23 countries and counting: Meet Ruby Wade (ITC tutor)
Ruby Wade is a travel and tourism tutor at ITC’s Christchurch campus.
Meet Ruby Wade, a travel and tourism tutor at ITC’s Christchurch campus. Since catching the travel bug, Ruby visited 23 countries in just five years and is now teaching her passion to our lucky students in Christchurch. Read on to learn more about Ruby’s experience and travel tales.
Tell us a bit about yourself
I love travel, food and culture with a passion! I have always loved travelling and exploring new places (although it always makes me feel happy to come home to such a beautiful country). I’m also a homebody; I love renovating my house and spending time with my two lovely dogs, Meg and Bailey. I’m also getting married soon so it’s a really exciting time in my life.
What attracted you to the travel and tourism industry? And how did you get your foot in the door?
I went travelling around the world (Asia, UK & Europe, South America) and well and truly caught the travel bug. I had previously been working in the Hair and Beauty industry and had really enjoyed the client relationship aspect of that job, but I wanted to go on more amazing trips instead of hearing about everyone else’s holidays!
When I got home from my OE, I decided to apply for Flight Centre. I was lucky to work with an amazing team and receive lots of exciting awards. I also got the opportunity to travel to numerous countries and book some fantastic trips for my clients.
After Flight Centre, I worked for Orbit (a corporate travel company), which was extremely fast-paced and busy but I loved it, it was full of structure and processes (which I’m all about). However, I was losing my passion for travel a bit because corporates travel for work not leisure, so it’s not as exciting. That’s when I decided I really wanted to go in a different direction and educate others about this amazing industry.
What do you love most about working in travel and tourism?
I love the opportunities, especially for young people. It’s such a fun industry so employers are often looking for fun young people – that means students can get work quickly and easily if they’re motivated. The opportunities are endless and a lot of the skills are transferable, meaning they can take you anywhere in the world.
What attracted you to ITC?
ITC has an amazing work culture! Everyone who works here is really passionate about the industry and also about our students. It’s really rewarding to work for a company that really cares about its students out in the industry and exposing them to all aspects. ITC also really cares about its staff which is not always easy to find. I feel really happy having the support of all my colleagues.
What do you love most about being a tutor?
I LOVE the look on students’ faces when I tell them about all the places I have been in such a short time (because I’m pretty young) and they start to realise that their dreams are possible and I’m here to guide them there! I have been to 23 countries over the past five years, my favourites being Greece, Italy and Vietnam. I also got engaged on the Amalfi Coast last year so that destination is now high on my list!
It’s also a really rewarding feeling when your students start to get jobs in the industry and start their exciting future.
What do you hope to pass on to students that you teach?
I hope to pass on some real life skills. I like to be realistic and let them know it’s not always easy out there. If I can provide them with some key skills and motivate them to get out there and travel the world, I think this is the best start for their career. Experiences are so important – and so is a positive attitude!
Favourite piece of advice to give students?
One of my favourite quotes is by Elbert Hubbard: “The greatest mistake you can make in life is to be continually fearing you will make one.” I love this quote because people need to make mistakes in order to learn and I feel this is a really important message to pass on to our students.
Ruby Wade is a tutor at our Christchurch campus. Get in touch today to find out more about studying airline, travel and tourism in Christchurch in 2019.
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