Bored of working a normal 9-5 job? Open to the idea of living overseas? Keen to help people enjoy the best holiday fo their live? Consider working as a holiday or tour representative around the world.
Latest Holiday Rep Vacancies
TUI
Work as a children’s holiday rep in Europe with TUI – the largest travel company in the world. Seasonal and permanent contracts are available with competitive salaries and more added benefits.
Top Reasons to Work as a Holiday Rep
Working as a holiday rep can be very hard work with long hours and days. But, it can be a life changing job where you will get to live in spectacular locations, meet new people, form lifelong friendship with people from all over the world, gain new skills, improve your language skills and travel and see more of the world.
What Does a Holiday or Tour Rep Do?
As a holiday rep your responsibilities include helping people to enjoy an amazing and stress free holiday. The role can include:
• arrange transportation
• picking people up from the airport
• help with questions and problems
• offering tourist advice and arranging excursions and trips
• dealing with accommodation providers, coach operators and tour operators
• helping with any medical emergencies
Popular Places to Work
You can find positions all around the world with holiday companies, hotels, campsites and holiday parks, travel agents, sporting and sailing clubs and coach operators. Most travel companies hire staff to work in Europe in some of most popular tourism destinations. Places you could be based include: Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, France, Greece, Malta, Spain and Turkey.
Requirements
For most positions you will need to put together a strong CV and go through a formal application process. Some companies hold recruitment days/fairs where they hire hundreds of staff. Competition for roles can be very high.
You will need to be a friendly, positive, outgoing person who is confident, a good communicator and a fast learner. If you relish working in teams, have leadership skills, a good sense of humour and are energetic, this also helps.
Most positions do not require a degree, HND or any formal qualifications but having previous customer service experience really helps your employability prospects. If you have taken any courses in travel, leisure or tourism, or have an Early Years Educator (EYE) Level 3 (or equivalent) in childcare, this is also beneficial.
You will also have to be able to deal with the pressures of working for some of the largest leisure, travel and tourism companies in the world in a job that can be stressful, have long hours and everyday can have different challenges. If you know any foreign languages this will really boost your chances of gaining employment but usually isn’t a necessity.
Due to Brexit and the UK departing the European Union, some holiday companies who recruit staff to work in Europe are now only hiring people with EU nationalities / passports due to the complications with visas and paperwork. This varies depending on the company.
FAQ
Working hours
This really isn’t a normal 8 hour 9-5 job, hours can vary and something you can be on call 24 hours a day. There is no typical day, and it really depends on what happens day to day, from arranging trips, to dealing with complaints, helping with accommodation, illnesses, accidents and more.
Is working as a holiday rep right for me?
Working as a rep can be an amazing experience but there are some things to be aware of. This job is very hard work and it really isn’t a holiday. Sometimes accommodation can be very basic or shared with other staff and if you aren’t used to being away from family and friends for long periods, homesickness can be an issue. Being around the same people 24/7, in resort, same daily routines can get a bit repetitive. Also there isn’t much job security as most contracts are seasonal and short term. An alternative but similar career is to work as a tour guide.
Salaries
Wonder how much holiday reps make? What you get paid really depends on the company, role, experience and destination. Working as a holiday rep won’t make you rich, you can expect to earn about £500 – £1000 per month. This might seem low but there are lots of added benefits including free flights and free accommodation. Sometimes you also get free food and or a clothing and food allowance.