How long does it take to become a cabin crew member?

There is no mandatory university degree. European air operations regulations set the minimum content of an initial training course delivered by airlines or approved training organisations and overseen by the national authority — in Spain, AESA. This course usually lasts between four and eight weeks and covers safety and evacuation procedures, first aid, dangerous goods, handling of emergency equipment such as extinguishers and oxygen equipment, survival on land and in water, human factors, and managing disruptive passengers. It ends with theoretical and practical exams, including a simulated cabin evacuation, and grants the Cabin Crew Attestation.

Before starting, airlines require a specific aeromedical certificate, the ability to swim, a height that allows reaching the overhead compartments and, for international flights, a second language. Some ask for completed secondary education, but not a higher degree. The certificate alone does not qualify someone to fly: afterwards comes conversion training to the operator and the aircraft type, plus a phase of supervised flights, so between the first day of class and the first flight as a full crew member usually two to four months pass.

The qualification is not permanent: refresher training and safety and first-aid checks must be repeated at the frequency set by regulation, and retraining is required when changing aircraft type or airline. That's why it's best to think of a cabin crew career as a progression within the airline — from crew member to senior cabin crew or cabin manager — rather than as a fixed-length academic path.