Five minutes with travel agent Racheal Pearce
Racheal on a recent trip to Rarotonga, where she visited 21 resorts. Thanks to her research, she can confidently recommend resorts to clients wishing to travel to Rarotonga.
Have you ever wondered what it’s like to work as a travel agent?
Study From Home graduate Racheal Pearce has been working as a travel agent for You Travel in Eltham for 18 months. We recently caught up with Racheal to find out how her job is going.
Below, she shares some insights into what it’s like to work in an office after studying from home, how she made a good impression with her employer, and how she continues to learn in the workplace.
SFH: What’s it like to work in the travel industry?
Racheal: I love the industry, no two days are the same. I’m learning about many new destinations for clients. If you love to travel or anything to do with aviation, this is the best industry. You’re constantly learning about new and amazing places, and it’s guaranteed your travel bucket list will keep growing.
What are the best things about working as a travel agent?
Hearing all the stories when the clients return. We follow up within 2 weeks of their return, via email or phone call, and most of them call in and rave about how much fun they had and book a new trip.
I specialise in cruising, I discovered when I was studying this was a passion of mine. I’ve been on two cruises this year and I’m going to Rarotonga soon for a 10-day working holiday.
Do you have any tips for making a good first impression with your employer?
Find out how they like their drinks (tea, coffee, etc) and study their routines. This got me in the good books very fast. Also, keep asking about any further training you can do to increase your knowledge. And don’t be afraid to pick their brains, as they may have a brilliant idea that will secure the sale.
How do you process all the new learning that comes with the job?
You will not stop learning for the rest of your life. My boss has been in the industry for over 30 years and is still learning. I have spoken to other agents who have been in the industry for over 40 years and they have mentioned they are still learning.
I’m currently studying with CLIA (cruise line training) and I have just gained my second tier. For the final tier, I have to sit an assessment.
When you become a travel agent, you might need to do online training to use another GDS if they use Sabre or Galileo. I had to learn Galileo, but it was very similar to Amadeus so there is no need to stress.
How did studying from home prepare you for your job?
The main skills I learned were time management, prioritising your workload, and managing deadlines. I use these skills every day in my job. For example, you only have 24 hours to get a proposal out to a client. When you have to get three out at once, time management skills come in handy!
Do you have any other tips for students about to start studying from home with ITC?
My best advice is to never be afraid to ask questions. If you’re thinking about joining the industry, ITC is the best place for you to get into this career. There are so many different fields to go into, from consultancy to air hostess to cruise ship staff to wholesale support.
Once you’ve started your training, follow what is taking your interest most and talk to your teacher about getting into that side of the industry. You won’t regret it!
To find more about Racheal’s Study From Home journey, click here.
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