KEY POINTS:
THE QUALIFICATION
What: Level 3 ATTTO in Travel and Level 3 ATTTO in Tourism and Travel Core Skills.
Where: Flight Centre. This qualification is also available through tertiary institutions and private providers (see www.attto.org.nz).
Contact: Email recruitment.akl@flightcentre.co.nz, www.flightcentre.co.nz/bestemployer.
Cost: Flight Centre covers training costs.
Prerequisites: Applicants should have sales/customer service experience and/or have travelled overseas.
Starting salary: $40K for first year. Staff then work on a base salary and commission package.
Career opportunities: Progression to branch and senior management, or can move into corporate work, marketing, IT, product management, recruitment/training.
As well as walk-in customers and phone calls, travel consultants' inquiries arrive through websites and emails. Kiwis are keen travellers and consultants find that they are booking a lot more international holidays with greater complexity for which internet booking is not suited.
Flight Centre provides in-house training for its consultants. While the firm does hire graduates from travel and tourism schools, its in-house training allows employees to earn while learning on the job.
The initial four-week training programme is a mix of in-classroom and e-learning. This is a combination of Galileo booking systems, accounting systems and sales systems. Trainees then do five months' back-up training, which involves one day a month in the classroom covering more advanced airfares, accounting, product and business planning.
Once they have completed the course, they do a day review on areas needed to complete their Level 3 ATTTO qualifications. Flight Centre's training has been deemed by the NZQA as equivalent to the training you would receive at an institution, and is recognised by all agencies.
New staff who achieve targets in the six months after training is completed are rewarded with two incentives - a trip to the Gold Coast (after three months); with a trip to Fiji possible after six months.
Training is ongoing. Staff with leadership potential are trained in people management in advance of potential promotion to a 2IC role, and then again as they progress up to store manager, area leader or higher.
THE EMPLOYEE/ GRADUATE
Mike Thomson (32)
Travel consultant
Graduated October 2007
I started with Flight Centre in February this year. When I first went on my OE in '98 I ran adventure travel tours in the Middle East and in Asia. Then I met my wife, who's English, and we moved back to the UK where I worked for a travel company for a couple of years.
One of my cousins was with Flight Centre in New Zealand and she was always passionate about working for them. So when we decided to move back to New Zealand I contacted the area manager in Auckland. I didn't go through the normal channels because usually you apply on the internet.
It's a job where you get a heap of variety.
You can get a person who wants the cheapest one-way fare to Wellington, then the next person is planning a year travelling the world, the next is going on honeymoon.
You're always learning new products and destinations; with airlines popping up in different places it all makes for an interesting job.
We get a lot of customers who walk into the shop, and we take a lot of phone calls as well as email inquiries. Plus, with Flight Centre you are involved in running the business, like reconciliations and audits.
The trainers at the learning centre are so passionate. They have all been consultants, and most have run successful branches. Not only do they support you in training but they constantly email you and check if you need any more advice. It helps you stay focused and learn.
We are open seven days a week and we have two late nights. We work a five-week roster and that includes two weekends and late nights.
Especially for people coming into the industry, the travel is a drawcard. In my first six months here I was rewarded with three trips.
Also, with Flight Centre you can progress to the top. When I worked in the UK, it was very much a manager/employee feeling. With Flight Centre, all the top-level management have been consultants; all have worked their way up the ladder.
THE EMPLOYER
Jacqui Edgington
Manager, Glenfield Flight Centre
It was clear from the interview that Mike had a tremendous passion for travel, and that he is approachable, which is important in creating and maintaining relationships with clients.
Knowledge and passion are things that travel agents can offer that clients will never get from a website. We want our customers to feel that their consultant is as excited about their holiday as they are.
The training has ensured that Mike is capable and confident with the range of booking systems an agent needs to use.
He also has a wide range of product knowledge, and the necessary skills to ensure he can effectively cater to the needs of every client.
