--- title: "At 19, she was airline’s youngest cabin crew and became family’s breadwinner after father was diagnosed with cancer" url: "/community-voices/19-she-was-airlines-youngest-cabin-crew-and-became-familys-breadwinner-after-father-was-diagnosed" published: "2026-10-21T04:47:18.000Z" updated: "2026-10-21T04:47:18.000Z" section: "Community Voices" authors: ["Cherry Tan"] tags: ["community voices","Life After Landing","cabin crew","dancer","Career","air stewardess","Jetstar Asia","Singapore Airlines"] --- # At 19, she was airline’s youngest cabin crew and became family’s breadwinner after father was diagnosed with cancer *Ee Kie Teo once put her university plans aside to support her father through cancer treatment. Now 33, the former stewardess shares why she is determined to keep pursuing her passions.* For many cabin crew, stepping off the aircraft is just the beginning of a new journey. Introducing Stomp’s new original series, Life After Landing, where we spotlight former flight attendants who have traded the skies for unexpected careers, pursued personal passions or navigated life-changing experiences after leaving the aviation industry. After graduating from polytechnic, Ee Kie Teo had wanted to attend university and chase her dream of becoming a journalist. But there was just one thing: her father had just been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Instead of applying for university, Teo applied for jobs. That’s because her father — who was in his 50s — did not have medical insurance, and her mother’s income was not enough to pay for his medical bills. Meanwhile, her younger brother was still in secondary school. “I needed a job quickly, and that was when I had the random thought of interviewing for an airline,” shared the 33-year-old interior designer, who spoke with Stomp at her office in Tampines. The now-shuttered budget airline Jetstar Asia was hiring at the time. Teo applied for a job there in 2013 and at the tender age of 19, became the airline’s “youngest cabin crew” — and her family’s main breadwinner. ![Ex-Jetstar, Cathay Pacific and SQ stewardess became breadwinner at 19, now juggles dance with interior design](https://cassette.sphdigital.com.sg/image/stomp/b23ac168734cb0c8a7d35336874e5a3e8bf6a997141073ff7ff5f977368ff6e6) *Though she wanted to further her studies, Teo had to look for a job at 19 to support her family.* ## Conflict at her first full-time job She described her two years at the budget airline as a huge “culture shock”, and felt that she might have come off as “unfriendly” as her “EQ (emotional quotience) wasn’t that great”. Though she learned a lot from her time there — including the importance of seniority and how to “deal with people” — her departure from the airline was not entirely pleasant. Teo had been dating a pilot, and recalled being “bullied” by colleagues who would insinuate that she received different treatment. They would imply that she enjoyed perks such as having access to the same meals as the pilots — which are known to be significantly better than those of cabin crew. Teo told her then boyfriend about one such instance, which happened as she was preparing to serve the pilots on a flight. He then confronted the colleague and the situation escalated. Instead of receiving the support she needed from management, Teo alleged that she and her then partner were banned from flying with each other, and his promotion was later delayed. “It was a disappointment. I thought I could move on to something better, and that’s what I did.” ## Moving to Hong Kong Following Jetstar Asia, Teo had set her sights on larger airlines. Drawn to the prospect of living overseas and working for an international carrier, Teo joined Cathay Pacific in June 2015 and subsequently made plans to move to Hong Kong. Though she was still only 22 years old, Teo said her family was not too worried about her. “I’ve been quite an independent girl since young, and I’m the elder sister,” she explained. The hard part about moving to Hong Kong for four months, however, was being away from her father, whose cancer relapsed. This came after a year or so of improvement, following his initial chemotherapy treatment. The bulk of her memories in Cathay Pacific involved hospital visits upon landing in Singapore, before setting off for Hong Kong again. The constant turnaround flights were “quite tiring”, but she made sure to hide her exhaustion from her father. “I can’t really show that I’m tired in front of my dad...he’s going through something much worse than me.” ![Ex-Jetstar, Cathay Pacific and SQ stewardess became breadwinner at 19, now juggles dance with interior design](https://cassette.sphdigital.com.sg/image/stomp/f3789e08637cfd0eb3cbbeba4f031e79a4e14ff8d585855b75574343869be236) *She flew with Cathay Pacific for six months, flying turnaround between Singapore and Hong Kong almost daily.* Her time with Cathay Pacific only lasted six months, as she quickly grew bored of the turnaround flights to Hong Kong and felt she was not learning anything new. She then applied for a job with Singapore Airlines (SQ), feeling confident about the experience she had amassed over the years. The airline called with good news just a week or two later. Teo’s father sadly died at home the next day. ## ‘That’s his form of love towards me’ Her father had been about 57 at the time and opted to live out his final days at home. Teo managed to break the news of her new job to him the moment she received the call. “He couldn’t speak much by then, but I could tell he was happy,” she said. Though she regrets not speaking to him more — or ever taking him on a flight overseas — one moment still replays constantly in her mind. ![Ex-Jetstar, Cathay Pacific and SQ stewardess became breadwinner at 19, now juggles dance with interior design](https://cassette.sphdigital.com.sg/image/stomp/2d2e93d95e8e5d4af2b559685215c6d9156653af8944e4b706eb96eb730758b2) *Teo’s father chose to live out his final days with his family at home.* During her time with Jetstar, Teo’s father would drive her to the airport from their Choa Chu Kang home. The drive took 40 minutes each way, and he would drive back alone after dropping her off. On one occasion, thinking she was running late, she rushed him in a tone she admitted “wasn’t that nice” — but he did not scold her. “I don’t want to imagine how he must have felt back then, driving back alone to do his work. That’s his form of love towards me, but I only realised it many, many years later,” she reflected. ## From SQ to dance and design By her account, Teo’s time in SQ, from 2016 to 2021, was the best of all her flying experiences. She appreciated the pay bump and the luxury of exploring new cities solo while leaving her work behind on the aircraft. ![Ex-Jetstar, Cathay Pacific and SQ stewardess became breadwinner at 19, now juggles dance with interior design](https://cassette.sphdigital.com.sg/image/stomp/0cdc855990d968f65f4eaf1a94a8420747216e1f5fa053e136b2f90269656b56) *She spent a total of five years at Singapore Airlines, where she had her “best experience” out of the three airlines.* When Covid-19 took the world by storm, however, she felt a pull towards her long-time passion: dance. The self-taught dancer would frequently change out of her kebaya after disembarking from her SQ flights, and dance with her crew at the airport basement instead of heading home to rest. When flights were grounded, she had the opportunity to be a substitute dance instructor at some local studios and fell in love with teaching. That’s when she considered leaving SQ to pursue dance full time. “If I don’t start dancing full-time — (back then) in my late 20s — I’ll probably never get to do it (again),” she said. Many called her “siao” (crazy) when she left the airline for a career that was less stable. As a dance instructor, her income was strictly tied to the number of classes she taught, which may not be consistent each month. However, Teo said of her two to three years as a full-time dance instructor: “I still think it’s the happiest job I’ve had so far because to me, dancing is not working.” She soon came to two realisations: she wanted to learn something new, and “the reality of how long more” she could dance “hit her”. She arrived on interior design as she has a self-professed eye for aesthetics and would spend her time abroad admiring foreign architecture. She applied for a job at Retreat by Forefront Interior around Chinese New Year this year, got the job shortly after, and is now working on residential projects with several high net worth clients. Yet, her love for dancing prevented her from giving it up entirely, and she continues teaching two classes a week alongside her day job — a combination that leaves her with barely any sleep. Despite how tiring it is, Teo is determined to make this arrangement work — especially after pulling her family through their darkest days. Reflecting on when she sacrificed her university dreams to help pay off her father’s hefty medical bills, Teo saw it as something she just “had to do”. She “didn’t think much” of working full-time so soon, and said it was “the only way” she could help her family through such a tumultuous time. Now, Teo says she is happier working in jobs she’s passionate about. “I think this period of time right now is when I feel the most fulfilled.”