Travel Agent

Travel agents promote and sell holidays and other travel-related products, such as airline tickets, car hire and foreign currency. They work in high street travel agencies, holiday supermarkets and call centres. An increasing number work as homeworkers and visit customers at home or take calls and bookings at their own homes. Some travel agents specialise in working with business customers.

Travel agents spend much of their time dealing with customers directly, but the work also involves administration and record keeping.

Salaries range from at least £11,000 to £40,000 or more a year.

Retail travel agents work over five days between Monday and Saturday. Some agencies also open on Sundays. Part-time work is possible. Agents in call centres and in business travel usually work shifts.

Work usually takes place in well-lit, attractive shops or offices and mainly involves sitting at a counter or desk using a computer.

A travel agent should:

• have excellent communication skills
• be outgoing, friendly and polite
• know about different worldwide destinations
• be confident when dealing with figures
• have computer skills
• be good at selling
• have an interest in geography and travel
• enjoy working with people and selling.

The number of travel agents has decreased in the past few years and there are now just over 40,000 in the UK.

There are no formal entry requirements, although GCSEs (A*-C) in maths and English may be helpful. It can be helpful to have a qualification in travel and tourism, such as the Diploma in travel and tourism (available from September 2010), but this is not essential. Personal qualities and enthusiasm can be more important than qualifications. It may be an advantage to have customer service and sales experience.

Most young people in travel agency work have entered through Apprenticeships and Advanced Apprenticeships in travel and tourism services.

Newly appointed travel agents are trained on the job. They may also be sent on specialist training courses and educational visits. They may work towards specialist travel qualifications. Apprentices work towards NVQs in travel and tourism services.

Progression can be to assistant branch manager and branch manager. It may be possible to move to a tour operating company, to work as a resort representative or tour manager or specialise in areas such as human resources or training. Some experienced travel agents change to working from home. Some set up their own businesses.

Further details