped garlic and some aspirin and that helped her a bit. I then started calling doctors but with the symptoms that I described they all wanted me to make an appointment and come in latter that week. I said to them look my mom is ill NOW but they were not intrested because again we had no insurance. I finally bummed into the phone of an acupuncture doctor and I called her home phone. When I explained what was going on with my mom she told me to quickly rush her to her practice and I did. She was the only one that was able to lend and hand. After she saw my mom and treated her she told us that she was on the verge of having a stroke. She treated her with some acupuncture method and after an hour my mom felt so much better she was even able to walk with out help to the car. After she was stabilized the doc told us that we should also seek help from western medicine doctors so that they could run tests on my mom to pin point her exact problem. After this treatment my mom was stable enough for my dad to drive her to Mexico because we could not afford medical help here in the US. She returned very weak and complained that she lost strength in her arm and she can’t lift much with it. Little by little she has been regaining strength in the last few months. This time the option of going to Mexico to have her surgery done is not so easy because having surgery will require of long term medical help and she will be in a bed with out being able to walk for some time. Plus if you can all imagine if your mother is going to have some sort of intervention you want to be there and not leave her side till she is recovered. Then there is the issue that I need to keep a job for my family primarily and my visa process. Well any ways this is all stressful and I’m going to bust very soon. The love fro my mother and the love for my husband and all my family keep me pushing. Some days I feel crazy and I just pull my hair and talk to my self. I think Im going crazy. My husband is the only one that has kept me from going insane. I just need help.

[melly 0]

Sorry to hear about all that's going on. I do hope that your mother will get better soon.

[kitkat1 5]

I suggest you start doing some research regarding the public medical care system in Texas. Most low-income Americans are eligible for existing government programs, i.e. Medicaid. Many emergency rooms don't turn away uninsured people - and your mother does appear to have insurance. Doctors don't usually ask for $7000 cash up front and most every hospital has either payment plans or is willing to write off a large portion of expenses if you talk with billing. New health insurance isn't going to help unless it's part of group plan, otherwise with existing medical issues it will likely be denied.

Taking your mother for accupuncture, not matter how successful you think it was, is not exactly the smartest move in the case of someone who is exhibiting stroke symptoms. And I wouldn't think any prudent person would simply go to Mexico when first-world health care exists where you live.

Start here, for example:

http://www.hhsc.state.tx.us/Programs/Programs.html#FS

http://www.tdi.state.tx.us/consumer/health.html

http://ask.hrsa.gov/pc/ - This Web site will help you find a clinic that will give you medical care, even if you have no medical insurance or money

Sorry if my tone sounds uncaring or unkind but I am shocked by what you have written/done

Edited January 22, 2007 by kitkat1

[The_dip_sticks 0]

Well maybe its easy for you because you are not in our situation and also we know about medicaid as you have stated but they say that my mother does not qualify for it. Its not like we dont take my mother to the doctor we have MANY MANY TIMES im not going to sit here and write about every single appointment that shes had. They run test do this and that give her different medications but she still feels ill. And as far as "writing off large expenses if you talk to billing" its not so easy because we have been through this situation before when a brother of mine was hospitalized due to a car accident. Many times we have had to go to mexico for medical reasons simply because we cant afford the costly medical expenses here in the states. There is plenty of Americans that go to Mexico for the very same reason.

Any ways thanks for the last link.

Edited January 22, 2007 by The_dip_sticks

[kitkat1 5]

Well maybe its easy for you because you are not in our situation and also we know about medicaid as you have stated but they say that my mother does not qualify for it. Its not like we dont take my mother to the doctor we have MANY MANY TIMES im not going to sit here and write about every single appointment that shes had. They run test do this and that give her different medications but she still feels ill. And as far as "writing off large expenses if you talk to billing" its not so easy because we have been through this situation before when a brother of mine was hospitalized due to a car accident. Many times we have had to go to mexico for medical reasons simply because we cant afford the costly medical expenses here in the states. There is plenty of Americans that go to Mexico for the very same reason.

Any ways thanks for the last link.

I actually HAVE been in that situation. I lived abroad for two years, returned home without insurance, and had extremely serious, life-threatening medical issues while I was uninsured. I had no choice but to talk with the doctors and hospitals about payment plans, lowering my bills, and writing off expenses. For example, I explained the situation to my primary doctor and asked her do what she could - low and behold, a $275 office visit was reduced to $75.

I am aware that excellent medical can be found in Mexico, but taking a seriously ill person there for surgery that would require lengthy care afterwards doesn't sound like a viable solution unless there is somewhere for her to stay and someone to care for her. If my mother was in that situation and she was spitting up blood, I would take her to the emergency room!

[Mags 112]

With regards to the job situation...I think you answered your own question. It DOES sound like your family needs you and your wage at the moment. It also sounds like your mother needs your emotional support aswell. Yes, we have to break free from our families at some point...but your situation seems quite complicated.

The separation associated with this visa process is prolonged and awful and I understand why you are longing to change jobs to be near your fiance. But, the training to be a flight attendant isn't easy, it is pretty long winded and only the best get to fly long haul. From what I understand (and I may be wrong, I'm sure someone will correct me!) you would start off on short haul within the States and only after a period of time would you be put on long haul.

I hope your mother gets well and I wish you the best.

[MichelleandCraig 1]

I believe you're right Mags (on the flight attendant issue..) but I'm not certain either. I do know that I have a friend who was a flight attendant for quite a few years (and would like to get back into it) but she went to TONS of open houses for flight attendants for the 'big' carriers...and she never got in. I thought she was pretty good! Went on a few of her flights...we both worked for United Express at the time. She said it's pretty tough to break into a major carrier, even with experience. You, a lot of times, (not always) get hired with the smaller carriers first (30-seaters...Brasilia aircraft, etc.) and then work your way up. M.

[doodlebug 3]

my heart goes out to you. It really rots when you make over poverty level yet not enough to pay the bills. I know that there is freecare out there available for low income peeps and that is how the hospital bills get written off but you have to qualify for that low income and even then it doesn't cover the doctor's bills.

I don't think you should quit your job. Obviously you are needed badly in your family. It's a heavy burden to put on you though. Too bad your father couldn't take a second job in the winter to help out.

[Henia 11]

First of all my heart goes out to you. This INS process is stressful enough but to have family problems such as yours is terribly hard. I wish I could tell you the magic answer to solve all your problems but unfortunately nothing is simple in this life.

A few years back I would have told you with a definate NO to the flight attendant job with all the lay-offs and airline cut backs. But it seems people are doing more traveling and the travel business has made a comeback. I know to become a flight attendant you have to go throu a screening process and their requirements are quite high. AGes of 18-23 I have heard on most airlines (to start), I have read ads in the classified that said airlines looking for poise and attrative"" people. Must be USC. And I also heard many airlines would like you to know a foreign language (or 2 or 3) and have some type of degree (I am not sure if it is only a associate's or a bachelor is needed) I think there might be some schools (check online) but I believe the airlines do most of the training. I know flight attendant fly about 90 hours a month plus more hours in training on the ground. I am not quite sure, but I think if you were to become a flight attendant you would have to complete courses and stages in domestic travel, before being able to go international... as with any other profession, seniority gets your job bids. I think you have to be on reserve for a few years (on a seasonal basis) before going full-time.

I guess discounted and even free travel is a plus and alluring part of this job, but the long hours and stress of it is not. And with your mum's health issues I worry if you did get into this profession there would be times you could not just get off work and be by her side. (But this is just my opinion) Earnng vary of course, but I think they are in the $30,000-35,000 range...which in my opinion you could do better ...in a less demanding job where you live. You might even try looking into a travel agency training. I know I have considered it myself (just to do it part-time from home, to get the benefits)... The training is relatively inexpensive. You donnot have to quit your current position, you could do it part-time. But anyway that is just my opinion... but I do hope you are able to find a solution.

About your mum. She may not qualify for Medicare, but I would check with your local social service office. She may qualify for another program... And depends what her health issues are they can also direct you to clincs and programs geard towards her health problem.

I really heop

[Fandango 1,440]

I'm sorry you're bombarded with all this, but if you check into county hospitals, they cannot deny coverage based upon ability to pay. They WILL put you on a payment plan, and as long as you make a regular monthly payment, they can't do anything about it. Check it out

[TracyTN 237]

You have to undergo pretty rigorous training to become a flight attendant - and that only happens once they accept you into their program.

I'm not saying that I wouldn't pursue it, but it ceratinly won't be something that happens for you quickly. And it sort of sounds like time is of the essence in your current situation.

[Jamaica to CT 0]

First of all I'm sorry to hear what your family is going through.

That's a lot of presure on you and a burden you should not bare alone. Please enlist all of your family memebers to help out where they can. Not sure of the ages of your siblings but some things that come to mind are baby sitting; newspaper delivery; retail; yard work or other help for neighbors. Anything the family can do to lessen the burden on you is helpful. Perhaps your dad and husband can get additonal (part time or even temping if necessary)employment.

I too was under the impression that hospitals cannot deny medical assistance based on unablity to pay.

Check and see if your company has an EAP(Employee Assistance Plan) they can be invaulable in support and suggestions to help you and your family out.

[Fandango 1,440]

You have to undergo pretty rigorous training to become a flight attendant - and that only happens once they accept you into their program.

I'm not saying that I wouldn't pursue it, but it ceratinly won't be something that happens for you quickly. And it sort of sounds like time is of the essence in your current situation.

Yeah, I'm guessin it's a pretty extensive training proggie.

[kitkat1 5]

I didn't actually have the impression that you were serious about becoming a flight attendant. I can't imagine that would be a good solution to all of the other issues you are facing.

This is perhaps the most important piece of information for you to understand and investigate further:

if you check into county hospitals, they cannot deny coverage based upon ability to pay. They WILL put you on a payment plan, and as long as you make a regular monthly payment, they can't do anything about it.

[The_dip_sticks 0]

I want to say thank you to each and every one of you for all your feedback, support, and helpful information. Also thank you for letting me vent. It helped me to do so because I just felt stuck so over whelemed by it all. I felt like I had all this tape around me and I dont know where to start taking it all off. I know that becoming a flight attendant isn't the solution it's just one off those off ball fantacies I have so I can be in both places at once.