Meet the Study From Home team
The ITC Study From Home team is here to help you achieve your airline, travel or tourism qualification via distance learning.
At ITC Study From Home, you may study by yourself – but you’re never alone. The friendly team is here to support you every step of the way. From informative phone calls to encouraging emails, we help guide you through your coursework and ensure that you learn just as much as you would in a normal classroom environment.
You’ll also have the opportunity to meet us – as well as fellow distance learning students – in person at one of the Orientation Days on campus.
In the meantime, you can find out a little bit more about us by reading our bios below. As you will see, we’re a friendly, positive team backed by years of practical experience. We look forward to getting to know you better.
Carla – Distance Learning Tutor & Program Manager
Originally from the Netherlands, this is where Carla completed her travel and tourism training – gaining the equivalent of ATTTO level 3 and 4, as well as the IATA Instructors Foundation Diploma. Upon graduating, Carla worked in a large corporate travel agency for four years, before moving to New Zealand in 1989.
Once she arrived in New Zealand, Carla worked as a senior travel consultant and, later, a branch manager for Budget Travel (now known as Harvey World Travel). She then joined ITC in 1997, as a travel and tourism tutor, and then moved into an administrative role. Today, she manages the ‘Study From Home’ program.
“I really love managing the distance learning program,” says Carla.
“It’s great to meet people that share my passion for the travel and tourism industry, and who are keen to work in this field. Then to witness their success is simply the cherry on top!”
Carla enjoys her life in New Zealand with her husband Wayne and their daughters Louise and Monique. When she’s not working or studying, you’ll probably find her walking the dog at Muriwai Beach, pottering in the garden, or going on camping holidays around our beautiful country.
Richard – Distance Learning Tutor
After Richard left school, he worked for the New Zealand Herald in the advertising department. After four years there, he decided to follow his dream of travelling the world. First destination? The 1994 football world cup in the USA, followed by London.
His love of travel inspired him to take a break from advertising and apply for a job as a tour guide with Top Deck. He was successful and spent two European summers travelling to places like Russia, Morocco and Turkey – and getting paid for it!
When he eventually returned to New Zealand, he continued his travel career by working as a consultant for Flight Centre. He spent 10 years with the Flight Centre Group, then moved into an account management role at APX.
Now, he’s joined his wife Stacey (a tutor at the Botany Campus) and is working for ITC. Outside of this job, he’s involved in a business called Bumper Ball, plays social football, and enjoys spending time with friends and family. Together, he and Stacey have three beautiful daughters.
Joy – Distance Learning Tutor
Joy’s first career was in accounting, before her love of travelling attracted her to the tourism sector. After gaining a travel and tourism qualification, she spent ten years working as a travel consultant for the likes of Travel For Less, House of Travel, and Harvey World Travel. She found great fulfillment in selling many varied travel destinations and providing excellent customer service in order to satisfy customer needs. She developed a loyal customer base and many lasting relationships.
Joy joined ITC as a tutor at the Botany Campus in 2006. She loved working with the young, on-campus students and providing them with the training they needed for a career in travel and tourism. She was pleased to be given the opportunity to join the Study From Home team in 2015, and is now supporting and encouraging students who have taken on the challenges of distance learning.
An avid traveller, she has visited many exciting places all over the world.
“Amongst others, Santorini in the Greek Islands stands out as a magical place,” says Joy.
“In saying that, I have also been fortunate to visit many of our beautiful Pacific Island neighbours and their friendly people.”
She still thinks New Zealand is the best country in the world to live in, with its beautiful scenery and diverse culture. She enjoys her life here with her husband, two daughters, and four grandchildren. She works part-time at ITC so she can spend plenty of time with the little ones – the best of both worlds!
Ali – Distance Learning Tutor
Ali started her journey into travel and tourism in 2008 when she moved to Canada on a working holiday. She lived in Vancouver and worked in a rental shop at Grouse Mountain Ski Resort, doing fittings and taking bookings. Ali then spent the next year working and travelling around Canada and the United States.
“I soon realised that the travel bug was well and truly alive in me and just how much I loved working face-to-face with the many different cultures I met each day,” says Ali.
She then went on to live in Melbourne, where she worked in customer service for two years, before moving to the Netherlands. She was welcomed as a Meeting Point Manager for Sandemans New Europe Tours in Amsterdam, which operates walking and bicycle tours throughout the city and the rest of Europe. She loved being able to live in and travel around, Europe taking in its beautiful culture and history. After the Netherlands, she moved to Berlin before returning home to New Zealand to pursue another of passion – education!
Ali started working at ITC in the Schools/Marketing department delivering short courses to high schools in Auckland and various locations around the country. Absolutely loving teaching, she then moved into a full-time tutor role on-campus at the City Road campus.
Along with her partner Ryan, she has now moved to beautiful Raglan in the Waikato where she has begun working as a tutor for Study From Home.
Posted in News | Leave a reply