Is Tour Guiding For You?

As we are about to launch our new e-book on being a tour guide, we thought we’d ask ITC staff member Sarndra Stephens about her experiences in the role.

What do you think makes a great tour guide?
“Firstly, you need to be passionate about the country you are showcasing and the places you visit. You also need to be extremely friendly, outgoing, open minded, professional and super organised.

“And you need to be able to think on your feet. I was once caught with a group between destinations due to floods. We ended up having a spontaneous mid-winter Christmas at a lodge that wasn’t on our itinerary and we had a hilarious, fantastic night.”

Is being a tour guide hard work?
“It is hard work, as you are pretty much on the job 24/7; but it’s so much fun because you are always on the go, visiting exciting places and doing amazing things with people who are enthusiastic about experiencing and finding out about your country.”

What are some of the challenges?
“You do need to do your research, as you get asked all sorts of questions and you are expected to be able to find answers to pretty much all of them.

“You can’t be prepared for all of them though! An older gentleman once asked me what the breed of cows was we were passing in a field. I had no idea at all! I told him I would look it up on the internet for him. Later that day I researched several different types of New Zealand cows and when I imparted all this newfound information to him he was absolutely delighted!”

“You need to keep your sense of humour too, as people don’t always think before they ask you a question. A passenger once asked me: ‘If I ring home, will my mum be there?’”

What are some of the best things about the role?
“I loved taking clients through New Zealand and getting to see the country in all the different seasons.

“I also loved being able to experience so many different things – to be a great tour guide you have to do all the activities yourself so that you can sell them effectively. The good news is that you get to do all these activities free of charge!

“I have tandem skydived, bungy jumped, parasailed, been glacier walking, white water rafting and whale and dolphin watching and so much more. It was an amazing job.”

To learn more about our new Tourguiding e-book and our other online resources, go to the ITC Online Store at: http://www.itconlinestore.com/

Do you want your career to fly high??

After having been a stay-at-home mum for a number of years, Pauline Ratumu decided to pursue her dream of working in the travel and tourism industry.

Pauline was thrilled when she found about ITC’s Certificate in Aviation course. “Hearing that the qualification specialised in the airport/airline industry and knowing that this course offered the foundation knowledge for that specific side of the industry sparked my interest,” she says.

Since graduating Pauline has attained a job as a flight attendant for Air New Zealand. She is enjoying every minute of it and says the only downside is the irregular schedule. She says she loves having the opportunity to travel and to meet so many new people “and, of course, the duty free discounts!”

Pauline says that her study at ITC set her up well for her new role: “When I went through my training with Air New Zealand I found that what I studied in class was very useful as I had already covered certain areas though my Certificate in Aviation course.”

Pauline is looking forward to her future career, which could include working on long-haul flights and, in time, senior roles in the airline.

And she has some good advice for others looking for a future in the industry too. “Have respect for yourself and be yourself. Have a good, positive attitude in everything you do, and don’t let anything put you off or hold you back from getting you to where you want to be!”

ITC’s Students’ Stray Adventures

A number of students from ITC’s two-year International Tourism and Travel Management programme went on a four-day Stray bus tour as part of their studies.

International student Thalib Meethal was one of the students and said he had a wonderful time.

The group left Auckland on 10 April and travelled to Hahei in the Coromandel, to Raglan, then to Waitomo and across to Maketu and Rotorua before returning to Auckland four days later.

“The driver Mudd gave a great commentary,” says Thalib. “He had lots of really fun stories and helped everyone to get to know each other.  We experienced ‘speed dating’ Stray-bus-style and had five minutes to talk to each passenger and then move seats.” 

Once they got to Hahei some of the travellers were brave enough to go for a swim. The water was cold but Thalib says the sun was out and warmed them up, and later in the day they experienced the natural hot water springs on Hot Water Beach.

“We dug holes in the sand and made our own hot pools,” says Thalib. “The water was much hotter than I thought it would be. The natural spring water is really good for your skin and it’s free!” 

The group were in Raglan the next day, giving them a chance to meet other international travellers staying in the lodge and to seek out the glow worms in the fields later that evening.

There were more glow worms and some serious adventure waiting for Thalib and his fellow travellers in Waitomo the next day.

Thalib did the Hagga Honking Holes caving experience – involving abseiling, rock-climbing and caving.

“It was a long way down (80m) and was really scary!” says Thalib.  “This was my first ever abseil and I’d never been in a cave before. When we got down to the river it was in flood and the next tours were cancelled due to the high water levels.” 

As well as all the adventure, Thalib enjoyed the food on the journey as well. He says that Mudd stopped at all the good places to eat along the way and a Kiwi barbeque in the Coromandel was a favourite, but the stand out meal was at Uncle Boy’s Place in Maketu.

Uncle Boy’s is a purpose-built marae and backpackers.

“We learnt the haka and about historic weapons and the migration of Maori to New Zealand and we heard many other tales of Maori culture.  Here we had a really great dinner – fresh fish, mutton, chicken and vegetables.”

The group also had time to explore Maketu beach and visit many of the area’s kiwifruit orchards before heading off to its final stop on the tour – Rotorua.

“We had to time to wander around the city centre and explore the lake shore,” says Thalib, “and we met some friendly local ducks!”

The group headed back to Auckland that evening.
“This was four of the best days of my life,” says Thalib. “Thanks ITC and Stray!”

The value of experience

 
Industry experience is always valuable in airline, travel and tourism jobs – wherever you might get it.

General job skills like communication and time and workload management skills will stand you in good stead whatever you do. But specific industry skills are also often transferable between different travel and tourism operations.

A number of staff from Fullers, for example, have recently used their experience to gain flight attending roles. 

Fullers handles many of the Auckland ferries and harbour cruises and Project Manager Wolfgang tells us that working at Fullers is a perfect way for young people to gain the necessary experience to become flight attendants. 

Airlines told the successful Fullers candidates that there were a number of similarities between the two types of operation such as working shifts, dealing with cancelations due to bad weather, and managing large numbers of customers in a short space of time.
 
The majority of airlines like their staff to be 21 years of age or older, so spending a couple of years with companies such as Fullers is a great way for younger graduates to hone their skills before applying for flight attending roles.

While Fullers does offer career pathways for entry-level staff, Wolfgang and other senior managers are also very conscious that some of these staff have other career aspirations. They say they are more than happy to play their part in the helping young people land their dream jobs.
 
 

Introducing Mel Verwijmeren

Mel Verwijmeren has recently started at ITC running the four short courses that we offer to give high school students a taste of the industry. Mel will be running courses in aviation, travel, tourism and the Big Day Out course.

Mel is the proud mother of two girls and says she is known for her bubbly personality and for always having “ants in my pants”.

She gained a travel and tourism qualification straight after high school and spent the next two years working in a call centre environment. She then worked for Air New Zealand for nine years, starting as a check in agent and moving on to work in an operational capacity coordinating aircraft and providing pilot documentation.

“I met some really amazing people,” she says. “Lots of sports teams and well-known bands, and I saw some fabulous aircraft.”

When she’s not working Mel says she loves to fundraise for foundations that need a helping hand.  “So far I have fundraised for Heart Kids and The New Zealand Heart Foundation, and I also help out at Christmas time at the Auckland City Mission, collecting items from local communities to give to families in need during the festive season.”

Always on the lookout for new adventures, Mel has recently decided to run the Rotorua Marathon. Previously, she ran a triathlon just eight weeks after having her second daughter. Mel says that realising what she could achieve “started the ball rolling in setting my own personal goals and achievements.”

Mel’s latest adventure is to join the team at ITC.

“The team at the college has a real family feel and I already feel part of that, with plenty of colleagues willing to help out at a drop of a hat. I look forward to my future with the college and seeing the students work toward achieving their own personal goals.”
 

Distance Online Learning Career Successes

Three ITC online learning students share their stories

Sharon is working as the receptionist for Auckland Transport. The company wanted the person who took the position to have a qualification in travel and Sharon hopes to expand into other areas now the Rugby World Cup rush is over.

“I’m enjoying this position,” she says. “I’m working with a great bunch of people and my boss is just lovely. I really enjoy all the face-to-face customer interaction, so this suits me better than a call centre.”

Part of ITC’s distance online learning course is in career preparation. Sharon says: “Your help with CV writing and interviewing was invaluable. I have shared my CV with others who have been looking for jobs unsuccessfully for quite some time and were not getting interviews. As soon as they followed your fantastic pointers for a good CV they have had interviews straight away, and got the jobs as well! So thank you on behalf of my friends and myself!”

Laura in Nelson has found a job in the tourism industry.  She has some excellent advice for other students. “I applied for a job at a motel down the road from my house. They had an ad in the paper for a cleaner. When I had my interview they told me that they wanted to hire someone they could train up to do reception as well.

“I have been there since the middle of October and they have been great and taught me so much. I am now confident in answering the phone, taking bookings and checking guests in and out. My certificate from ITC has really paid off.

“I love my new job and am getting heaps of experience – and I thought I was just going to be a cleaner! My advice to other students is to take any job they are offered and let the employers know how keen they are to learn and take on more responsibilities.”

Laura from Christchurch recently found a job with House of Travel as an online consultant. “My new job is going really well. I love it! I sort out all the bookings from the website, ticketing them, informing passengers of schedule changes, assisting with flight date changes etc. It is good fun and very varied!

“I work with a great team of people, which really helps and my manager is lovely and very flexible with the roster. I work 4 days a week, 10 hours a day on shifts, which works well for me.”
ITC staff members were so pleased when Laura found this job. Laura did well in her studies, despite the fact that she lost her home in the September 2010 earthquake. After the February quake in 2011 Laura stayed with her mum in Auckland for a while. Even though this was a tough year, Laura did extremely well in her studies and received an ITC Award with Distinction.

ITC Students Welcome International Counterparts

International Travel College of New Zealand (ITC) students were once again an important part of the Auckland International Student Welcome.

The event, run by Study Auckland, part of Auckland Tourism Events and Economic Development (ATEED), welcomed over 1600 international students to Auckland City.

ITC has been a premium supplier of full-time and part-time training programmes for the airline, travel and tourism industries since 1996, and working at large events like the Student Welcome provides excellent experience for its students, says ITC staff member Malia Otuhouma.

“This is a chance for the students to put into practice what they have been studying, and I was so proud of what they achieved on the day.”

As well as taking care of VIPs and performers backstage, the students handed out goodie bags and were just generally on the spot wherever they were needed.

And the organisers were glad of their help, too. ATEED’s Study Auckland Manager Debbie Chambers said ITC students once again stepped up to the mark.

“We are always pleased to have ITC students at our events. We know they are being taught by experts with industry experience, and it really shows.

“They always had a smile on their faces and they managed their many tasks on the day professionally, despite it being an incredibly busy event.”

Malia says the students enjoyed a chance to gain some real-world event experience.

“It’s such a big part of study at ITC. You can’t teach travel and tourism purely in a classroom. It’s about being on the spot and seeing all the work that goes on behind the scenes to make events like this look effortless on the day.”

The Amazing Race – ITC Style

The International Travel College’s Amazing Race (based on the popular television show) has become a tradition at ITC’s City Road Campus.

For its fifth year the college decided to step it up a level and involve students from its Botany Campus as well. So with over 250 students, involved that meant it was the biggest Amazing race event in the ITC student calendar.

Over thirty-five teams joined in the madness, racing each other around Auckland’s CBD, following the clues that would reveal their final destination. The students knew there would be some awesome prizes and always keen to be competitive, the teams knew everything was at stake!!

The ITC Tutors were waiting at the finish line to receive the winning teams. First in was the City Road team “Holly Molly”; “Taparee” – also from City Road – came in second; and Botany team “Meow Meow” came third.

The students were dressed in some truly spectacular costumes representing this year’s Kiwiana theme. But the winning costume on the day was a City Road team whose members were dressed as pavlovas. Many of the students were also wearing ITC t-shirts made especially for the event. The creativity and lengths some of the teams had gone to was amazing!

ITC Marketing Director Claire Huxley says that the day was an incredible amount of fun, but it has other benefits as well.

“Amidst all the fun and laughter, the students were learning to work together to achieve a goal – it’s a really important part of our industry,” she says.

“Travel and tourism is an incredibly vibrant and lively industry to be in – but it also requires people to work well together. And it requires a great deal of enthusiasm – but I think it’s safe to say our students showed they have that!”

ITC’s Offer Gateway to Career and Personal Growth

ITC Students Get Rugby World Cup Experience

The Rugby World Cup 2011 gave the International Travel College (ITC) an opportunity to provide some fantastic real-world experience for its students.

ITC student volunteers worked with Auckland War Memorial Museum and Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development (ATEED) to provide information and assistance for visitors to Auckland during the Rugby World Cup.

ITC, which has campuses in Botany and central Auckland, has been a premium supplier of full-time and part-time training programmes for the airline, travel and tourism industries since 1996. The college has developed strong working relationships with Auckland Museum and ATEED, with student regularly undertaking work experience and part-time roles with both organisations.

The 20 students representing Auckland Museum were armed with energy drinks, water, Anzac biscuits and digital cameras to record the atmosphere within the city and their interactions with visitors.

Dubbed the Auckland Museum Student Army, the ITC students stayed in touch with the museum via a dedicated Facebook page, uploading images and reporting on their progress.
 
“The initiative was hugely successful and the museum is very grateful,” says Tourism Manager Adam Taylor.
 
“One student went so far as to escort a Japanese couple to the museum. If this student came to me for a job post study, she would be first in line for a role with us.”

“That’s exactly the kind of feedback we want,” says ITC’s Account Manager Ceri Jenkins. “The relationships we develop with industry are all about ITC students being known as highly trained and job-ready. It’s a win-win for the students, the college and New Zealand’s tourism industry.”

Adam Taylor agrees: “For the Museum, working with the best tertiary tourism institutes like ITC is a great way for us to help grow the next generation of tourism professionals, and it also allows the students to develop their own relationships before they enter the job market.”

The 15 student volunteers for ATEED teamed up with existing Wise Guides to help visitors in the city. The benefits to those students have also been hugely valuable, says Ceri.

“These students were able to start to develop some key contacts for themselves in the industry, as they received training from a number of key industry operators and were in constant contact with them throughout the event. As a direct result of these contacts, a number of these students will undoubtedly gain work through Tourism Auckland and their partners.”
 
“We’re really proud of our students,” he continues. “This was a unique opportunity for them to be involved in a major event and to enhance their customer service skills and general levels of confidence – and they embraced it with open arms.”

Another HIT fir ITC students :)