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Travel agent
Travel consultant
Travel agents book business and leisure travel for customers.
Average salary (a year)
£18000
Starter
£27000
Experienced
Typical hours (a week)
37.0 to 40.0 hours
a week
Work Hours
evenings / weekends / bank holidays
on a rota
How to become
Explore the different ways to get into this role
You can get into this job through:a college course; an apprenticeship; working towards this role
College
You could do a Level 3 Diploma in Travel and Tourism.
Entry requirements
You'll usually need:
  • 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, for a level 3 course
More Information
equivalent entry requirements|https://www.gov.uk/what-different-qualification-levels-mean/list-of-qualification-levels
funding advice|https://www.gov.uk/further-education-courses/financial-help
search for courses|/find-a-course
Apprenticeship
You could do a travel consultant advanced apprenticeship.
Entry requirements
You'll usually need:
  • 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths, for an advanced apprenticeship
More Information
equivalent entry requirements|https://www.gov.uk/what-different-qualification-levels-mean/list-of-qualification-levels
guide to apprenticeships|https://www.gov.uk/apprenticeships-guide
Work
You can start as a trainee travel agent and receive on-the-job training from your employer.
There are no set entry requirements, but a good general standard of education is expected. Some employers may ask for English and maths GCSEs or equivalent. Good geographical knowledge will also be helpful.
More Information
Career Tips
It may help if you have customer service experience and can speak a second language.
Further Information
You can find out more about careers in travel from the Institute of Travel & Tourism.
What it takes
Find out what skills you’ll use in this role
Skills and knowledge
You'll need:
    Customer service skills
    Excellent verbal communication skills
    The ability to sell products and services
    To be thorough and pay attention to detail
    Administration skills
    Active listening skills
    Persuading skills
    A desire to help people
Digital Skills Level
to be able to use a computer and the main software packages competently
What you will do
Discover the day-to-day tasks you’ll do in this role
Day to day tasks
In this role you could
talk to customers to understand their needs, help customers find a suitable package holiday or plan independent travel, make bookings and payments using online computer systems, advise customers about passports, insurance, visas, vaccinations, tours and vehicle hire, inform customers of changes like cancelled flights, arrange refunds and handle complaints, meet sales targets, keep up to date with developments in the travel industry
Working environment
You could work in a contact centre or at a store.
You may need to wear a uniform.
Career Path & Progression
Look at progression in this role and similar opportunities
With training and experience, there may be opportunities to progress into senior roles like
branch or call centre manager, operations director, regional director
You could also move into other roles in the travel sector, like tour operating.
Job profile data provided by The National Careers Service.
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