Meet the graduate who went from ‘no direction in life’ to inflight trainer and customer service manager!
Scarlett Westall is an ITC graduate with an impressive career journey – and she’s only 6 years in!
It’s one thing to catch up with students shortly after they’ve graduated, but we also love to catch up with graduates years later to see how their journey is going. And more often than not, they have incredible, inspiring tales to share!
That’s exactly the case with Scarlett Westall, a past ITC student who is six years into her career, and has already made huge progress. What’s even more impressive is that she had no idea what to do with her career after high school, then discovered us at ITC, and the rest is history.
We asked Scarlett to share some of her story with us, and here’s what she had to say!
How did your adventure begin with us at ITC?
After finishing high school in 2017 with no direction in life I knew I wanted to do something travel related, I just wasn’t sure what that would be yet.
What do you think ITC does different from other education providers?
ITC provides you real life industry experience and knowledge and was able to educate on many different varieties of careers in the industry, as well as learning helpful skills to add and boost our CVs (as well as learning how to actually write a CV!)
What is your fondest memory of ITC?
The many shared lunches our class would have! I learnt so much about other people and their cultures from this!
What has your career journey been in the last 6 years?
After becoming a flight attendant I wasn’t sure that was even going to be the path for me, but the airline provided me with so many additional skills and opportunities I truly fell in love with the job! (And the amazing benefits of course.) Now I have a wide variety of skills that will benefit me in any future career if I choose to go. I started as a Flight Attendant and now am a qualified Inflight Trainer as well as a customer service manager.
What advice do you have for someone working in the industry to progress like you have?
To take the good with the bad. Everyone will have bad days but it’s what you decide to take from it that will make or break. Some of the days I dreaded the most were actually the best days of my life. The people you meet and the places you’ll go with a positive attitude are truly endless.
What was your biggest learning so far?
You truly learn how to adapt when you encounter the amount of challenges in a day this career throws you, having an open mind is one of the most important things you can have when it comes to a people facing role such as this one, someone’s bad day isn’t a reflection of you as a person.
Tell us about your current role? What’s a typical day look like for you?
I prefer the late flights so I tend to sleep in, wake up at around 9am, get some form of exercise whether it’s pilates or a walk in before I head to the airport in the afternoon. I head to the crew room about an hour before the flight departs and sign on with my crew. We perform our checks on the aircraft and begin our day! Sometimes this consists of two flights (international) or four flights (domestic).
What are you excited most about your journey from here?
Even though I have progressed well in these past years, I am excited to now help other people progress. I find great enjoyment in training and have the pleasure of assisting crew when it’s their first day of flying! Every day is truly so different, this job has never gotten old.
What advice do you have for others wanting to study tourism?
Take the opportunities that come your way, I originally thought I wanted to maybe head into customs or aviation security but a flight attendant job at Jetstar came up, I was encouraged by the team at ITC to give it a go anyway and I’m still here 6 years later. You truly miss 100% of the shots you don’t take!
Not sure what direction your life is headed in?
If, like Scarlett, you aren’t sure what to do after high school, consider a career in travel and tourism. There are so many jobs available, all of which can take you all over Aotearoa and the world – and all of it can start right here at ITC.
View our available courses here, and get in touch with any questions here!
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