‘Too old to work in China:’ 50-yr-old flight attendant learns new languages to land foreign airline job

December 12, 2022

A Chinese flight attendant is being lauded online for working hard to improve herself and securing a job at an international airline at age 50.

The woman, surnamed Hu, lost her previous job at Norwegian Air Shuttle last year following a “company restructuring,” reported South China Morning Post.

Since Chinese airlines do not accept cabin crew applicants over the age of 40, Hu worked on improving her English and studying Finnish to prepare to apply to foreign airlines.

After receiving multiple offers from different airlines, Hu has been employed at an unnamed airline for eight months.

In a video that has since gone viral on Weibo, Hu shared her secrets to handling the demands of her job despite her age.

“I exercise routinely, and I insist on eating a healthy diet. These are major reasons that I am still able to handle this physically demanding job which requires flying for long hours,” she said. “Use all your strength and courage to deal with life. Live in the moment, and never regret every step you’ve taken.”

China’s labor laws have set the retiring age for staff in physically intensive jobs at 50 for women and 55 for men. Five additional years are afforded to employees in government jobs, schools, or management.

Weibo users showered Hu with positive comments, with many calling her a role model for other women in China.

“So inspirational!” a commenter wrote.

“She’s so admirable,” another commented.

Other commenters shifted the discussion to China’s purported age discrimination in the workforce, with some wondering why foreign companies do not impose such a limit.

“Domestic companies are too strict with age requirements,” one user pointed out.

“Why must there be an age limit in China, and how many people have been cut off from opportunities?” another asked.

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