Travel agent

Travel agent job description: Typical employers | Qualifications and training | Key skills | Useful links | Find jobs and courses

Typical duties that include:

• recruiting, training and supervising staff
• managing budgets
• providing advice about visas or passports
• maintaining statistical and financial records
• planning
• promoting and marketing the business
• dealing with customer queries and complaints
• selling holidays and insurance
• meeting profit or sales targets
• preparing promotional materials and displays.

Typical employers of travel agents

• tour operators
• package holiday operators
• cruise lines
• independent travel agents.

Most graduates enter the profession as junior counter staff (travel agency clerk/consultant), moving into managerial positions after having gained several years experience.

A small number of companies such as Thomas Cook and Thomson operate head office-based graduate training schemes. Vacancies are advertised in local and national newspapers, and trade publications including Travel Trade Gazette and Travel Weekly. Networking and speculative applications are advisable.

Qualifications and training required

A degree in any subject is acceptable, although travel, tourism, languages, leisure, business studies or management degree holders may be at an advantage.

A Travel Training Company qualification or relevant travel agency, retail or sales work experience can also be helpful.

Key skills for travel agents

• commercially aware
• good interpersonal
• numerical
• verbal communication skills.

Fluency in foreign (particularly European) languages and personal travel experience are also highly valued.