Iberia cabin crew interview questions in Spanish and English: the two language interview, the group dynamic and what Iberia actually wants

Iberia, Madrid, seven years on long haul, and the Iberia section of this forum has the Iberia Express thread and not much else, so here is the mainline interview from the inside.

The process

Iberia recruits in waves, mostly for Madrid, occasionally with Barcelona flying. Online application, then a video interview, then the assessment day in Madrid at the Iberia headquarters near the airport. The assessment has a group dynamic, an English interview and a Spanish competency interview. Native or near native Spanish is required; the operation runs in Spanish. English at a high level is required and tested by conversation, not by a paper exam.

The group dynamic

In Spanish. About eight people, a scenario (ours was choosing which passengers to prioritise during a long delay with limited resources). The assessors want to see the Spanish version of a good crew member: warm, quick, sociable, but able to listen. Iberia cabins are talkative places and they hire for it.

The English interview

A conversation with a recruiter about your background, your travel, a customer situation. They are checking that you can handle a Latin American or a British passenger in English without freezing. It is not academic. A B2 that you actually use is fine.

The Spanish competency interview

The main one. A time you handled a complaint, a time you worked in a team under pressure, why Iberia and not Vueling or Ryanair, and how you feel about long haul patterns (Buenos Aires, Mexico, Bogotá, Lima, Santiago, Miami, New York). They asked me about the Latin American routes specifically because that is the Iberia identity: the bridge between Europe and Latin America.

What Iberia wants

People who will do the long haul well. The Latin America network is the core of the airline and the crew who thrive are the ones who love those cities and those passengers. If your dream is Tokyo, apply elsewhere. If your dream is Buenos Aires, this is the airline.

The contract

A proper Spanish contract under the collective agreement, with the seniority system that implies. New joiners start on short haul and move to long haul over time. The pay is Spanish legacy pay: modest basic, allowances on the long haul that matter, a pension, and stability. Madrid rent is the problem, as everywhere.

For non Spaniards

Latin Americans with the right to work in Spain are hired regularly and the accent is not an issue. Other Europeans with fluent Spanish, yes. Without fluent Spanish, no, and there is no exception for English.

Ask anything about the long haul patterns. Seven years of Buenos Aires in my bones.