ITC’s Top 10 tips on how NOT get an interview

ITC are happy to help all their students ensure their CV is the best!

ITC’s Marketing Director Claire shares her top tips for improving your interview game. (more…)

Disney 2014 – new friends, a second family and the experience of a lifetime

Cara ITC Graduate now working at Disney, (in the red top) in Orlando. What an experience.

ITC Graduate Cara Adams tells us about her experience at Disney.

How do I even start to talk about this journey, it has been such a rollercoaster ride? I am so happy that I chose to do this; I have grown while being here and have met friends that I will keep forever. There have, of course, been ups and downs in the six months I have been here so far, but all of them have been an important part of this amazing experience. (more…)

ITC Students shine at TRENZ 2014

ITC’s students have once again proven themselves at the Tourism Rendezvous New Zealand 2014 (TRENZ) event.

The students volunteered through the TRENZ Student Ambassador Programme. They provided support and assistance at the event, which saw approximately 1100 TRENZ delegates, international visitors and event sponsors come together at the Queens Wharf complex on Auckland’s Waterfront. (more…)

An insight into Emirates

Chelsea at Emirates Aviation College in Dubai.

ITC graduate Chelsea McNeil has achieved a fantastic role at Emirates. She recently moved to Dubai and completed her training at Emirates Aviation College. Here she gives us an inside look at what it’s like once you land your dream job!

The first week focused on inducting the new recruits into the Emirates team. Chelsea says this involved medical checks, lots of speeches from different departments, and uniform fitting. The training group was also split into four batches of around 15 people for team-building activities.

“I was pretty exhausted that first week – getting up at 5am and still feeling a little jet lagged from the flight over – but I soon adjusted,” she says.

With the initial induction over, the training began in earnest.

First up was 13 days of training on safety and emergency procedures.

“The training is intense,” says Chelsea. “You learn so much in one day and then you get home and study everything you’ve learnt that day, plus more for the next day, plus homework.”

“We had practical exams every day in the amazing simulators – they create such a real environment especially during turbulence and decompression scenarios.”

The three trainers (from India, Mauritius and South Africa) were “awesome” she says.

After safety and emergency training, Chelsea had her first weekend off without any study.

She started off with some shopping at the massive Dubai Mall: “Over 1200 shops! I only managed to walk around half of the mall in 4 hours!”

Sheikh Zayed Road, home to most of Dubai’s skyscrapers is also spectacular, says Chelsea, especially at nighttime when all the buildings are lit up.

Back at training the following week Chelsea and her classmates undertook group medical training.

“It’s a little more extensive than a general First Aid course,” she jokes. “It takes about 5 days and I even learnt how to deliver a baby!”

After medical training the team picked up their uniforms and rushed home to try them on.

Image and grooming training followed. “This is a fun day where we learnt about skin care, makeup, hair, nails, fitness and nutrition and uniform.”

Next on the schedule was security. Here the trainees learnt how to conduct all security checks on board, learnt about hijacking and bomb threats and how to react in those situations.

The final part of training was service, and Chelsea says that once again the fantastic trainers made it a lot of fun.

Three final practical assessments in the simulator tested the trainees on everything they had learnt – medical, security, safety and emergency.

“It was our chance to practice everything we learnt and put it together,” says Chelsea. “It was such a great feeling to finish training!”

The graduates were then assigned their first two flights, where they are able to observe everything and experience what happens in the real world.

Chelsea’s first flight was to Chennai in India (MAA) on the Boeing 777, and she loved it.

“It was a turnaround flight, so 4 hours there and 4 hours straight back. The coolest thing was being able to sit in the cockpit for takeoff and landing. The 180-degree view was incredible.”

Top 10 Tips for ITC students

A Tahitian Welcome

Lesley Brough, ITC’s International Marketing Manager, went to Papeete in September on a work trip with Christine Lynch from NZIE. She shares some of her memorable moments.

Tahiti knows how to welcome people like no place else! As we arrived from our Air Tahiti Nui flight, we were treated to Tahitian singing and dancing. There was an even better surprise outside, with one of our wonderful International Travel College (ITC) graduates Christelle Ho and Ariitea waiting for me with a lovely frangipani flower lei. Now that’s a nice welcome!   ITC has three graduates who currently live in Tahiti, and I was lucky enough to catch up with them all. Tiffany Harry, now working at Easy Tahiti travel agency in Papeete, was a superb tour guide on our day off. Together we caught the ferry, which in just 35 minutes took us to beautiful Moorea, where Tiffany’s sister Vaima met us.  Vaima, her husband Patrick, and nephew Rahiti had planned a wonderful day for us, which included taking the family boat out.   This was to become one of my most memorable days ever! The outer reef shelters a lot of the coast of Moorea, and the water is incredibly calm, clear and a gorgeous aqua colour. Patrick drove the boat along the coast past over-water bungalow resorts (the likes of which I had only seen in magazines before) until we arrived at a very special spot. Here we had the opportunity to swim with blacktip reef sharks and stingrays. The water was chest high and while the sharks got close, they were still about a metre away (and thankfully harmless!). The stingrays were also harmless but incredibly friendly. They swam right up to us and swept across our arms, legs and even our chest. Did you know that they eat not only through their mouth, but also through two holes at the top of their heads? That was pretty neat to watch and to feel their soft, spongy bodies.   From here we journeyed to an island for a picnic, where the picnic table and chairs were put straight into the metre-deep water on a sand bank. Now this was fun!  Vaima had packed a beautiful lunch for us all, which included lots of fresh fish in coconut milk and other Tahitian dishes. We were very spoilt. After lunch I snorkelled with the numerous tropical fish.   As we were heading back to the house on the boat, we came across two humpback whales (a mother and baby) in the harbour. Apparently no one had seen whales inside the reef for many years, so it was quite amazing. With the words “You only live once!” Tiffany jumped in to swim with them. Patrick and I agreed and jumped in too. The water was very deep here (between 50 to 100 feet deep). It was scary, but this was definitely something I didn’t want to miss out on. These whales were HUGE! We could only see a small part of their bodies from the boat, so looking at them in the water with goggles was amazing.

To finish of this amazing day Patrick took us for a 4WD experience up the back of their property to view their pineapple plantation.

On another day I was able to visit Christelle at her work at Deep Nature Spa located at the Intercontinental Hotel. The spa was stunning and the hotel has its very own seawater lagoon that guests can swim in with the tropical fish.

One evening Christelle and I met with another ITC graduate, Alexandra Lion. We had a special night that included dinner at Christelle’s family roulotte (food truck) and ate her mother’s famous mahi mahi grilled fish.   It was a lovely surprise to be invited out to dinner by the parents of Mani, one of our current students. Daniel, Mahinateata and I had a lovely meal at The Royal Tahitian Hotel and we spotted the Brazilian beach soccer team who were staying there for the FIFA world beach soccer tournament. The opening night of the tournament was a great spectacle that included shutting down the main road, four stages of live music and a huge firework show. Papeete was the place to be on that night!   On our last day in Tahiti we went to a half-day student fair and spent the afternoon being driven around Tahiti (which takes 2-3 hours) by the lovely Poe Bessert and her wonderful mother LANI.

We saw the only white sand beach in Tahiti (all the others have black sand), fern grottos, waterfalls, a blowhole and the beautiful east coast. On the way we also met up with Danilo and Cecile who gave us each a stunning handmade poster of French Polynesia, drawn by Danilo. The drive ended at sunset at the spot where James Cook landed at Tahiti.   When it was time to say leave it was wonderful to have Christelle, Ariitea and Alex all come to the airport to say goodbye and give me a shell necklace (a tradition in Tahiti when someone leaves).

I would love to say a big thank you to Christelle, Ariitea, Tiffany, Alex, Vaima, Patrick, Rahiti, Poe, LANI, Mary, Daniel, Mahinateata, Danilo and Cecile; and of course to Christine and Chris (my fellow travel buddies). Tahiti was a stunning place to visit and you all made my trip truly amazing.

Are you ready to fly high?

Since 1996 the International Travel College of New Zealand (ITC) has been focused on providing training that gets students jobs in the airline, airport, travel and tourism industries.

With two Airport Training Centres at its City and Botany Campuses, ITC students get experience with the technology, the practical processes and the customer service skills they will need in their future careers.

The huge Airport Training Centres simulate real-world airports, including check in, customs, gate lounges, and planes where students are trained in all aspects of in-flight service. Training also incorporates the Ready to Check in online check in system, currently used by many airlines worldwide.

ITC is also committed to getting on-site experience for its students. This entails students helping out behind the scenes at industry events, and an increasing number of agreements with local industry employers, who are keen to give ITC students part-time work opportunities while they study.

“We’ve got great relationships with the industries we work with, and the practical nature of our courses means that our graduates are ready to work in their chosen fields,” says ITC’s Marketing Director Claire Huxley. “That translates into great job placement rates and a willingness from our industry partners to provide our students with work experience.”

“This whole experience has really shown me that what the tutors say to us at ITC is true – they push and encourage students to go for their dreams and never give up. My training at ITC has definitely helped me with my confidence and knowledge of the travel and tourism industry and thanks to them and my hard work it has all paid off, now I am in going to Dubai to embark on an exciting career as flight attendant for Emirates!” said graduate Lisi Kaihau.

Both ITC’s Botany and City Campuses have a few spaces on their last 2 courses in 2013, so it’s not too late to enrol now! Find out how you can launch your career in the airline, airport, and travel and tourism industries by phoning the ITC Team now 0800 868747 or (09) 373 5510 for more information, or check our website www.itc.co.nz

ITC to offer Aviation Course via Distance Learning

The International Travel College of New Zealand (ITC) will be offering its popular Certificate in Aviation by distance online learning from August 2013.

The level 3 course will be titled the National Certificate in Aviation Core Skills and will prepare students for entry level jobs in the aviation and travel industries. Its particular focus is on students who want to work for an airline or airport.

ITC has been a premium supplier of full-time and part-time training programmes for the airline, travel and tourism industries since 1996, and has campuses in Botany and central Auckland. Since 2006 the college has also offered a number of its courses via distance learning.

“There are many people in New Zealand who are unable to come to on-campus classes,” says Carla Sutton, ITC’s Distance Learning Programme Manager. “The reasons vary from having young children to other study or work to living far away from a campus.”

Students of the new aviation course will be able to choose between a 25-week full-time course and a 49-week part-time course.

“It’s not always easy for people to fit study into a life that is already busy with other commitments,” says Carla. “So we provide specific options and support wherever we can to help our distance students succeed.”

And ITC’s students agree that it all makes a difference.

“I thought it was going to be difficult, as I am also studying at university and looking after my son, but with the help and support from fellow students and ITC, I DID IT!” says graduate Caroline.

And Sarah says: “I have had so many changes and challenges over the last 6 months, and having study on top of it all seemed to be too much at times, but all your kind words and listening ears have made what seemed impossible very possible and easy.”

As with other ITC courses, students are given advice and help to create a CV that puts their best foot forward and highlights their particular strengths. And distance learning support staff put the students through a practice interview to help prepare them for real-world interviews and boost their confidence.

ITC graduate Carla recently got a job at Menzies Aviation: “This is exactly what I want to do and I cannot believe it,” she says. “It is really happening for me! Thank you so much for your wonderful teaching and the time and effort that you have invested in me. You have no idea how much it really means to me.” “That’s what it’s all about for us,” says Carla Sutton. “Knowing that we have made a genuine difference in helping someone to change their life and achieve their dreams. We are really looking forward to being able to offer the aviation course to people who want to work in this exciting field.”

For more information, please email carla@itc.co.nz or wendy@itc.co.nz or check www.itc.co.nz.