Meet Felix-Honour Flavell-Hunter, a recent inspiring graduate from Botany Campus!
Felix, an ITC graduate, is an inspiring example of what students get up to after they finish their studies!
Felix-Honour found out about ITC through a friend, came to an open day, and has never looked back!
His incredible story is truly inspirational, especially for anyone unsure what to do with their career after finishing high school.
We asked Felix-Honour all about his experiences, so you can hear about it all from his view!
How did your adventure begin with us at ITC?
Before graduating high school, I was unsure in which direction I wanted to take my career. I was unsettled by the idea of working a normal 9-5 job that only satisfied my financial situation week by week.
Therefore, with the encouragement of my close friend Tessa Takai, she convinced me to attend the open day for ITC to potentially start my aviation and tourism career pathway alongside her. This decision would catapult me through the next two years as, alongside my amazing classmates and brilliant tutors, we worked to gain the qualifications fit to pursue our dream jobs
What do you think ITC does different from other education providers?
The biggest indicator that makes ITC stand out from other educators is their ability to balance practical and theoretical learning.
From my experience, education providers tend to lean more towards one ideal, such as a strong focus on concepts and ideas or hands-on activities. ITC excels in this regard because, although you may feel overwhelmed by the workload of essays and reports and unique research questions for your assignment, ITC manages to ease that stress with practical learning, such as creating and perfecting our own CV from scratch or preparing for a class debate that involves competitiveness and helps to build a stronger understanding of the module.
It is only when you complete each module that you realise how interesting the topic is and how much you learned both on a practical and theoretical level.
What is your fondest memory of ITC?
I had a lot of memorable experiences during my studies with ITC; a few that stick out to me are the various events organised by the staff and student reps, such as Global Wednesday.
These events taught the students about their assigned countries, encouraged them to interact with other classes, and encouraged everyone to participate through their competitive nature, even though my class won both years I participated (we took Global Wednesday very seriously).
Other memories consist of the relationships I built with my classmates and home tutors, Andy and Take. The bonds built with my entire cohort made me feel a part of a bigger family as my class navigated each module and assignment by the guidance of amazing and experienced tutors.
What is your next adventure after ITC?
Since I graduated in 2021, I have had a multitude of directional changes in terms of my career.
Initially, I had a fiery passion for culture and language learning, specifically Korean. Therefore, I set my sights on becoming an English teacher for English learners in South Korea. Three terms into completing my degree, I felt listless and unmotivated to continue studying heavily due to COVID.
At this point, I re-evaluated my strengths, qualifications, and goals, then proceeded to look into careers in aviation, specifically cabin crew. At the end of 2022, I found a listing from Air New Zealand and went through the recruitment process up until the ‘vetting stage’ where I was told I couldn’t work as a flight attendant with my poor eyesight. After being rejected, I had two options: enrol for the next semester at the university or use this as a learning opportunity and continue down this path.
Although I have yet to complete my degree, I know I can always return to study at any age, and as I come into my own, I hope to continue down this career path of becoming an English teacher soon.
Therefore, I went with the latter and pursued other airlines, including Qantas, Emirates, and even British Airways. With no luck, I almost gave up, but in the first half of 2023, I decided to work to gain more experience and qualifications and save up to get laser eye surgery (which cost close to $13,000). This plan would guarantee me a position with my dream airline, Air New Zealand.
By the end of 2023, I finally had my big break! After applying for multiple airlines, I finally received an opportunity to work as domestic cabin crew with Jetstar. Additionally, I saved up the funds to pay for my surgery, and although it was a turning point for my career and removed that one obstacle stopping me, it was also a great investment for my life in general. Being able to see clearly has been worth every dollar thus far.
Currently, my 2024 plan is to further build my CV by gaining the necessary experience to make me an undeniable candidate for any airline. I will be commencing this stage in my career in February as a Jetstar flight attendant and will apply the skills I have learned thus far to excel in this role, build upon my career foundation, and open doors to many other destinations.
What will a typical day look like for you in future?
Starting in February, I will commence ground school training for six weeks, which consists of learning the protocol and roles of a flight attendant. Following my training, I will have the honour to graduate with my class in Australia and commence my flying journey on the domestic fleet for Jetstar Auckland by late March.
My long-term goal for this year is to use this job as a learning experience and build my CV to become more attractive for my future roles.
How did ITC prepare or support you for all this?
In a nutshell, ITC prepared me for the real world. I was taught about each sector of the tourism industry, how things were run, who managed them, and how I could become a manager in the same role.
I was also taught formal ethics in the workplace via different communication methods, how to plan goals in segments and many other useful life skills. Realistically, I use the things I have learned in ITC almost every day when I am writing emails, applying for jobs, or managing my co-workers. And in my current situation, I would not have made it this far without the work and modules given by ITC to teach me all there is to know about aviation and tourism.
I will further take this knowledge and apply it to my ground school training, which should make it an even smoother process before graduating.
What are you excited most about your journey from here?
The journey thus far has been quite treacherous; constant obstacles and hurdles have made it a strain on my mental and physical capabilities, making me question if I am doing this all for nothing.
Thankfully, I pushed through, and I still have those goals in mind, and nothing is stopping me now from reaching them! From the time I stepped foot in to ITC to me writing about my story since then, I have persevered and kept moving forward. Now the part I’m most excited about is where we go from here!
I have a plan, a goal, and the means to achieve that goal; it’s just a matter of when. I worked hard to get to this stage, and now my new chapter begins in 2024. I hope to live up to the expectations I set for myself and make those who surround me proud.
What advice do you have for others wanting to study tourism?
Tourism is a vast and expendable industry, with many moving parts that keep it running smoothly. Every role is vital, and there is always a path for someone to take. The experience you build with ITC and within this industry is beneficial in all aspects and can create further opportunities outside of just aviation and tourism.
When I first enrolled, my goal was to become a flight attendant, and although I am still pursuing that dream, I also found a new passion and appreciation for other parts of tourism, which sparked my love for language and culture. The same could be said for the other students in my class. I have come across many of my classmates working in different sectors of the industry, getting jobs as travel agents, check-in staff, tour guides, and flight attendants (that’s me).
I encourage anyone who is sceptical about making that move, to give it a go. To find that dream career, you need a career worth dreaming about, right? Start building that dream with ITC, find that career path, build your strengths, and move through the industry; there really is no other as rewarding.
ITC Botany Tutor Take also had a few words to share about Felix-Honour…
He has Distinction in Botany Level 5 and started studying at the University of Auckland for the double major in TESOL and Korean during the COVID lockdown. He did not give up his dream of a tourism job and travelling all over the world.
Find a dream career “worth dreaming about” with ITC
Felix-Honour is a great example of someone picking a dream career, dreaming about it, and making it happen. If you’d like to write a story like his for yourself, now’s the time to enrol and get started!
Get in touch with any questions you have about studying at ITC, or about the careers you might discover with an industry-recognised travel and tourism qualification.
Campus Study – college@itc.co.nz 0800 TOURISM (0800 868747) or https://www.itc.co.nz/contact-us/
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