Also worth thinking about where you live. London and Crawley is great for travel! If not, who are all the companies within travelling distance to you? Who has the best reputation (otherwise you can spend the entire time dealing with complaints).

Easiest thing to do is to find contact details and subscribe to the Offline editions of both publications I mentioned (you'll have to be working for 'Puddleduck Travel' to qualify for free copies!). And BA's a good way in, great to have on your CV if you want to move around the industry, even if their staff perks have been decimated! Good luck!

Thanks Sam - just heard I'm through to the second round for BA

Well done PD, good luck for the rest of the stages. It's a great way in and opens lots of options going forward.

yes well done, keep us informed.

kath x

Just a quick update; I didn't get the BA job but I have been offered a job with Sunderland football club as an events organiser which I'm going to take. It's a really good opportunity and a varied job, which will keep me interested.
I had a long conversation with a recruiter for Hays Travel and she was very helpful (and honest) - without a qualification I wouldn't have got into retail, I'd missed the enrollment for college courses this year (and even if I did a course there's no guarantee it would be enough to get a job as I'd have no retail experience) oh and I was too old for their apprenticeship scheme.
Never mind, just one of those things I guess, I'll have to feed my interest with HT and researching holidays for my mates!

PD

Sorry to hear you didn't get hired by BA, but congrats on getting the job with SAFC, it sounds as though it could be very interesting.

Thanks Judith

I wouldn't give up yet!!! I am sure I have replied to you somewhere along the line, but cannot find it.
Anyway, I have been a staff nurse since 1993 and for about 10 years now i have been really interested in Travel, so decided to do something about it. Now I still work part-time night duty as a staff nurse but also work part-time as a travel consultant in a small travel agents in our village. i was the same as you. I wanted to get into the travel business so bad, i would have done anything to get in....and I have. I enrolled with ICS Home Learning and worked from home at my own pace. at the end of the course I sat my exams and passed them all with merit. I went on to do the Advanced Course and passed that exam too. If you pass the exams after doing the course you are classed as a travel consultant and if you go on and pass the Advanced exams you are classed as a senior travel consultant. Although I had all this knowledge, i/ didn't really have any experiance of working in a travel agents, but the shop where I always book my holidays were very good during my courses with lending me brochures etc. As it turned out, one of the girl's was on maternity leave, but decided she was going to come back part-time and they asked if I would be interested working for them maybe 2 or 3 days a week for around 4-5 hours. it would help them out and also give me that valuable experience I lacked. of course I jumped at the chance and have been working there for over a year now and absolutely love it.
Check out ICS and see if it is what you are looking for. The courses I did have now changed, but i am sure they will have something to suit you. The best thing about them is that you work at your own pace from home so you can still keep your job at the football club. It only took me 6 months to complete the first course and pass the exams. I just found it so interesting since I always loved reading anything to do with Travel.
I would definately go for it if I was you. I just wish I had done it sooner. I don't know if you mentioned what age bracket you are in, but if you are older then don't let that put you off either. I will be 50 next year. I would go into some of the local travel agents and explain how keen you are to get into Travel and tell them you are going to do the course and see what they say.
Good luck and hope this helps.

Maryjo

p.s. Since I started in the travel agents I have also done numerous courses too. I am actually a Dubai Specialist now after doing the courses run by Dubai Tourist Board. Also completed courses and have certificates on South Africa, Sandals resorts, Couples Resorts, Hawaii, St. Lucia and many more. So please don't give up...go for it!!!!!

Thanks for posting Maryjo, thats good inspiration for those of us who are older (38!) who are looking to get back into work or change career.