Introducing Andrew Houston
Andrew Houston joins ITC with years of travel and tourism experience under his belt, working for companies like Air New Zealand and Flight Centre.
Meet ITC’s newest tutor, Andrew Houston. Andrew teaches travel and tourism at the Botany Campus. Below, he gives us an insight into his career history, hobbies, and love for travel.
My story in travel and tourism has been a fantastic journey that has now brought me to an exciting new chapter as a tutor at ITC! Let me take you back to the beginning…
After completing a Bachelor of Business at AUT, I was still unsure of my career destination – or even what the first step would be.
My big break was a job as a security screener for Aviation Security at Auckland Airport. I soon fell in love with the fast-paced nature of the travel and tourism industry. No two days were ever the same there and I loved that we were not only maintaining security for travellers, but also making the security process as smooth as possible.
After traveling for a year through North America and Europe, I had the chance to join Air New Zealand in its contact centre. During my seven years with the airline, I had the opportunity to work in a variety of roles. It was fantastic to work for a company that really encourages staff to follow their interests. Air New Zealand is a company that I think Kiwis should be very proud of.
Wanting to push myself, I sought out a new challenge as a “travel expert” at Flight Centre. After years working in a support role, it was great to have a job where I could build relationships with clients and help them have amazing travel experiences all over the world. I was rewarded with a promotion to assistant team leader of my store in less than a year of joining. My proudest achievement was that our store was one of the most improved in the country in 2015/16.
Helping colleagues and team members improve has been a common thread throughout my career, so I decided to take this up full time at ITC. I’m excited to help others begin their own exciting journeys in the world’s greatest industry!
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